Gandhi was born of a Bania (Vaishya or a trading caste) family at Porbander. Kathiawar, India, the youngest son of the three sons of Karamchand alias Kaba Gandhi and his fourth wife Putli.

Gandhi’s principle of satyagraha �?using nonviolent methods when working for social change �?not only helped deliver independence to India, but has also inspired countless activists, such as Dr Martin Luther King. During a trip to India in 1959, King met some of Gandhi’s followers and decided the Gandhian method was the one to use in the US civil rights movement, though King had been influenced by Gandhi (and Henry David Thoreau, one of Gandhi’s influences) as early as 1950.<O:P> </O:P><O:P></O:P>

Gandhi’s Shoe
“While boarding a moving train one day, one of Mohandas Gandhi’s shoes slipped off and fell upon the track. As he was unable to retrieve it, Gandhi �?to the astonishment of his fellow travelers �?calmly removed his other shoe and threw it down the track to where the first had landed. ‘The poor man who finds the shoe lying on the track,�?Gandhi explained, ‘will now have a pair he can use.’�?/FONT>   Source