Popularly known as the 'Father of the Nation', Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in Porbandar, Gujarat. His Ahimsa (non-violence) movement made a remarkable impact in the freedom struggle that steered independence from the British for India in 1947.

He viewed education as an all-round development and not just as literacy. He emphasised on holistic development of a child, not just the mind.

His Childhood & Education

Growing up, Gandhi was "restless as mercury, either playing or roaming about. One of his favourite pastimes was twisting dogs' ears" remembers his sister. Stories of Shravana and king Harishchandra were some of the Indian classics that had a major impact on Gandhi in his childhood. He writes this in his autobiography, and admits that they left a strong impression on his mind. He writes: "It haunted me and I must have acted Harishchandra to myself a number of times." Gandhi's early self-identification with truth and love as supreme values is traceable to these epic characters.

At age 9, Gandhi joined a local school in Rajkot. There he studied the basics of arithmetic, history, Gujarati and geography. At age 11, he joined a High School in Rajkot, Alfred High School. He was an average student, who was a shy with no interest in games.

At the age of 18, Gandhi finished high school and joined Samaldas College in Bhavnagar State but dropped out soon after and returned to his family in Porbandar.

He was advised to pursue law and moved to London to study at the University College London. And thus began his journey as a lawyer, the foremost civil rights activist and freedom fighter in the world.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

His Most Important Lessons for Kids With Quotes

1. Always Do The Right Thing
   Gandhi believed that one doesn’t need any motivation in order to do the right thing just the need to do right in itself should be good enough.
   

   “You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing.”

2. Practice Forgiveness, Not Revenge
   People may do wring by us or disappoint us but we must take pride in forgiving instead of retaliating.
   

   “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

3. Live Simply
   Physical objects don’t always give us the same amount of happiness that intangible things can. Spending time with friends, family, reading and playing can give us more joy than buying things. As they say – money can’t buy you happiness!
   

   “You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.”

4. Practice Cleanliness And Personal Hygiene
   This one is especially important right now. Gandhi believed that cleanliness was next to godliness and that hygiene and sanitation were essential to keep communities free of disease. He believed that every man must take responsibility to keep his surroundings clean, and that there was no shame in doing so.
   

   “We can no more gain God’s blessings with an unclean body than with an unclean mind. A clean body cannot reside in an unclean city.”

While remembering these principles and many more valuable ones that he left the world with, we celebrate this great man on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

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