Mahatma Gandhi
Discover the true story of Mahatma Gandhi, the shy boy who grew up to change the world without ever raising a fist.
Little Mohandas grew up in Porbandar, a seaside town in India. He was a very shy boy, and his mother, Putlibai, taught him to be kind and always to keep his promises. At school he would not copy in a spelling test, even when his teacher hinted that he should.
He sailed to London to study law. In South Africa, when he was made to leave a train just because he was Indian, he decided to stand up to unfairness, and he found a new way to fight: with truth and peace, never with fists. Back in India he spun his own thread, and in 1930 he walked 240 miles to the sea on the Salt March, with thousands walking beside him. In 1947, India became free.
The book ends with "What Gandhi taught us": six lessons from his life, each beside the moment it comes from, for grown-ups and children to talk about together.
Atlas Of Greats is a series of true picture-book biographies of the world's greats, for ages 3 to 7. Each book follows one person from childhood, in short pages made for reading aloud.
Specs
- Format
- Digital PDF, 32 pages
- Size
- 8.5 × 8.5 in
- Ages
- 3 to 7
Facts for kids
- Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, a town by the sea in Gujarat.
- He lived in South Africa for about 21 years before he came home to India in 1915.
- The Salt March took 24 days. Gandhi was 60 years old, and he walked all the way to Dandi.
- His spinning wheel is called a charkha. A charkha was on the flag of India's freedom movement.
- Since 2007, the United Nations has marked his birthday, 2 October, as the International Day of Non-Violence.
More Greats you might like
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
At school, a boy named Bhim had to sit alone on a sack, and he had to wait for someone else to give him a drink of water.
Rani Lakshmibai
A little girl named Manu grew up by the river Ganga, learning alongside the boys and riding fast horses.
Sarojini Naidu
In the colourful city of Hyderabad, a little girl named Sarojini was stuck on a maths sum, and a whole poem came to her instead.
Ashoka the Great
Long ago in India, a mighty emperor named Ashoka won a great war, and then felt very, very sad.
Srinivasa Ramanujan
In a town in South India, a boy named Ramanujan did his sums on a slate and saw magic in every number.
C. V. Raman
In a town by the sea in South India, a small boy named Raman loved to read and learn.