Not only was he a mediocre student, he was a very quiet and shy teenager too. But did that stop him from becoming India's “Father of the Nation”?
No.
Like other great men in history, Gandhi took his time to grow and develop his techniques to ensure that his actions made an impact. His faith in different religions was commendable. He was brutally honest and truthful and this helped him throughout his life.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar (Gujarat). Gandhi was educated in Gujarat and England, where he qualified as a barrister. He immediately went off to South Africa after marriage and worked as barrister there for twenty years. On return to India he was unable to secure employment in the legal profession and then left for South Africa in 1883. In South Africa Gandhi was employed by a firm of Muslim lawyers in Pretoria and became involved in number of struggles against the authorities. During these agitations Gandhi perfected the technique of non-violent protest that he was to use later in India.
In South Africa, he had his first brush with apartheid. Once, while he was traveling in a train, he was thrown out of the first class compartment despite having a ticket. This made him swear that he would do his best to erase apartheid from the face of his world. He went back to India only to find that his own country was being ruled by the British and his fellow citizens were being treated harshly by the British. He sacrificed his own life for the sake of his country. The respect that he earned for himself despite leading a simple lifestyle is much appreciable. Played a pivotal role, Mahatma Gandhi opted for non violent ways and peaceful methods and fought persistently hard for the freedom struggle and laid a strong foundation for gaining independence from the British.
The way he gave shape and character to India's freedom struggle is worthy of a standing ovation. According to Mahatma Gandhi freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. But it wasn't all that smooth sailing in South Africa either. Instead of landing on a clerical position, he realized that he was engaged for a civil suit that required strong accounting knowledge and detailed legal analysis. The realities of the life and the harsh discrimination against Indians in the country cornered Gandhi into making a decision whether he should pack his bags and leave South Africa or stay on to fight the case.
Gandhi then started working hard on his potentials and abilities drilling into the details zestfully. With his diligence and perseverance, he learned a lot and developed in him chutzpah and adeptness in handling the punitive nature of the lawsuits. This earned him the respect of the Indian community so much so that he was asked to delay his departure back home to fight for the rights of Indian settlers in the country. All his work for civil rights, India's Independence and active propagation of love and peace wouldn't have been possible if he did not carry in him firm conviction; if he did not believe in the innate capability to change from within, in the pursuit of what's right.
His fight for the truth; his fight for freedom and his fight for excellence are not by mere chance but it's a “taken initiative” from within.
Who would have imagined that the shy and introverted boy who refused to stay back after school to interact with his classmates for fear of being laughed at, to be able to speak with such eloquence and persuasion, winning over the whole nation in his pursuit for India's independence? Who would have expected the young timid lawyer who used to scram the courtrooms at the slightest tinge of fear to be able to stand up against tyranny and injustice?
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will and similarly the real freedom comes from ability to unlock the innate potential within and taking the accountability for our own self.” Like Mahatma Gandhi let's unleash ourselves in the pursuit of achieving the dreams within.
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