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The Gift: Ten spiritual lessons for the modern world from my Grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi

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Be inspired in 2020 by Ghandi's ten lessons for life.Gandhi was an icon, but what would he teach us if he were alive today? ___________In this Sunday Times bestseller, his grandson Arun reveals the ten vital and extraordinary lessons his grandfather taught him, all of which are more relevant now than ever . . . Arun believes that the violence and turmoil in the world today makes Gandhi's teachings more vital than ever, and The Gift places these lessons in a modern context, shedding new light on how Gandhi's principles can - and must - be applied to today's concerns.The moving, often irreverent, story of Arun's years growing up at the iconic Sevagram ashram provides the setting for the treasured moments spent his grandfather, which are an engaging and often surprising read. These memories give a rare insight into Gandhi the man behind the icon, and reveal the motivations behind his ten inspirational lessons which we can all learn from today. From using anger for good, to knowing your own worth, we can all learn something from Ghandi and become better versions of ourselves. Formerly published as The Gift of Anger.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2018

17 people are currently reading
96 people want to read

About the author

Arun Gandhi

57 books61 followers
Arun Gandhi is the author of picture books and the adult memoir Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of Nonviolence, all of which were inspired by his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi. Arun Gandhi lives in upstate New York.

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5 stars
62 (49%)
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44 (35%)
3 stars
13 (10%)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Kristina.
1,117 reviews233 followers
August 9, 2018
That was more than amazing! It’s a book I’ll read again and again in the future as there’s so much wisdom in it.
Profile Image for Harj D.
125 reviews2 followers
October 21, 2018
I first came across this book in Waterstones. Normally when I pick up a book and flip through the first few pages, I tend to decide then whether or not to purchase it but with this book, I ended up reading the entire first chapter just stood in the shop. I just had to finish the rest of it.

Mahatma Gandhi had some valuable lessons on morals and spirituality which I feel have been forgotten very much in the modern world today. Reading this book was a keen reminder of being fortunate for what we have and for treating others as well as the world with love and respect. More than anything, it was a reminder to show yourself some self-compassion too.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading the lessons taught in this book as well as Arun's first hand experiences with his grandfather. I would definitely recommend to it to anyone and everyone. We all need a little reminder to be more mindful of actions from time to time.
Profile Image for Neeta Sirvi.
122 reviews
December 11, 2019
Arun Gandhi and his experience of 2 years of living with his grandfather is Beautifully written.
How he learn to control many bad habits by the weapon of simple spiritual lessons of humanity taught by his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi.
These lessons are the blessing for the modern world to learn and accept this.
Best motivating chapters by old generation for new generation.
I loved every bit of it.
I will highly recommend this book for this generation who are full of materialistic and self absorbed now a days to redeveloped the sense of humanity and understand the actual humanity.
I read the best book of 2019.
14 reviews
June 19, 2021
A DISAPPOINTMENT

