Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Poorbandar, Gujarat, a region of Queen Victoria in West India. He was the son of Karamchand Gandhi, the chief minister of Poorbandar, and his fourth wife, Putlibai, a deeply religious Hindu. From her he formed a deep belief in non-violence. As he grew, Mohandas became a small, shy and skinny boy, afraid of others' opinions. He never spoke out, but although he was never a clever child, others were surprised by his gentleness. At the age of thirteen, he was married to Kastaurbai, a pretty yet strongwilled girl of the same caste. He would now live with his wife, instead of his mother and father whom he had cared for so long. (Britannica's Junior Encyclopedia, 1980, p.257) Before this, Mohandas had told lies, had smoked, and had eaten meat, which was strictly forbidden of Hindus. Now, suddenly, he felt guilty and that he had hurt himself and in some ways those who he cared for. So, in desperation

On his return to India in 1891 he was unable to find a suitable job, so he accepted a year's contract in Natal, South Africa, from 1893. Having suffered the humiliation of racial prejudice there for the first time in his life, he was persuaded to remain in South Africa to oppose the bill which would not allow Indians of the right to vote. His mission was not entirely successful, but he was smart in bringing the flight of Indians in South Africa to the attention for the world; and in so doing launched himself as a certain political campaigner. He remained in South Africa for 20 years, opposing further racial thoughts by means of non-violent defiance. His law practice funded his civil activities and, with the support of his wife, he threw his home open to political friends. During the Boer War (1899-1902) he helped the British by raising an Ambulance Corps of more than 1000 Indians, for which he was awarded the War Medal.

At eighteen he traveled to England to study law and secretly to see for himself what made the English so powerful. He enrolled in a college of law but quit after one term. He felt that he didn't fit in, so he studied the " Standard Elocutionist" for use and knowledge of proper etiquette. After a while he quit this also because he saw no use anymore. Quitting became a popular theme in his early life. Sometimes he quit because he was bored with something and just grew out of it, or sometimes when he just couldn't accomplish anything. He did not quit everything though. He worked at some things if he thought that it would in some way help him. He studied material on Common & Roman laws and had to pass major exams on it. (Reynolds, The True Story of Gandhi, pp.87-88, 1964) At 19 his family sent him to London to study law at the Inner Temple. (www.engagedpage.com) He was not a very distinguished or even good one at first.

 Johnson, Alex. Mohandas K. Gandhi. New York: William Morrow, 1975.

 Chester, Christopher. Mohandas Gandhi. Britannica'

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