Page 4 - GANDHI A Biography for Children and Beginners

GANDHI – A Biography for children and beginners

FOREWORD

Ravindra Varma is a learned scholar, who has been running the Institute of
Gandhian Studies at Gopuri, Wardha for several years. He has been introducing

the youth, especially the college students and postgraduates to the life and

message of Gandhiji. I have had the privilege of addressing a number of such

audiences at his Institute in Gopuri, and I have also heard him there and in
other places talking about Gandhiji. His knowledge and study of Gandhian

ideology is deep, and to the best of my knowledge he has been trying his level

best to live according to the Gandhian ideology. This gives depth to whatever
he says or writes.

He has written three books on Gandhiji or I might say that he has written one
book which is divided into three parts. Part one gives a narrative of Gandhiji's

life story describing a shy mediocre student at Rajkot, who goes to England and

comes back as a Barrister.

Circumstances take him to South Africa. He goes as a young man to earn

money, and to find name and fame, and also to see a new country. This first
book describes Gandhiji's struggle to establish himself in which he makes

outstanding success as a lawyer. As a seeker of truth, and full of love for the

oppressed Indians and black population in the midst of racial prejudice, he has

to fight and overcome many hurdles to preserve the self-respect of Indians and
also to serve the blacks in every way he can. He also serves the whites during

the Boer War.

His fight against colour prejudice starts from the day of his arrival in South

Africa and continues throughout his stay in that country. Discovery of the

mighty weapon of Satyagraha which can enable the downtrodden and the weak

also to stand up for their own rights, is the first great achievement which
makes the shy young man a great leader. He shows to the Indians the way of

fighting prejudice by bringing about a change of heart among the oppressors

through self-suffering. His experiments and his studies in non-violence lead him
to establish his first Ashram at Phoenix.

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