When Gandhi as a young lawyer in South Africa began fashioning the tenets of his political philosophy, he was absorbed by a seemingly unrelated enterprise: creating a newspaper, Indian Opinion. In Gandhi’s Printing Press Isabel Hofmeyr provides an account of how this footnote to a career shaped the man who would become the world-changing Mahatma.
“This is an epic work which gives us another deep insight not just into the South African Gandhi but also into his colleagues at the settlement and an ongoing biography of the settlement itself. This is the first book telling the history of Phoenix Settlement from its founding to now. It provides us with a view into the lives of the residents and supporters, rather than merely a history of the buildings. This is a goldmine for researchers. It very skilfully presents the role of the settlement in the campaigns against apartheid in the early 1950s and the international recognition of its actions and the stimulus they provided for international campaigns. The story of the settlement as a haven for multi-racial gatherings in the time of apartheid, and, regardless of this, the disaster that followed is wonderfully told.” - Thomas Weber, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University, Melbourne “Another magisterial book from Dhupelia-Mesthrie, this time on Phoenix, told through deeply researched contextual chapters and the letters of those who lived there. Informed by a lifetime’s work on Gandhi and drawing on archives and personal papers from across the world, this monumental work will be treasured by grateful scholars and readers for decades to come.” - Isabel Hofmeyr, Emeritus Professor, University of the Witwatersrand “The book provides a major, new, in-depth understanding of a major initiative in Gandhi’s life, an initiative which laid the ground for his work in South Africa and in India, and whose resonances are still being felt in the world.” - Ramachandra Guha, Eminent biographer of Gandhi
While there has been sustained interest in Gandhi’s methods and continued academic inquiry, Gandhi's Global Legacy: Moral Methods and Modern Challenges is unique in bringing together an interdisciplinary group of scholars who analyze Gandhi’s tactics, moral methods, and philosophical principles, not just in the fields of social and political activism, but in the areas of philosophy, religion, literature, economics, health, international relations, and interpersonal communication. Bringing this wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, the contributors provide fresh perspectives on Gandhi’s thought and practice as well as critical analyses of his work and its contemporary relevance. Edited by Veena R. Howard, this book reveals the need for reconstructing Gandhi’s ideas and moral methods in today’s context through a broad spectrum of crucial issues, including pacifism, health, communal living, gender dynamics, the role of anger, and peacebuilding. Gandhi’s methods have been refined and reimagined to fit different situations, but there remains a need to consider his concept of Sarvodaya (uplift of all), the importance of economic, gender, and racial equity, as well as the value of dialogue and dissenting voices in building a just society. The book points to new directions for the study of Gandhi in the globalized world.
Neither an ode of adulation, nor an exercise in iconoclasm, this book on Gandhi gives praise where praise is due; and criticizes where criticism is warranted. The author treads in step with Gandhi as he reveals himself in his Experiments with Truth in an honest attempt to understand the Mahatma in the making. Gandhi's veracity is not in question; but his memory, and selection and omission of episodes, inevitably temper the tenor of truth! His equation of Truth with God can only be understood as justice and fair play analogous to sat or ṛta signifying the Cosmic Order. Page after page poses questions in a bid to understand Gandhi as he speaks, writes and acts. The author relates how Gandhi discovered himself in South Africa; and formulated a new vocabulary of revolt; a new ideology of non-violence and self-suffering to defeat racial injustice and tyranny; to rouse the corrective conscience of his oppressors. Deliberate defiance of unjust laws, self-effacing humility, unflinching acceptance of punishment, the unfading smile and unfailing forgiveness sum up the transformation of an otherwise ordinary mortal into a Mahatma, who identified himself with all downtrodden humanity! Ahiṁsā, satya and satyāgraha became the watchwords of his philosophy in action. The author explores the meanings of these words; and notes that at times Gandhi's ahiṁsā could be devoid of compassion, confined only to self-cleansing, not true to itself. He learned from all religions without conversion to any; and identified religion with morality, without realizing that morality preceded the rise of religion. As basic morality constituting the core of every religion transcends all doctrinal divisions, Gandhi tirelessly advocated religious tolerance; and Hindu-Muslim unity. He lived and died for peaceful co-existence. But his pursuit of mokṣa (release from reincarnation) was irrelevant to the world's welfare! Gandhi upheld human equality and indivisibility regardless of race and colour. The author notes his reverence for the Brahmins; and his painful progress from caste consciousness to its final rejection. He draws attention to Gandhi's unwillingness to mount a satyāgraha for the liberation of the untouchables from Brahmanical tyranny. Gandhi also took time to realize the woeful plight of the Africans; and to speak of a future which would grant them their due in the land of their birth. The author also takes note of Gandhi's great love of the British, and his faith in their destiny to deliver the world into a dawn of freedom and democracy. He points to Gandhi's celebration of the British success against Indians in 1857! It took a while to shake off that subservience in Gandhi's Hind Swaraj. The book looks closely at Gandhi's relations with his elder brother and friends. The author notes his dictatorial direction of the lives of his wife and sons. His brahmacarya (sexual abstinence) was a capricious imposition on submissive Kasturba; a pathetic denial of the joy of sex mocking mortality and the sorrow of transience. But the book salutes his cruel, uncompromising candour. He practised what he preached. His obsession with sanitation and hygiene unfortunately failed to inspire Indians to follow his example. As an advocate of right means to right ends excluding all violence for the resolution of human disputes, as an enemy of imperialism and champion of human equality, as a practitioner and preacher of religious goodwill and tolerance, as a respecter of the earth and its gifts, as an upholder of the primacy of man over machine, Gandhi remains a beacon of timeless relevance!
