DOC 1 http://www.scribd.com/doc/11518463/Mohandas-Gandhi Revered in India as the "Father of the Nation," Mohandas K.

Gandhi is also a worldwide icon of non-violent political resistance. Gandhi was born in India and studied law in England, then spent 20 years defending the rights of immigrants in South Africa. He returned to India in 1914, eventually becoming the leader of the Indian National Congress. At the time, India was part of the British Empire, and Gandhi urged nonviolence and civil disobedience as a means to independence. His public acts of defiance landed him in jail many times as the struggle continued through World War II. In 1947 he participated in the postwar negotiations with Britain that led to Indian independence. He was shot to death by a Hindu fanatic the next year. An advocate of simple living, Gandhi ate a vegetarian diet and made his own clothes; the spinning wheel became a symbol of his uncluttered lifestyle. His autobiography, The Story of My Experiments With Truth, was published in 1927. His birthday, October 2nd, is a national holiday in India. Gandhi is often called Mahatma -- the Hindu term for "great soul"... His middle name was Karamchand... Gandhi wed Kasturba Makhanji in 1883, in an arranged marriage; he was 13 at the time. They had five children and remained married for nearly 61 years, until her death in 1944... DOC 2

Oct 2, 1869 Jan 30, 1948 Lawyer, Newspaper Editor, Political and Civil Rights Activist Indian
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

One day of each week Gandhi refrained from speaking. He would communicate by writing. He believed silence brought him inner peace.
Gandhi started in a segregated and divided India. He came to believe that any discrimination was unfair and that all numbers were of equal worth and should have equal rights. He fought for this his whole adult life. His method of fighting injustice was non-violent action based on principles of courage and truth called Satyagraha. When he was 24, he went to South Africa. He ended up staying in South Africa for 21 years to campaign for civil rights for Indians. He organized civil disobedience campaigns and passive resistance to unfair laws. Whenever he was arrested, he pled guilty and calmly went to prison. When Gandhi returned to India, he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement. Gandhi also used fasts to affect change. The British government didnt want him to be stopped a martyr, so the fasts

were very effective. In Hindu society, the Untouchables, who were considered unclean, occupied the very lowest position in society. They could not enter temples, machines or hospitals -- their shadows were not even allowed to touch a Hindu of higher caste. Gandhi started a fast to end this discrimination, and within a week the Untouchables, which Gandhi had renamed harijans meaning children of God, were allowed to enter temples and walk freely on public streets. In 1947, India was granted its independence by Britain. Unfortunately, the very next year, a Hindu fanatic who opposed Gandhis tolerance for all religions and creeds stopped him. Indians consider Gandhi the father of their nation, and he is called Mahatma, which means Great Soul. http://www.zardz.net/Individual%20Pages/Mohandas%20Gandhi%20Trading%20Card.html