Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire

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.

"I was not prepared to be as educated, entertained, and inspired as I was by this mighty work of his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi. Rajmohan Gandhi combines scholarly competency with unique access to many records of his famous and well-documented grandfather. More importantly—for it can be disastrously hard to understand Gandhi, no matter how well informed one is—he combines objectivity with devotion, managing to present the human side of the Mahatma along with his incredible greatness and accomplishments in a way that enlarges our imagination of what it means to be a human being." - Tikkun

"I was not prepared to be as educated, entertained, and inspired as I was by this mighty work of his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi. Rajmohan Gandhi combines scholarly competency with unique access to many records of his famous and well-documented grandfather. More importantly—for it can be disastrously hard to understand Gandhi, no matter how well informed one is—he combines objectivity with devotion, managing to present the human side of the Mahatma along with his incredible greatness and accomplishments in a way that enlarges our imagination of what it means to be a human being." - Tikkun

and#8220;Gandhi has skillfully narrated events in the life of his grandfather, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. . . . [An] excellent book.and#8221; (Starred Review)

and#8220;A monumental biography that looks likely to stand as definitive for the foreseeable future.and#8221;

and#8220;I was not prepared to be as educated, entertained, and inspired as I was by this mighty work of his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi.and#8221;

“A monumental biography that looks likely to stand as definitive for the foreseeable future.” Library Journal

"No one has ever succeeded in pinning Gandhi to paper as well as Rajmohan Gandhi has. He has managed somehow to evoke the whole of his grandfather-including the human flaws that made his triumphs all the more remarkable."and#151;Geoffrey C. Ward, prizewinning biographer of Franklin Roosevelt and scriptwriter for Ken Burns documentary The War

"Rajmohan Gandhi's weighty, authoritative, and comprehensive biography is a great achievement."and#151;William Dalrymple, Financial Times

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 and Reconciliation: Understanding South Asian History, and Eight Lives: A Study of the Hindu-Muslim Encounter.

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