Tales of Young Gandhi
by Janhavi Prasad
Rearrange the words given below to get a famous quote by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
see must You wish change you to in the world be.
= "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Making Connections
Quick answers
1. Answer in a sentence.
a. When was Gandhi born?
= Gandhi was born on 2nd October, 1869.
b. Where was Gandhi born?
= Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat on the west coast of India.
c. Who were Gandhi's parents?
= Gandhi's parents were Karamchand and his wife Putlibai.
d. Why did the Gandhi family move to Rajkot?
= Gandhi family moved to Rajkot as Karamchand joined the Rajasthanik court in Rajkot.
e. Which languages were taught at the school Gandhi went to? List three.
= Sanskrit; Persian; and English.
f. How did Gandhi feel when his request to leave school early was not granted?
= Gandhi felt very upset and low when his request to leave school early was not granted.
g. What evidence (proof) does Gandhi give to show that in spite of everything, he did quite well at school?
= In spite of everything, Gandhi did quite well at school. To prove this, he has given the evidence (proof) that he got scholarship of Rs 4 and Rs 10 for two years.
Reference to Context
2. "Later I came to realize that physical training is as important as mental training."
a. What physical training was Gandhi given at school?
= Gandhi was given the physical training of gymnastics, football and cricket at school.
b. What did Gandhi do before he realized the importance of physical training?
= Gandhi shirked from them before he realized the importance of physical training.
c. What habit did Gandhi form after he realized the importance of physical training?
= Gandhi formed a habit of regular long walking in the open air after he realized the importance of physical training.
3. "Mohandas, stop lying about your absence.
But sir … "
a. Who accused Gandhi of lying?
= The headmaster in their school, Dorabji Edulji Gimi, accused Gandhi of lying.
b. Which class had Gandhi been absent from?
= Gandhi had been absent from a compulsory gymnastic class.
c. What was the reason for Gandhi's absence?
= Gandhi wanted to rush home to attend to his ill father. He had no watch and he miscalculated the hour and by the time he reached school, all the boys had left.
Read, reflect and write
4. Based on what you see in the graphic story, describe the school that Gandhi went to.
= The primary school was in Rajkot. They taught multiplication tables. The school taught languages like - English, Sanskrit and Persian. The school had scopes of winning scholarships for the meritorious students.
The high school had emphasised on physical training to ensure good health of the students. They had compulsory classes of gymnastics, football and cricket. The headmaster was very strict. The school teacher used to encourage cheating to secure the prestige of the school. They used to force the students to pay fine for late arrival or absence.
5. Why did the headmaster not believe the reason for Gandhi's absence?
= Gandhi was very respectful and responsible to his parents from very young age. He went to attend his ill father. At this young age, it is very rare to see that some school student absents him from school only to attend his sick father. It is very strange and unnatural. So, the headmaster did not believe the reason for Gandhi's absence.
6. T-Charts are a type of graphic organizer through which we can separate and organize information. The T-Chart gets its name as it has two columns which make it look like the letter 'T'. Fill in the T-chart given here.
=
|
Opinion |
Evidence or proof from the story to support the opinion |
|---|---|
|
My heart was not in my studies. |
|
|
I was very shy. |
|
7. Gandhi pointed out qualities and character traits in himself that are good and admirable. What are these?
= Gandhi was very shy in his childhood. In the primary school, his shyness led him to bury his head in a book even though he grasped nothing. He avoided talking to schoolmates at the thought of being laughed at. It was his shyness once again that haunted him on the playground as well. He could not get involved in the physical training easily.
He was very respectful and responsible towards his parents. He got himself absent from class to attend his ill father. Despite his other flaws, he never ever lied to his teachers.
He considered copying in the exam as cheating. He stopped himself from cheating even though the supervisor Mr. Giles was encouraging cheating to secure that all the students get full marks and glorify their school.
8. What are your strengths or strong points? Illustrate with examples.
= My strengths are - I am hard working, I have patience and I have perseverance. I try to do everything which are of my own work. I work hard to complete them neatly within time. Then I try to help my family members in their tasks as much as I can. If I get some hard situation, I do not give up. I try hard and think of one solution or the other keeping my calm.
My weakness is I can not stay calm after seeing some wrong is being done with me or someone else. I protest instantly. And many a times, it led me to trouble and it takes time to get rid of it.
About the author: Janhavi Prasad was inspired to collect visual content over 8 years of travel to Porbander, London and South Africa, after reading Gandhi's autobiography The Story of My Experience with Truth, especially by the values of truth, non-violence, simple living and cleanliness.