Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire / Edition 1

by Rajmohan Gandhi

Overview

This monumental biography of one of the most intriguing figures of the twentieth century, written by his grandson, is the first to give a complete and balanced account of Mahatma Gandhi's remarkable life, the development of his beliefs and his political campaigns, and his complex relations with his family. Written with unprecedented insight and access to family archives, it reveals a life of contrasts and contradictions: the westernized Inner Temple lawyer who wore the clothes of India's poorest and who spun cotton by hand, the apostle of nonviolence who urged Indians to enlist in the First World War, the champion of Indian independence who never hated the British. It tells of Gandhi's campaigns against racial discrimination in South Africa and untouchability in India, tracks the momentous battle for India's freedom, explores the evolution of Gandhi's strategies of non-violent resistance, and examines relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, a question that attracted Gandhi's passionate attention and one that persists around the world today. Published to rave reviews in India in 2007, this riveting book gives North American readers the true Gandhi, the man as well as the legend, for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520255708
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	03/10/2008
Series:	Philip E. Lilienthal Book in Asian Studi
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	759
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Rajmohan Gandhi is Research Professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A former member of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the Indian Parliament), he led the Indian delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission in 1990. His other books include Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns, Revenge & Reconciliation: Understanding South Asian History, and Eight Lives: A Study of the Hindu-Muslim Encounter.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chapter 1 Boyhood 1
Chapter 2 London and Identity 25
Chapter 3 South Africa and a Purpose 53
Chapter 4 Satyagraha 91
Chapter 5 Hind Swaraj 117
Chapter 6 A Great March 147
Chapter 7 Engaging India 177
Chapter 8 The Empire Challenged 222
Chapter 9 Building Anew 258
Chapter 10 Assault – with Salt 302
Chapter 11 Negotiating Repression 353
Chapter 12 Dream Under Fire 385
Chapter 13 ‘Quit India!’ 425
Chapter 14 Rejected 497
Chapter 15 Walk Alone … 541
Chapter 16 To Rama 574

Postscript 657
Notes 665
Further Reading 703
Glossary 709
Index 715

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Gandhi has skillfully narrated events in the life of his grandfather, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. . . . [An] excellent book." (Starred Review)—Library Journal

"A monumental biography that looks likely to stand as definitive for the foreseeable future."—Charleston Post & Courier

"I was not prepared to be as educated, entertained, and inspired as I was by this mighty work of his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi."—Tikkun

Editorial Reviews

I was not prepared to be as educated, entertained, and inspired as I was by this mighty work of his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi.

Tikkun - Michael N. Nagler

A monumental biography that looks likely to stand as definitive for the foreseeable future.

Charleston Post & Courier - Michael Buettner

Gandhi (Ctr. for South Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Eight Lives) has skillfully narrated events in the life of his grandfather, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as "the Mahatma" and India's "Father of the Nation." While the author has earnestly and sequentially knitted together the story of the Mahatma, whose practice of nonviolence paved the way for India's independence from Britain, he also presents a clear picture of the history of India during Gandhi's time. We get a close look at the contrasts and conflicts in Gandhi's life as he strove for Hindu-Muslim unity and fought against apartheid in South Africa and untouchability at home. Gandhi, who had a "great emotional hold as evidenced by the numerical support of his demonstrations and the popular enthusiasm," continues to fill the reader with awe throughout this excellent book. Although many commendable studies of Gandhi have been written, this one is a comprehensive and therefore invaluable resource both for scholars and for those embarking on a beginning study of the man. Strongly recommended for academic and public libraries.
—Uma Doraiswamy

Library Journal