In the chapter entitled Simple Life of his autobiography, Gandhi writes: I once went to an English barber in Pretoria. He contemptuously refused to cut my hair. I certainly felt hurt, but I immediately bought a pair of clippers and cut my hair in front of the mirror. . The hairdresser was not guilty in refusing to cut my hair. There was every chance of losing his custom if he had to serve black men. We do not allow our barbers to serve our untouchable brothers. (Here Gandhi is referring to the customs of untouchability in caste systems in India.) I received the reward for this in South Africa, not once, but several times, and the belief that this was the punishment of our own sins kept me from getting angry. .(My experiences with the truth ;MK Gandhi)When Gandhi was insulted by an English barber, he must have thought how painful it is to be insulted by another human being. The feeling of pain made him think about the cause. He discovered that the pain was caused by a custom that had no respect for humanity, which, in turn, made him think about the custom of untouchability and discrimination of lower castes in his own country. However, the most important thing was to be ashamed of the inhumane actions of his ancestors. This is what “sticking to the truth” is. We have already read about the incident reported in the chapter “Theft and Atonement” (Part I, Chapter 8) of his autobiography. First a confession, then a request for appropriate punishment, then a commitment not to repeat the mistake and finally a request to his father not to punish himself for his wrongdoing. . . it was another example of “sticking to the truth.” It is not possible to stick to the truth without penitence. The whole world knows about Gandhi's frequent fasting. The word used for penance in Sansakr...... middle of paper ......ghosts and spirits. It was of course short-lived, but the good seed sown in childhood was not sown in vain. I think it is thanks to the seed sown by this good woman Rambha that today Ramanama is an infallible remedy for me. [Note: Ramanama means name of Rama. To many Indians, Ram means God himself, although technically, Rama is considered the incarnation of God born on this earth as a king. Here Gandhi is referring to taking God's name repeatedly.]God shows me the path I walk. He's also my doctor. He never makes a mistake. He is all powerful. If he wants more work to be done using my fragile body, he will; regardless of what these doctors have to say. I am in God's hands. Please believe me, I am neither afraid of death nor of living with a body with many disabilities. (Speech in New Delhi: 16.01.1948 & Haijan Sevak; 01.25.1948)