Hermann Kallenbach

Hermann Kallenbach was a Lithuanian born Jewish South African architect who was one of the foremost friends and associates of Mahatma Gandhi. Kallenbach was introduced to the young Mohandas Gandhi while they were both working in South Africa and, after a series of discussions, they developed a longlasting friendship.

Kallenbach was born in 1871 in emaii Naumiestis, Russian empire as the third eldest out of seven children of a GermanJewish family. His father, Kalman Leib Kallenbach, was a Hebrew teacher and, later, a timber merchant. Hermanns childhood centered on education, sports and friendships with the village youth. He would later study architecture in Stuttgart and Munich. In 1896, he went to South Africa to join his uncles in Johannesburg, where he practiced as an architect and became a South African citizen. A skilled iceskater, swimmer, cyclist and gymnast, and a successful architect, Kallenbach acquired considerable property in South Africa. Yet a major transformation in his life took place after he met Mahatma Gandhi.

Source: Wikipedia