GANDHI

A bent old man with a stick,
Wearing khadi and shunning silk,
Symbol of pride and humility,
Preaching a life of simplicity.


A leader who didn't care for his life,
Others helped him in his strife,
For Motherland India's freedom,
Breaking the chains of serfdom.


His life was spent in tireless toil,
Uplifting the life of the sons of the soil,
Giving up a life of ease,
To achieve the goal of peace.


Son of Putlibai and Karamchand,
Born in a small town of Porbandar,
The gentle Kasturba, his wife,
Ready, Comforts to sacrifice.


In South India when he was travelling,
Unjustly treated, he found his calling,
Returning to India, he perceived,
Mass literacy was the need.


Self Help and NonViolence,
Being his guiding principles,
Truth and Satyagraha,
Practised by his disciples.


Only through dialogue and Non-Cooperation,
Innumerable talks and persuasion,
The British, he sent away
Without any fight or fray.


He won the hearts of millions,
The one and only in billions,
Gandhi, the father of the nation,
The jewel in God's creation.


Jyoti Honkote
English Primary Section