Starting by the fact that I had to read this book for a school assignment, I didn’t have any expectations. Before reading it I felt like it had a promising synopsis. This book fail in many aspects and disappointed me. First of all the chapters were very long winded and I found myself losing attention. Thus I think chapters could have been halved. In addition the author didn’t go straight to the point of the lessons and kept going out of topic, leading to only a page were he told us about the lesson and the rest of the chapter was just life experiences, that sometimes didn’t really related to the topic in discussion (ex lesson nine). Moreover I found myself, after finishing it, not having anything concrete to apply in my daily life. I now know a lot of anecdotes of Gandhi life but nothing about how can I use his teaching. For this reason I feel like the author had just written a chaotic biography of his grandfather. Additionally I believe that this book was written for USA citizens specifically, because when it was speaking about more general topics, mostly gave Americans examples, there was no European representation rather then England a very long time ago (ex lesson 11). Another thing that I didn’t appreciate is the way he admired rich people. An example is Bill Gates, he is admired by the author because he and his wife are doing a lot of good actions for the poor people and giving money. But people like him have to do this tipe of things to be seen by the world as good and caring people, and the money they invest in these actions are nothing compared with what they really have. This tipe of admiration makes me feel like the author doesn’t realize that or that he is part of it. Finally even though it didn’t live up my super low expectations (in a bad way), I have found many good quotes in this book and and acquired more informations about Gandhi’s life.
Profile Image for Lauren Springle.
5 reviews3 followers
September 18, 2018
Beautifully written book that is really needed at a time when materialistic and self absorbed attitudes are on the rise. Highly recommend to anyone looking for inspiration or to put your faith back in humanity.
3 reviews
July 10, 2020
This is a book that you can read in one go! Arun Gandhi recounts stories from his childhood while visiting his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, in India. Through each one of the stories, there is a life lesson to be learned, which are all relevant today.
Profile Image for Heiki.
147 reviews
February 21, 2021
I had not read too much about Gandhi before and this book served a brief overview of his beliefs. It's more a repetition of well-known truths, but even being reminded of those is a valuable reading experience.
Profile Image for Leïla Schipper.
11 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2018
I guess it is one of these book that I'll read every year...as a meditation on life. This book was amazing for me! I loved every bit of it.
Profile Image for Mavinia.
22 reviews
May 29, 2019
Beautifully written. Worth the read. Best book I have read in 2019. Thank you for a wonderful message and story line from your grandfather, Gandhi the Great.
25 reviews
June 24, 2020
Love the messages and the real life illustrations. Definitely a life changer if you let it be
Profile Image for Dr. Jeevashi Pareemanen.
Author 1 book1 follower
April 3, 2021
Another interpretation of Gandhi's mind put on paper...அறம் செய்ய விரும்பு_Have desire to do good deeds (Aveiyar)
One can only benefit from the teachings of the great minds.
Profile Image for Fiona McCusker.
136 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2023
Some really interesting and inspiring stories/ anecdotes of the author’s time spent with his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, and the lessons he learnt as a result. A way of living to aspire to!
Profile Image for tam.
53 reviews25 followers
August 30, 2023
Changed my entire outlook on my life and ppl.

Gandhi was an amazing ppl and if everyone strives to be like him the world would look beautiful🌺
Profile Image for Yash Sharma.
369 reviews17 followers
December 24, 2024
The Gift, and that gift was not only precious for him. But, also for the multitudes with whom he shared some of the important lessons of life that his world-renowned and revered grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, taught him when he was a young boy. Sharing is caring. A must-read book. 


Gandhi ji was like the sun. A bright star, who always illuminated millions of people through his vibrant energy. Even now his creeds and deeds are inspiring an uncountable number of people worldwide. And those people were lucky who had received the guidance of life directly from him. The author of this book was one of those people who had received their tutelage under none other than Mahatma Gandhi. 


And the lessons that he learned from Gandhi ji not only helped him in becoming a better human being. But it also helped the people around him. That's why he called it the gift from his beloved grandfather. 

 

What is The Gift by Arun Gandhi? 


The Gift by Arun Manilal Gandhi is the life-changing experience that the author got from his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi. While living with the latter at his Sevagram Ashram in India. The author learned some of the important lessons of life, like whether it's anger control, the importance of solitude in one's life, speaking up for the right thing, the importance of non-violence, and other lessons. 

 

The book contains the following chapters:

 

* Lessons from my grandfather

* Use anger for good

* Don't be afraid to speak up

* Appreciate solitude

* Know your own worth

* Lies are clutter

* Waste is violence

* Practice nonviolent parenting

* Humility is strength

* The five pillars of non-violence

* You will be tested

* Lessons for today

* The greatest joy

 

The language of the book is easy to read. And in a story-type format, the lessons are explained by Arun Gandhi. The latter is the son of Mahatma Gandhi's second son, Manilal Gandhi. And I strongly recommend this book to all the readers out there. Even for beginners, this book is quite helpful. 
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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