A Short summary of Mahatma Gandhi's Autobiography "The Story of My Experiments With Truth " (Chapter 1,2,3)

 A Short summary of Mahatma Gandhi's Autobiography "The Story of My Experiments With Truth " (Chapter 1,2,3) 

Chapter 1: Birth and Parentage

The Gandhis belong to Bania Caste, who were originally grocers. For three generations, they have been Prime Ministers in several Kathiawad states. Gandhi's grandfather Uttam Chand Gandhi, Diwan in Porbandar, is a man of principle. Situation made him leave Porbander and seek refugue in Junagadh. At Junagadh, he saluted the Nawab with left hand, he explained the discourtesy saying his right hand is already pledged to Porbandar.

Gandhi's father, Karamchand Gandhi, was fifth of the six children. He was a Prime Minister in Porbandar and a member of Rajasthanik Court. He married four times having lost his wife each time by death. Gandhi is the youngest of all children. Karamchand Gandhi is brave and generous but short-tempered. He was incorruptible and impartial in his family and outside. He never had any ambition to accumulate riches and left with little property. He had no education but had immense experience. His rich experience of practical affairs helped him face the most intricate questions in managing hundreds of men. He had very little religious experience but frequently visited temples and listened religious discourses. During his last days, he began reading Gita through a learned Brahman family friend and repeated verses at the time of worship.

Chapter 2.Childhood

When Gandhi was seven years old, his father went to work for a special court, and Gandhi had to go to a new school. He was a very honest boy and never told lies to his teachers or schoolmasters. He was quite shy and didn't make many friends. He liked his books and school lessons more than anything else, and he was a bit scared to talk to other kids.

Once, when he was in high school, a man named Mr. Giles came to check on how well the students were doing. He asked them to write down five words, including the word "kettle." Gandhi spelled it wrong. Even though the teacher told him to copy from a classmate, Gandhi didn't do it. Everyone else got the spelling right except him. He just couldn't bring himself to copy from others.

Gandhi didn't really enjoy reading things outside of his schoolwork, but there was one story that caught his interest. His father had bought a storybook called "Shravana Pitribhakti Nata." When traveling performers acted out this story, it made a big impression on him. He couldn't forget it.

He also liked the play "Harischandra." He believed in the story of Harischandra and thought of both Harischandra and Shravana as real-life examples that meant a lot to him.

Chapter 3. Child Marriage

When Gandhi was just thirteen years old, he got married. In his region, there are two important events related to marriage: betrothal and marriage itself. Betrothal is like a promise made by the parents, and if something happens to the boy, it doesn't affect the girl like widowhood. The children usually don't know much about this; it's mainly between their parents. Gandhi was actually engaged or promised to be married three times without knowing about it. Two times, thegirls he was supposed to marry unfortunately passed away, and the third time, he was only seven years old. Marriage in Hindu culture can be quite complex. Parents of the bride and groom often spend a lot of money and time on it. They plan things like clothes, jewelry, and big feasts. Women, whether they have a say or not, sing and get very excited, sometimes even getting sick and causing a lot of noise. Their neighbors tolerate all this because they know they'll do the same when it's their turn. Sometimes, families try to save money by having multiple children get married at once. They might plan a triple wedding, and it's not always about romance it's also about getting nice things to wear,celebrating with music and parades, having delicious meals, and meeting a new playmate.

Gandhi and his brother were taken from Rajkot to Porbandar for the wedding. Even though their father was an important person called a Diwan, he acted like a servant and was in good favor with the Thakore Saheb. They had special stage. coaches for the journey, which would have taken five days by cart. During the trip, their coach tipped over, and Gandhi's father got seriously hurt. But little Gandhi was more excited about the wedding than worried about his father's injuries. They had to go through with the wedding as planned.

Gandhi really loved his parents and was willing to sacrifice his happiness and pleasures to serve them. Even though his father was hurt, he still took part in the wedding. Everything seemed just right on the wedding day. Gandhi remembers sitting on the wedding stage, performing certain rituals, sharing sweet treats with his new wife, and starting their life together. They were both young and didn't know much about each other, but they quickly became friends. Gandhi, being the husband, started taking charge of things in their relationship.

ESSAY

      'The Story of My Experiments with Truth'is an autobiography by Mahatma Gandhi. It was published as episodes in his publications Navjivan in Gujarati and in Young India in English. Gandhi's Autobiography consists of 105 essays of which the first three describes his birth and parentage, childhood and child marriage.

        The Gandhi family belonged to the Bania caste and were originally grocers.They have been Prime Ministers in Kathiawad States for three generations..Uttamchand Gandhi, also known as Ota Gandhi, was a principled man who left Porbandar to seek refuge in Junagadh. His sons include Karamchand Gandhi, and Tulsidas Gandhi.Gandhi's father was incorruptible and loyal to the state, with little education and religious training.Gandhi's mother was deeply religious, fasting during Chaturmas, mostly living on one meal a day. She was well-informed about state matters and was respected by other women. 

       Gandhi was born in Porbandar and spent his childhood there.He was shy and avoided socializing. He relied on books and lessons as his companions. When the teacher asked Gandhi to copy the spelling from his neighbour's slate, he didn't do as he was too stupid to learn the art of copying.Gandhi obeyed elders and was blind to their faults. Harishchandra and Shravana are living realities according to Gandhi. 

   Gandhi's marriage to a girl at the age of thirteen is regarded as his bitterest experience. Though he was betrothed three times, he could not recall even one event.Marriage among Hindus is a complex and costly affair. So Gandhi's father and his uncle decided to have a triple wedding. Gandhi stressed the importance of a happy and fulfilling marriage in Hindu society. Being a Diwan, his father was a servant of the Thakore Saheb. Few days before the marriage of Gandhi, the coach in which his father was travelling, toppledover causing him severe injuries. Gandhi forgot his grief over his father's injuries. He could remember his wedding day and other rituals.