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GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners
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Gandhi set sail for England on the 4th of September 1888. He had managed to
get a berth booked for himself in the same cabin in which Mazmudar of
Jamnagar (Saurashtra) had booked his berth. Gandhi was aware of the big
challenge that he was facing as well as the opportunities that were opening
before him. He began to keep a diary, and meticulously recorded all that he
observed, all that he felt, all that he thought, all that he did and all that he
learned. He was shy and found it very difficult to converse in English. He kept
to himself except when someone engaged him in conversation. Those who did,
tried to convince him that he would not survive without a non-vegetarian diet.
He had hardly eaten anything from the ship's kitchen. He did not know what the
items of the menu contained. Nor could he bring himself to enquire from the
waiters or others. So he had survived on the snacks and sweets that he had
brought from home. He never felt sea-sick, and survived rough seas and
reached England.
He booked a room in the Victoria Hotel. It was enormously expensive. The
problem with his diet persisted. He had brought some notes of introduction
with him. One of them was for Dr. P. J. Mehta. Dr. Mehta introduced him to the
basics of British etiquette. He advised Gandhi to move out of the hotel and live
with a private family. Gandhi followed his advice. But his problems continued
to dog him. He could not get the vegetarian food he wanted. So he hardly ate
what he was given. Yet he had to pay for his food. He was miserable.
Everything seemed strange, — the people, their ways, their habits. He felt
homesick, and longed for all that he had left behind in India, — his wife and
child, his mother, his brother, food and so on. The thought of going back
crossed his mind. But he recalled his responsibilities, and decided that he
would stay on and qualify as a barrister before he went back.
Dr. Mehta recommended that Gandhi stay with a family he knew till Gandhi
could get acclimatized to his environment. But even here, Gandhi found it
hard. Food was one of the main problems. One day a friend took him to a highly
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