Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbander, India. His father, Karamchand Gandhi was dewan (chief minister) of Porbander and his mom, Putlibai Gandhi and was a religious women who worshipped the Hindu God Vishnu. When Gandhi was young he was affectionally called "Mohania". He was afraid of snakes, ghosts, and the dark. He was shy at school and made few friends. He was curious about nature and loved to explore. Once a mango tree had lost its branch and he climbed the tree to bandage it. Gandhi's qualities of strength and kindness came from his favorite story, Harishchandra. It is about a king who endured tremendous hardship and sacrificed everything for his love of truth. The story inspired Gandhi so much that he threw himself in the role of Harishchandra over and over again. Gandhi was married to his wife, Kasturba; they were both 13. It was an Indian custom to get married at that age. 3 years later his father died and Gandhi became depressed. He almost went into medicine, but a family friend advised him to study law in England in order to succeed his father in Diwan and to support his family. He jumped at the chance. He left India but before he left he was removed by the caste because traveling overseas was not allowed to the traditions of his caste. In India he felt lost he tried to fit in by learning to waltz and wax his hair and etc. He soon realized that he is different than British. Money was getting low, he learned to lower his expenses. He become serious about his studies and reading. And became a serious vegetarian. He read the Bible and the Koran and he was moved by Jesus Teachings in the New Testament. He liked the idea of selflessness being the highest form of all religious practice. In 1891, Gandhi left Britain by boat with a law degree. On the way he thought about opening a law firm in Bombay the first case was a complete dud. He was awkward and shy to speak in public. Business was bad and desperate to support his family he accepted a position in South Africa to represent a cousin in a civil suit. Sadly he left his wife and two sons behind. When he arrived Gandhi took a train to Durban. He was dressed nicely and had a first class ticket. A white man boarding the train saw Gandhi and told the conductor there is a "dirty coolie" on the train. Gandhi refused to leave so they threw him out. Ever since that moment Gandhi started fighting for India's independence.