The recent reference to non-violence, respect and tolerance by American president Joe Biden shows how the world looks at India through the paradigm of Gandhian values.
October 2 is Gandhi Jayanthi. Metrolife lists books that unpack Gandhi’s life and principles.
Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948
Author: Ramachandra Guha
Where: Amazon, Bookish Santa
This book is the most extensive biography of Gandhi. A well-researched book, it features stories about Gandhi as told by the Britishers, media, Indian political figures, and also his secretaries and personal acquaintances. The book humanises Gandhi through his flaws instead of putting him on a pedestal.
My Days with Gandhi
Author: Nirmal Kumar Bose
Where: mkgandhi.org, Amazon
Nirmal Kumar Bose was Gandhi’s secretary and companion in the mid-1940s. The book is important as it is a firsthand account and chronicles the last phase of Gandhi’s life. Initially a great admirer of Gandhi, Nirmal Kumar became disillusioned and drifted away from him. Further his letters to Gandhi questioned various life experiments of Gandhi. This book is important as it dispassionately questions Gandhi’s practices. It paints a picture of Gandhi’s life during the days he was traumatised by the communal violence in Bengal, the days he marched on foot through Bengal in a futile attempt to bring peace between Hindus and Muslims.
Gandhi’s Religion: A Homespun Shawl
Author: Belgian Jesuit, J T F Jordens
Where: Amazon, Sapnaonline, gandhiashramsabarmati.org
This book constructs the portrait of Gandhi within the framework of his faith. It looks at Gandhi as a devout Hindu who continuously challenged the prejudices of his religion. It looks at how Gandhi moulded his religious beliefs through the study of the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ and how these influenced his principles.
Harilal Gandhi: A Life
Author: Suhrud Tridip (Translated by) Tridip Suhrud
Where: Amazon, Flipkart
Written in Gujarati and translated into English by Tridip Suhrud, the book captures the tumultuous relationship between Gandhi and his first born Harilal. Gandhi was a person who placed his public life above his private life, sowing the feelings of disconnect and frustration in his son. As a result, Gandhi’s relationship with his son was strained. The disappointments and anger in both the father and son is at the heart of the book.
Many successful people don’t make good fathers and the fact that Gandhi did not escape this fate makes him more human.
Gandhi: My life My message
Author: Jason Quinn
Illustrator: Sachin Nagar
Where: Amazon, Flipkart, Bookish Santa
The book is a biography of Gandhi in the graphic novel format. Packed with brilliant illustrations, it looks at his transformation from a barrister to a mass leader. It looks at his life through the ideals he espoused.