Mahatma Gandhi ‘The Sugar Story’

Gujarati Version

There is a story of a mother who was upset that her son was obsessed with eating sugar. No matter how much she scolded him, he continued to satisfy his sweet tooth.

Frustrated, she decided to take her son to see his idol, Mahatma Gandhi.

Making their way to the Mahatma was no easy task. They walked for miles under the scorching sun, before reaching his ashram at Ahmedabad.

On meeting him, the mother explained, “Bapu, my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhiji listened to the woman carefully, thought for a moment, but refused to advice her son. He told her, “Go home and come back in two weeks.”

Being highly disappointed, the mother wondered why he had not asked the boy to stop eating sugar. Just one sentence from the Mahatma would have been enough.

Two weeks later, painstakingly, she returned with the boy.

This time Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said in a firm voice and with utmost conviction, “Stop eating sugar! It is not good for your health!”

The boy was stunned. He nodded and promised he would not continue with this habit any longer.

The boy’s mother was pleasantly surprised and utterly confused at the same time. She turned to Gandhiji and asked, “Why didn’t you tell him that two weeks ago when I brought him here to see you?”

Gandhiji smiled and said, “Mother, two weeks ago, I too was eating sugar.”