“Father of the Nation”, “Great Soul”, Mahatma Gandhi is known with various honorifics. The man who led the Indian Nationalist Movement came to be recognized worldwide for his ways of non-violence.
You must have read and heard about him a lot since childhood, but there are still things that might still surprise you! Check out these 10 facts about Mahatma Gandhi you might not know and prepare to be amazed by the great soul.
#1. He Got Married as a Teenager
Gandhi was married off at an age of 13 to Kasturba Makanji. The couple went on to have four sons.
#2. Man of the Year- 1930
Mahatma Gandhi was named as the Man of the Year by TIME Magazine in 1930. He was also the runner up for Time’s Person of the Century.
#3. Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
It is true that Gandhi was a man who preached and followed peaceful ways, but he never won a Nobel Peace Prize despite being nominated for it in 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1947. He was also nominated in 1948 but the committee decided not to present him the award posthumously. No winner was named that year with the committee saying that there was “no suitable living candidate”.
#4. The Shy Kid
while he was growing up, barely a few people would have predicted that he would one day command an entire nation. As a boy, Gandhi was extremely shy and a middling student. He would run back home right after school so that he wouldn’t have to talk to anyone.
The same shy kid later became the father of the nation with millions of followers.
#5. The Irish Accent
It is said that Gandhi spoke English with an Irish accent. This is attributed to the fact that his first teacher was an Irishman and Gandhi picked up his accent from him.
#6. Walking Enthusiast
Showing his love for walking, he called it the “the prince of exercises”. It began during his high school days when he would go for long walks instead of opting for organized sports. During his days as a Law student in London, he would walk as much as 8 – 10 miles a day, this also saved him a lot of money. He said that these long walks were what gave him a strong body and kept him practically free of illness during his stay in England.
All of that is evident from his Salt March of 1930 wherein he walked 241 miles!
#7. Always Punctual
Gandhi was extremely punctual. He also possessed a dollar watch which was one of the few possessions he had. In fact, on the day he was assassinated, he was upset because he was 10 minutes late to a prayer meet.
#8. False Teeth
Gandhiji had a set of false teeth which he carried in the folds of his loincloth. He only put them when he needed to eat something. After his meal, he would take them out, wash and put them back in his loin cloth.
#9. The Assassination
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a fellow Hindu on January 30, 1948. He was shot thrice at a point-blank range.
#10. Honours
Over 53 major roads in India and 48 roads around the world are named as “Mahatma Gandhi Road”.
A stamp was also released in Britain honouring the Mahatma’s 100th birthday.