Image: Birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Porbandar. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; photo by Samadolfo.
Mahatma Gandhi’s public life is usually associated with India’s freedom movement, but the foundations of his character were formed much earlier. He was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar and spent important formative years in Rajkot.
Born in Porbandar
Gandhi was born into the family of Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai Gandhi. His father served as a senior official in the princely states of Kathiawar. The Gandhi family later moved to Rajkot in 1876, when Mohandas was seven.
The Gandhi Heritage Portal records Rajkot as the family’s principal home from 1876 to 1915 and documents many important events from his childhood and youth there.
School years in Rajkot
Gandhi studied at what became Alfred High School in Rajkot. The Gandhi Heritage Portal says he entered the school in December 1880 and passed his matriculation examination in 1887.
His autobiography describes several school experiences, including his reputation as a quiet student and the famous incident in which he did not copy a spelling answer during an inspection.
Stories that influenced him
According to the Gandhi Heritage Portal, two dramatic stories particularly affected the young Gandhi: the story of Shravan’s devotion to his parents and the story of King Harishchandra. Gandhi later associated these stories with his developing commitment to truth and duty.
Family and early responsibilities
Gandhi married Kasturbai Kapadia in 1883. His father died in Rajkot in 1885. These family experiences came during his teenage years, before he left India to study law in England.
The decision to go to England
After matriculation, Gandhi briefly attended Samaldas College in Bhavnagar. A decision was eventually made to send him to England to study law. He left Bombay for England in September 1888.
His journey from Porbandar and Rajkot to London marked the beginning of a new stage in his life. The young student who left India in 1888 was not yet the political leader the world would later know.
Read the Gandhi Heritage Portal’s Rajkot history and our related NewsNationOnline article on the making of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi.
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