The Internationally Acclaimed Biography of One of History’s Monumental Figures Gandhi: A Life The first biography of this important figure in over twenty years, Gandhi: A Life rescues the man from the myth, revealing the transformation of an ordinary, timid young man into a leader whose stand against a mighty empire brought millions together. "Until another Gandhi scholar comes along who digs deeper and can write more movingly, Gandhi scholarship will be well served by Chadha’s effort." — The Washington Post Book World "It is well-balanced, even-handed, and, like its subject, inspiring." —Kirkus Reviews "An engaging work worthy of a wide audience." —Library Journal "A sober, sensible, and notably fair account of this most quicksilver of personalities ... far from uncritical ... But on the whole he is approving, even reverential. Usually he convinces one that this is justified." — Daily Telegraph (London) "The first major biography to appear for twenty years ... [with] a depth and authority which others have lacked." —The Independent (London)
This book explores Gandhi’s engagement with print news media. It examines how Gandhi, the man and his message, negotiated with the sociopolitical circumstances of his milieu and the methods of communication that he adopted towards this end. It analyses the role that he played in building up alternative modes of communication in South Africa and India. This volume elucidates his interactions with the colonial communication order and his contestations of the same through various methods that included setting up new journals and newspapers and taking on the role of writer, journalist, editor, and publisher. It unveils Gandhi’s engagement with mass media and print journalism, particularly concerning issues of conflict and conflict resolution, as well as social transformation right from his days in London to the last days of his life. A significant contribution to scholarship on Mahatma Gandhi, this volume will be of great interest to scholars of politics, media and cultural studies, history, and South Asian studies.
This Palgrave Pivot showcases new research on M.K. Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi, and the press, telegraphs, broadcasting and popular culture. Despite Gandhi being the subject of numerous books over the past century, there are few that put media centre stage. This edited collection explores both Gandhi’s own approach to the press, but also how different advocacy groups and the media, within India and overseas, engaged with Gandhi, his ideology and methodology, to further their own causes. The timeframe of the book extends from the late nineteenth century up to the present, and the case studies draw inspiration from a number of disciplinary approaches.
"தமிழில்: சிவசக்தி சரவணண் அதிகாரபூர்வமான அரசுப் பதவி எதையும் வகித்ததில்லை. ஆயுதம் எதையும் தரித்ததில்லை. பண பலம், படை பலம் இரண்டும் இல்லை. இருந்தும் அந்த மெலிந்த, எளிமையான இளம் வழக்கறிஞரின் பின்னால் ஒரு தேசமே அணிதிரண்டு நின்றது. காந்தி தன்னைக் கண்டறிந்தது தென்னாப்பிரிக்காவில். பிற்-காலத்-தில் வெற்றிகரமாக அவர் பிரயோகித்த போராட்ட வழிமுறையை அவர் தென்னாப்பிரிக்காவில்தான் கண்டறிந்து, கூர்தீட்டிக்கொண்டார். காந்தியின் அரசியல் சிந்தனைகள், மதம் பற்றிய பார்வை, அறம் சார்ந்த விழுமியங்கள் என அனைத்துக்குமான அடிப்படைகள் தென்னாப்பிரிக்காவில் உருப்பெற்றுவிட்டன. காந்தி குறித்து இதுவரை வெளிவந்துள்ள நூல்கள் அனைத்-திலுமிருந்து குஹாவின் இந்தப் புத்தகம் மாறுபடுகிறது. இந்தியா, இங்கிலாந்து, தென்னாப்பிரிக்கா முதலான நாடுகளில் உள்ள ஆவணக் காப்பகங்களிலிருந்து பல புதிய ஆதாரங்களைத் திரட்டி மிக விரிவான ஒரு தளத்தில் ஒருங்கிணைத்து இந்நூல் எழுதப்பட்டுள்ளது. பிரிட்டிஷ் சாம்ராஜ்ஜியத்துக்கு எதிராக காந்தி பிற்காலத்தில் தொடுத்த போருக்கான ஆதாரப்புள்ளி தென்னாப்பிரிக்காதான் என்பதை ராமச்சந்திர குஹா அசாதாரணமான முறையில் இதில் நிறுவியுள்ளார். காந்தியின் அரசியல் வாழ்வோடு அதிகம் அறியப்படாத அவருடைய தனிப்பட்ட வாழ்வும் பிரம்மாண்டமாக விவரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. காந்தியின் தொகுக்கப்பட்ட படைப்புகளில் இல்லாத பல அரிய தகவல்களும் இந்நூலில் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன. உலகம் முழுவதிலுமிருந்து பாராட்டுகளைப் பெற்றிருக்கும் ராமச்சந்திர குஹாவின் Gandhi Before India நூலின் அதிகாரபூர்வமான தமிழாக்கம் இது."
Writing about Gandhi without being obvious is always difficult. Numerous books and articles are published every year, especially across the anniversaries of his birth and death. The judicious scholar believes that writing something new on this iconic figure is almost impossible. However, in the difficult times when this book was conceived, at the peak of what presumably can be considered as the worst humanitarian disaster of the 21st century, the Gandhian legacy has become more topical than ever. Gandhi’s thought and experience regarding laws and economy, and his views on secularism or on the tremendous effects of the colonial rule in India and beyond provide the opportunity to reflect on persistently manipulated constitutions and violated human rights, on the crisis of secularism and the demand of a sustainable, environment friendly economy. This book aims not only to offer new insights into Gandhi’s experience and legacy but also to prove how Gandhian values are relevant to the present and can provide explanations and solutions for present challenges. Gandhi After Gandhi will appeal to researchers and students alike interested in Indian culture and political thinking and Indian history since independence.
In This Far Reaching Series Of Essays, The Author Examines The Complex Set Of Influences Which Helped Shape Mohandas K. Gandhi Leading To The Transgormation Of An Anglophile Indian Lawyer Into A Mahatma Of Historical Myth.
