Mahatma Gandhi

Norman Schwarzkopf once said, “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of the men who goes into battle.” A hero makes a positive impact on people from donating food to saving people’s lives or being brave enough to fight for our country. Heroes have qualities such as being brave, devoted, positive, and compassionate. To be a person’s hero you don’t have to be famous, you just have to accomplish something that affects their lives. India’s greatest leader, Mahatma Gandhi, is definitely what people around the world call a hero.

Mahatma Gandhi of India is my hero. He is the one who freed India using satyagraha and civil disobedience. His work took place in India from 1916 till 1945. It took many steps, and he was very lucky that he was the leader of the India National Congress. During his struggle to free India from British control, he organized a boycott of all British products, persuaded Indians to withdraw their children from British run schools, and refused to pay tax, especially on salt. He also broke the rule of using sea salt by leading a long march from March 21 to April 6, 1930 from the cities Ahmedabad to Dandi. He picked up a large clump of sea salt and that was how he broke the rule Great Britain made. Gandhi even got arrested for his civil disobedience in India. Another accomplishment of his was inspiring civil rights and freedom all around the world. Gandhi accomplished many wonderful things in his life, especially in India.

My hero had a very interesting life. He was born October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat, India. Mahatma Gandhi really wasn’t Gandhi’s name. His name was Mohandas Karachand Gandhi, but the people called him Mahatma, meaning “great soul.” Gandhi grew up in India and at age thirteen he was married to Kasturbe Makhanji in May of 1883. They had four sons from 1888-1900. Before he went to the University College London in England, he had started going to University of Bombay, but was unhappy. In his new school, he studied law and finally became a lawyer. In 1893 he went to South Africa to fight for civil rights until 1914. Two years later, Mahatma started fighting for freedom in India, and it finally happened in 1945. Between 1916 and 1945 Gandhi was arrested even though he was a leader. After freeing India, he decided to try and help Hindus and Muslims get along, but this lead to his death. He was on his way to a prayer meeting on January 30, 1948 when he was shot by Nathuram Gadse.

Devoted, honest, and being a good communicator are all qualities possessed by Mahatma Gandhi. He was honest because he once said, “To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest.” Because he truly wanted to free people from Great Britain's rule, he kept that promise, making him trustworthy. Mahatma was devoted because he kept trying to meet his goal, especially to free India. He was a communicator because he was able to reach the people of India and get them to do the things he asked them to do, such as withdraw children from schools and not pay a tax. Mahatma Gandhi definitely possessed all these qualities and many more.

In conclusion, the world is filled with heroes of every kind. Heroes are the ones who change the world everyday. Mahatma Gandhi, India’s greatest leader, is my hero. A person may not think they are a hero when they help someone, but to the person they are helping they are.