The Autobiographical Novel “The Story of My Experiments with Truth” is written by Famous Indian Freedom fighter “Mahatma Gandhi”, published in February 1929. The book was originally written in Gujrati language but later it was translated into English language by Mahadevi Desai.
The Story of My Experiments With Truth By Mahatma Gandhi
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Synopsis of The Story of My Experiments With Truth
The story of “My Experiments with Truth” begins with Yerwada Central Jail where Mahatma Gandhi’s friend, Jairam Das advises him to write autobiography. Gandhi wasn’t interested in writing autobiography, but the only reason Gandhi wrote his autobiography is because he wants to share the world his life experiments with truth. The story begins with Gandhi’s first experiment with Truth in childhood where he had experiment with smoking, drinking and robbery.
There are two people who influences Gandhi since childhood to live a life of Truth, and that is Harish Chandra and Shravan Kumar. At the age of 13, Gandhi got married to Kasturba Gandhi. Gandhi was very possessive for his wife, Kasturba and sometimes he used to doubt her, but Kasturba was a smart girl who never fear Gandhi. Kasturba wasn’t educated and Gandhi wanted to educate her, but he never did as he never got a chance and he blame himself for that. Gandhi was a good student in High school, but he had no interest in gymnastics as he prefers to serve his father over doing gymnastics activities.
Gandhi’s first life mistake was that he did not pay attention to his health. Gandhi’s second biggest mistake was that he became a friend of amoral boys, who brain washed him to eat non-veg to become a strong and muscular. He quit eating non-veg for his mother and father and since that day he never eats non-veg in his whole life. One day, Gandhi with his amoral friends goes to prostitute where he was sent to sleep with prostitute, but he never sleeps with her as that prostitute send him away. One time Gandhi smoked beedi on his relative request. He also did robbery just to buy beedi.
The story now shift focus to a life of Gandhi’s father, Karamchand Gandhi, whose health is deteriorating day after day and Gandhi is feeling very sad for his father. On the other hand, Gandhi’s wife, Kasturba is also pregnant with Gandhi’s baby. One day, when Gandhi was massaging his father’s foot, his uncle came and send him to sleep. Five minutes later, suddenly Gandhi’s father’s servant comes to Gandhi’s room and tells him that his father is no more. On the other side, as Gandhi’s wife was pregnant, she gave birth to a baby who died in four days. Gandhi was heartbroken as he loses his loving father and baby in just couple of days.
My Experiments With Truth : II
The second part of “My Experiments with Truth” talks about Gandhi’s life as a lawyer. On the advice of relative, Gandhi was recommended to get an education of barrister from foreign country like England. On the contrary, Gandhi’s mother stops him from going abroad as she was afraid that his son may get addicted to alcohol, chicken, and women. She only agrees as Gandhi took a vow that he won’t get attracted to alcohol, chicken, and women in England. Afterwards, Gandhi left for England to study law. There Gandhi was forced by lots of people to eat meat, but he never ate it as he sworn to his mother. Gandhi completed his law study in 1891 and then he returns to India. Afterwards, Gandhi took his first case as a lawyer in Bombay.
One day, Gandhi’s brother received a letter from South Africa. A person named, Abdullah, who own a big firm in South Africa wants Gandhi to come in South Africa to fight a case on his behalf. As Gandhi was not happy in Bombay between corrupt people, he immediately said yes to go South Africa. There Gandhi learns that South African doesn’t value Indian people. The people like Abdullah who own such a big firm has no value in South Africa as they are Indian. As Gandhi goes to court to fight a case of Abdullah, he was asked by magistrate to remove his turban. He refuses to remove his turban in court.
One day, Gandhi was travelling from Durban to Pretoria through train. He was travelling in first class seat of train. After a while, one passenger from train comes to Gandhi and asks him to go in third class. Gandhi denied to go in third class because he had a first-class ticket of train. As Gandhi refused to go in third class, that white passenger thrown him out of train with luggage.
Mahatma Gandhi had one more fight in train with white passenger who was forcing Gandhi to give his seat to him just because he wanted to smoke there. Gandhi tolerated his humiliation, but he doesn’t give his seat to him. Gandhi ji was an adamant man; he doesn’t give up and always used to travels in first class seat of train. Gandhi lived around 21 long years in South Africa with his children and wife; he built great reputation in South Africa with his nonviolence path. As the World War II started, Gandhi Ji returns to India in 1914.
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