Rediscover Gandhi this weekend

Dive into a range of books about the Father of the Nation and understand him through his own words and those of his critics

The Essential Gandhi

An anthology of writings by the man himself, the book outlines how Gandhi became Mahatma. It introduces Gandhi’s opinions on various subjects. It is split into two parts, ‘The Man’ and ‘The Mahatma’. The book was first published in 1962 and was edited by Louis Fischer, an American journalist who wrote about Gandhi extensively.

Indian Home Rule

Written by the man himself in 1909, in it he expresses his views on Swaraj, modern civilization, mechanisation and more. The book was banned in 1910 by the British government in India as a seditious text. The book takes the form of a dialogue between two characters, The Reader and The Editor.

The Reader serves as a typical Indian countryman and he voices the common beliefs and arguments of the time concerning Indian Independence. Gandhi, The Editor, explains why those arguments are flawed and interjects his own arguments. As ‘The Editor’, Gandhi puts it, “it is my duty patiently to try to remove your prejudice”.

Gandhi: Naked Ambition

Jad Adams, the author offers a concise account of Gandhi’s life: from his birth and upbringing to his assassination at the hands of a Hindu extremist in 1948, only months after the birth of the independent India which he himself had done so much to bring about.

The book also touches upon controversial aspects of the Gandhi’s identity, but has been widely hailed as a balanced portrayal.

Gandhi and his Critics

Written by B R Nanda, a preeminent biographer of Gandhi, the book chronicles the important events and controversies in the life of Gandhi. It looks at his views about India’s caste system, racialism in South Africa, the Amritsar massacre of 1919, British imperialism, and religion and politics and man versus machine.

The book also tackles his role in ending the rule of the British empire, his relationship with the Raj, his role in the Partition of India, his reaction to the Partition massacres in August-September 1947, and his adherence to non-violence.

Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity

The book written in biographical form nearly 60 years after the assassination of Gandhi, challenges his image as a saintly, benevolent, and pacifistic leader of Indian independence. It is told through Gandhi’s own writings and actions over the course of his life.

The book claims that Gandhi emulated racism from the Hindu ideology of caste towards the blacks of South Africa and the Untouchables. Written by G B Singh, he puts forward that his portrayal of Gandhi as a great leader is “the work of the Hindu propaganda machine” and Christian clergy with ulterior motives. The book has been criticised for it’s one-sided approach and sweeping statements.

The Doctor and the Saint

The book examines the Ambedkar–Gandhi debate of caste, race, and annihilation of caste. Written by Arundhati Roy the book analyses the two contemporaries and why Ambedkar’s attempt at demystifying the divinity of the Mahatma was met with a challenge.

It exposes some uncomfortable, controversial, and even surprising truths about the political thought and career of India’s most famous and most revered figure. In doing so she makes the case for why Ambedkar’s revolutionary intellectual achievements must be resurrected, not only in India but throughout the world.