"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth" ~Mahatma Gandhi~
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On Gandhiji's death anniversary this week, lets reminisce some lesser known stories of his life
1. None is better than one!
One day Gandhi was boarding a train with a group of his companions and followers. Apparently his shoe fell off from his foot and disappeared down into the gap between the platform and the train. Quickly realizing he was unable to retrieve his shoe, Gandhi took off his other shoe and threw it down into the gap by the first shoe.
Those he was traveling with were puzzled and asked him why he followed with the second shoe. Responding to them, Gandhi explained that “a poor person who finds a single shoe is no better off than me with one, what’s really helpful is finding a pair.”
It seems that Gandhi’s quick, loving and spontaneous responses always come from a place of pure love. This story is doubly inspiring because Gandhi didn’t spend any time and energy getting angry or frustrated with the lost shoe. This would have been pointless. Instead, he simply accepted the “what is” and made it work to benefit someone–and likely someone he would never even meet.
2. 'It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.'
Gandhiji went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. After one of his speeches in Orissa, a poor old woman - bent with age, her hair all grey and her clothes in tatters - got up. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting and touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj, a well known industrialist and a follower of Gandhiji. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. "I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin."
"This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than millions of rupees."
Once upon a time not long ago / there was a boy who would grow & become a great soul
he lived in India and his name was Gandhi / he believed in human rights & he felt so
strongly / that he made a vow to train himself / because he realized first he’d have to
change himself / he changed his clothes & decided to walk / some days he practiced
silence and refused to talk / when he was young he studied to be a lawyer / and then he
became a great spiritual warrior / he read from the scriptures of every religion / came to
the realization that we’re all God’s children / because he understood that we’re all equal
he became a spokesman for the people / a karma yogi devoted to service to spread truth
& peace was his purpose
chorus
Be the change that you wanna see / in the world, just like Gandhi
2nd verse
Gandhi dedicated his life to the cause / even when it meant breaking unjust laws
he often faced prison and incarceration / but that only strengthened his determination
he said he would make every sacrifice / but that he would never kill or take a life
he used his heart instead of his fist / and he taught non-violence as the way to resist
a peaceful soldier who used his mind / to fight for the rights of human kind
but not just people, animals too / and his basic teaching “God is Truth”
he joined Muslims, Sikhs, & Hindus / Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Jews
all the many paths that lead into / the light that shines bright inside of me and you
chorus
Be the change that you wanna see / in the world, just like Gandhi
3rd verse
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” / and it takes more strength and faith
to be kind / with that in mind Gandhi took a stand / against the foreign occupation of
his land / when things got violent Gandhi would fast / not eating for days until the riots
would pass / but the biggest event that made the British halt / is when Gandhi-ji decided
to harvest salt / the British empire installed a salt tax / and stealing salt was an unlawful
act / so Gandhi and his peeps, took the streets / ten thousand deep they marched to the
beach / but when they arrived they were beaten with clubs / but they didn’t fight back
instead they chose love / the British military realized they were wrong / and eventually
decided to go back home / you see, Gandhi-ji was a very great leader / but before all that
he was shy & meager /as a young child he was just like you and me / before he became
Mahatma Gandhi / the word “Mahatma” it means great soul / and its inside of us just
waiting to unfold / if you follow your heart and act real bold / next time it’ll be your
story that’s told!
chorus
Be the change that you wanna see / in the world, just like Gandhi
