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Books



         cooperation and swadeshi   newly discovered facts will
         movements struck root.   inevitably prompt revi-    MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND
           But public participa-  sions of past narratives.   GANDHI: I AM AN ORDINARY
         tion on a large scale had   But every hypothesis is   MAN — INDIA’S STRUGGLE FOR
                                                             FREEDOM (1914-1948)
         its pitfalls especially in   expected to follow a rigor-  Gopalkrishna Gandhi
         the context of mounting   ous process of empirical
         communal tension. The    enquiry, examining facts   ALEPH BOOK COMPANY
         Moplah riots in Kerala are   to establish principles.   Rs.999                  Pages 443
         highlighted as one of the   This is necessary for
         causes of Gandhi-hatred   a fresh understanding of
         as he tried to deny its link   how revolutionary and   with the day-to-day affairs   The dynamic flux
         to the Khilafat movement.   non-violent movements   of Gandhi’s immediate and   of political, social
         Likewise, the naval mutiny   coalesced to win India her   extended family members   and economic
         (1946) is seen as creat-  freedom from colonial   and ashram associates.   interventions together
         ing a further rift between   rule.                  The first volume       with Gandhiji’s
         Gandhi and Jinnah that              JAYATI GUPTA  covered, as suggested by   relationships with
         “triggered” British prime                        the title, Gandhi’s early   hundreds of people
         minister Clement At-                             life and the years in South   demanded energies
         tlee’s announcement that   Complex               Africa until his decision to   beyond the capacity
         the Cabinet Mission had                          return home via London.   of ordinary mortals
         recommended full self-   narrative               This second volume at-
         government to India.                             tempts to thread together
           In any large scale                             events encapsulating the   cooperation movement;
         and ambitious political        REVIEWER as-      decades from the begin-  Khilafat Movement; Salt
         programme gaps and             sessing the sequel   ning of World War I to his   Satyagraha; and the Quit
         fissures are certain to  A to Gopalkrishna       assassination on Janu-   India Movement. These
         surface. So this narrative   Gandhi’s edited ‘autobiog-  ary 30, 1948. In terms   movements meant im-
         is replete with instances   raphy’ of Mahatma Gandhi   of dwellings alone, these   prisonment for long spells
         of betrayal and treachery,   cannot but be poignantly   years witnessed estab-  of time which, despite
         revolutionaries turning   struck by the unique   lishment of ashrams at   restrictions, gave Gandhi
         approvers or becoming    experiment which was    Kochrab and by the Sabar-  the solitude and time to
         complicit with repressive   the freedom movement   mati River in Ahmedabad,   catch up on reading and
         authority. Global events   of India, and exceptional   and others in Wardha and   learning languages. His
         like the two World Wars   values which animated   Sevagram near Nagpur.   initiatives for social uplift
         confuse the scenario as   the initiatives taken by the   In terms of Gandhi’s   cover the Khadi move-
         does the birth of ‘isms’ —   remarkably talented group   engagement with writing,   ment; Harijan Seva Sangh
         communism and socialism   of leaders who helmed the   they cover the inception   for eradication of untouch-
         —  which splintered      movement.               and running of journals   ability and caste dis-
         indigenous revolutionary   The ethical energy    Young India, Navajivan   crimination; the life-long
         groups.                  and discernment which   and Harijan, besides     struggle for Hindu-Muslim
           What is singularly miss-  formed its core was of   authoring books includ-  unity which culminated in
         ing in the narrative is an   course embodied in   ing My Experiments with   the heroic one-man stand
         overall vision that could   the person of Mahatma   Truth, Satyagraha in   against mindless slaughter
         unite diverse, complex   Gandhi, who created and   South Africa, the inter-  in the eastern States of
         discourses into a pattern.   shaped the most original   pretation of the Bhagwad   Bengal and Bihar during
         Arbitrary connections    resistance strategy against   Gita, prolific correspon-  the months before and
         are made between events   colonial rule. Culled by his   dence, speeches and many   after the Partition of the
         and impact. The epilogue   grandson from Gandhi’s   resolutions he was called   country, leading up to the
         cursorily explains the   own words as recorded in   upon to draft.        final, tragic sacrifice in
         social processes through   letters, or by his contem-  The span of major   Delhi.
         which political parties and   poraries or in the Collected   political interventions   This dynamic flux of
         allegiances developed in   Works of Mahatma Gan-  includes the Champaran   political, social, economic
         forcibly partitioned inde-  dhi, this book offers a ring-  Satyagraha; Ahmedabad   and spiritual interventions
         pendent India.           side view of the unfolding   mill workers Satyagraha;   together with Gandhiji’s
           History is seldom static;   events, even as it connects   Bardoli Satyagraha; non-  relationships with the

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