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Gandhi : A Biographical Sketch
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harmful habit and quit it soon. Of the stealing, he made a clean confession in writing to his father and the father pardoned him without hesitation and with loving care. Gandhi mentions that this was his first experience of ahimsa, the way his father was able to pardon him unconditionally.
In school, Gandhi remained an average student. He remained aloof, avoided sports, and shirked from physical activities. His companions were textbooks and assigned home work and he did not read beyond the prescribed textbooks. But he did develop the habit of taking long walks and this habit served him well later on. Gandhi passed the high school examination in 1887 and joined Samadas College in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. He soon discovered that he was not prepared for higher education, as he could not follow the lectures of the professors. He felt lost and returned home at the end of the first term. A friend of the family suggested at that time that Gandhi should be sent to England to study law and become a barrister. The whole family agreed, but Gandhi's mother was not willing. She feared that while in England Gandhi would drink alcohol, eat meat, and have illicit relations with girls. Gandhi promised not to do any of the three and the mother also gave her permission. Next, were the caste hurdles. The caste members claimed that no ModhBania had ever crossed the seas and that going abroad was against the caste practices. They threatened Gandhi that if he would go to England against their wishes, he would be extradited. Gandhi patiently listened to them, ignored their threats, and sailed for England at the tender age of eighteen.
At the ship, Gandhi recalls that his extreme shyness came in the way of his relating with other passengers and the crew members. He spent his days in the cabin, ate meals there, and would come out on the deck when few people were around. Other passengers and the crew members tried to talk to him, but he had difficulty in understanding them and was shy talking to them. As this was Gandhi's first experience of traveling away from home and that too to such a far-off land, it was truly a test of his nerves, endurance, and patience.
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