It was October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Kathiawar, India when a great human being was born. This great personality was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Mohandas Gandhi had a shy nature, but  within this quiet man, was a strong will. His strong beliefs in fairness, freedom, kindness, and peace carried him through years of struggle, and changed nations.

Gandhi's family strongly believed in nonviolence and caring for each other. His mother would often take care of those who were sick and poor. His father was a local government leader. He often settled disagreements between the British who ruled India and the Local people. From them Gandhi learnt to respect others and their beliefs.

At eighteen, Gandhi sailed to England to study law. After a few years, Gandhi earned his law degree and returned to India. He eventually took an assignment in South Africa in 1888.

In South Africa which was also ruled by the British, life was very different.  

One day, when Gandhi traveled by train, a conductor told him he couldn’t sit in the first class car. A well dressed Gandhi, explained that he was travelling on business and had bought a first class ticket.

None of that mattered,  because of Gandhi's skin colour. When he refused to leave, he was thrown off the train. On another trip,  Gandhi was beaten by the driver for not making room for the white.

The events brought the suffering of Indians in South Africa to Gandhi’s attention. Gandhi felt he had to do something about it. He stayed in South Africa, when the government tried to pass a law that denied Indians to vote.

Gandhi made speeches, wrote letters to stop the law from passing. Although, he wasn’t successful, his work brought attention to him and the struggles people were facing over there.