I have started on Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography. Absolutely fascinating. No doubt that he was a remarkable man. I find the book un-putdown-able. The reason I started on it is rather pedestrian: I am out of reading material and went to the Crosswords bookstore around the corner and found it to be the cheapest among the lot that I wanted to read. It was only Rs 30 (about $0.70.) Amazing window into the mind of a man who casts such a long shadow onto India. More about this man later.
Post script: Over the years I have written a bit about the man. Here’s the category link on Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Life is a Random Draw 
This book itself seems to be an incredible piece of his experiments with truth.
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Your post inspired to go watch “Gandhi” again, just to remember what the man was all about. I think nobody can argue that the man came up with the most amazing idea to kick the British out. Now a little blasphemy – after WW2, England (and Europe) was pretty much a depleted force, I figure the British would have left India anyway – yes they didn’t leave Hong Kong for a long time, but those are very different colonies, taken under very different circumstances. America was pushing many of the European countries to vacate their colonies…But I guess this just makes Gandhi all the more important – I guess at the very least, we can say that WE kicked the British out. I always find it very surprising to note that for a very long time, Gandhi didn’t want to kick the British out. He was very happy being part of the Empire, he just wanted better treatment…..!
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Dear Atanu and TTG,
I’ am living in France where they fought two colonial wars , one against the Algerians and the other against the Vietnamese after the WW2 , with much of bloodshed on both sides of the belligerents. I have always been wondering why those who have seen the WW2 atrocities couldn’t settle for a non violent peaceful negotiation to give indepedence to these countries.
My feeling is that without AHIMSA we in India would have taken up arms against the British ! You never can rewrite History…
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Hi,
He is an amazing personality. Politics is all about lies and to speak only truth there made him great.
What TTG says is partly correct in the sense that America pushed Britain for Indian independence. But “I guess at the very least, we can say that WE kicked the British out” is totally wrong. But that is the wrong idea a few educated Indians have.
The fact remains that the British were always hesitant to leave India. There are archives of letters which show their hesitation. There is this incident around 1946-47 where the Bombay navy revolted. That delivered the “knock-out” punch on the already worn-out Brits. At that time India became an “ungovernable” country. So overall, their best option was to get out.
“I always find it very surprising to note that for a very long time, Gandhi didn’t want to kick the British out. He was very happy being part of the Empire, he just wanted better treatment…..!”
is another misinterpretation. Yes, Gandhi did feel like that during the 20s and early 30s when he felt we were not ready for governance. But not later when he called upon the “Quit India movement.”
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I share notions similar to TTG. Also I have heard that there an infamous (and banned) book on Gandhi which decries his policies and holds him responsible for massacre at time of Independence. Any ideas what it contains?
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Gandhi’s autobiography is a most moving and humbling piece of work.
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Hi,
good stuff !!
There are not much material written on Gandhi’s childhood.Do u know of any stuff like books,blogs , website ??
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Gandhi’s autobiography is a most moving and humbling piece of work.There are not much material written on Gandhi’s childhood.Do u know of any stuff like books,blogs , website ?? This book itself seems to be an incredible piece of his experiments with truth.
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