“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Gandhi
After reading the title, you might wonder why I'm choosing Gandhi as my hero. So let me explain. I decided on Gandhi because I am Indian, and in India, he is everyone's hero because he helped stop the British Raj in India, and you'll find out later how he stopped the British Raj. The book I chose is Who Gandhi Was, which was 109 pages long. The book is a biography by Dana Meachen Rau. This book shows the whole life of Gandhi. He lived between the period of 1869 to 1948. Dana Meachen Rau decided to make this book on November 13th, 2014. One fact about Dana Meachen Rau is that she is an American kids' book writer. Another point about Dana Meachen Rau is that she has written more than 300 kids' books. As of 2023, Dana Meachen Rau is 52 years old.
Ghandi Portrait PictureDrawn By DhyaanThe youngest of 6 siblings. Gandhi was born into a wealthy family as his dad was the Political leader of Porbandar. Gandhi's mom was a stay-at-home mom. Through the 1800s, it was believed that men should be working while women should stay home and do house chores. When Gandhi was seven, he said bye to Porbandar and moved to Rajkot. We do not know what schools Gandhi attended, but he was an average student. However, Gandhi said when he was younger, "My books and my lessons were my sole companions.". Gandhi and his mom were passionate about their culture. He would worship Indian gods and fast along with his mother. As a kid, Gandhi was very shy and would always run home after school and start studying after school. Gandhi's least favorite subject was Sanscrit in school. Gandhi was influenced by Leo Tolstoy, a Russian writer, and John Ruskin, an English writer. Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, and Rajchandra Ravijibhai Mehta was a poet. Gandhi didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up, but his parents wanted him to be a barrister. Gandhi never foreshadowed anything about his future. Gandhi also got married at 13 years old Kasturba because, at the time, Indians believed getting married early was good.
When Gandhi turned 18, he said one last goodbye to his family and went to London for law school. Gandhi faced many problems with his diet in London as he was a strict vegetarian. Another problem Gandhi faced in London was racism. After Gandhi was done studying, he stayed in London and founded a group of Indians who protested against racism peacefully. After a while, the British gave in to the protests. Now, Indian people were treated generally in London, but the British Raj was still not over. Then Gandhi went to South Africa for a walk across India, and the farther he went, the more Indians joined him. While Gandhi was walking across India, he was also fasting. Then when Gandhi got to the Seacoast, he did something unbelievable he picked up salt. At first, you might not think this was that bad. Still, that was highly illegal at the time because no Indian was allowed to pick up the salt. The British would sell the salt to the Indians. It was fierce because the British sold the Indian salt to the Indians so they would make more money. After the British heard about this, Gandhi and many other Indians went to jail. But after Gandhi got out, he did not want to give up. He was inspired to stop the British Raj, and he knew all the Hindu gods were on his side, so he kept pushing. He and many Indians started protesting and fasting after escaping jail. Gandhi was hardworking, determined, and brave, demonstrating all those qualities. Gandhi's human weakness was that he would get angry a lot, but when he protested, he tried to control his temper. A sad thing that happened to Gandhi was that Kasturba, his wife, died in prison with him in his hands. Then after she died, Gandhi was even more determined to stop British rule, so he and many more Indians started protesting again. Now there were so many Indians protesting that the British were overwhelmed, and they stopped the British Raj and gave India its independence on August 15, 1947. Then Gandhi got a Nobel peace prize and a Gandhi Mandela Award of excellence. Then on January 30 1948, Gandhi got shot three times in the chest by Nathuram Viniyak Godse. Every Indian was sad, and the assassin was hanged by the government.
Gandhi Action PictureDrawn By DhyaanNow I will tell you my opinions on Gandhi's life. One fact that pleased me about Gandhi's life is that he helped many Indians through tough times with his incredible writing. If I ever met Gandhi, I would ask him, "Even after all those years, how did you not give up fighting against the British Raj?" Another question I would ask him is," Sometimes you fast for days or even months. How did you fast for so long without getting sick, dying, or losing energy?" The last question I would ask him is, "Did anyone try to kill you while protesting?". If someone gave me the option to be Gandhi's child, I would say no because, on paper, it sounds cool to be Gandhi's child. Still, if you think about it, it wouldn't because, at the time, the life expectancy was lower because they had worse medicine, so I would live a shorter life. Another reason I would want to be something other than Gandhi's son is that he was always traveling. I wouldn't get that much time with my father. Dana Meachen Rau did an excellent job writing the book as she simplified it for younger readers. Another reason why she did a fantastic job is because she put a picture in your mind using her words. She could've done better by placing more information in her book. If I had to rate the book out of ten, I would give it an eight.
I learned from his book that Gandhi got married at 13. One thing I can apply to my own life from Gandhi's life is never to give up no matter what. With hard work and dedication, you will eventually succeed. Most people will like Dana Meacen Raus' book because it's simple and easy to remember everything from previous pages. I am happy I chose Gandhi as my hero. My home country would still be under the British Raj if Gandhi were never born. I consider Gandhi a hero as he saved a whole nation, one of the most populated countries in the world, so Gandhi is the best role model for me. Gandhi is my hero.
Web Links:
Page created on 4/20/2023 3:37:44 PM
Last edited 5/1/2023 2:33:15 PM
