Gandhi and the Mass Movements


Book Description

The Emergence Of Mahatma Gandhi On The Political Scene Of Our Country Generated A New Spirit And Awakening Among The Masses Of India. For About Three Years After Coming Back From South Africa, He Found No Activity Except Meeting People And Thus Assessing Their Political, Economic And Social Problems. His Initial Suc¬Cess In The Champaran Satyagraha Afforded Gandhi More Confidence To Launch The First Mass Movement In 1920 After The Ghastly Tragedy At Jallianwala Bagh In Amritsar. The Response To His Movement Was Spon¬Taneous From Men, Women, Students, Peasants And Labourers. The Spirit Of Boycott And Swadeshi Travelled Like Lightening In Lakhs Of Villages.Swaraj Was Not To Be Attained In A Short Period As The Raj Was Well-Ent¬Renched On The Soil Of Our Sub-Conti¬Nent. The Subsequent Two Movements Launched In 1930-34 And 1942 Were Supported By Several Satyagrahis From The Four Regions Of India. They Were Convicted, Their Property Including Land And Valuables Were Confiscated, And The Treatment Meted Out To Them Surpassed All Norms Of Decency. The Non-Violent Satyagrahis Were Severely Lathi-Charged At Numerous Places And They Became Physical Wreck As A Result Of It. They Bore All With Smile On Their Faces.The Result Of These Movements Was The Attainment Of Independence From The Raj In 1947. Though It Took A Long Period Of Six Decades To Achieve The Goal, Yet The Triumph Of Non-Vio¬Lent Ideology Of Gandhi Was A Roman¬Tic Political Saga In The Annals Of Our History.




The True Believer


Book Description




The Nonviolent Struggle for Indian Freedom, 1905-19


Book Description

Much of the recent surge in writing about the practice of nonviolent forms of resistance has focused on movements that occurred after the end of the Second World War, many of which have been extremely successful. Although the fact that such a method of resistance was developed in its modern form by Indians is acknowledged in this writing, there has not until now been an authoritative history of the role of Indians in the evolution of the phenomenon. Celebrated historian David Hardiman shows that while nonviolence is associated above all with the towering figure of Mahatma Gandhi, 'passive resistance' was already being practiced by nationalists in British-ruled India, though there was no principled commitment to nonviolence as such. It was Gandhi, first in South Africa and then in India, who evolved a technique that he called 'satyagraha'. His endeavors saw 'nonviolence' forged as both a new word in the English language, and a new political concept. This book conveys in vivid detail exactly what nonviolence entailed, and the formidable difficulties that the pioneers of such resistance encountered in the years 1905-19.




Mohandas Gandhi


Book Description

Mohandas Gandhi, the most iconic figure of Indian nationalism, remains an inspiration for anti-capitalists and peace activists globally. Seventy years after his death, however, his legacy remains contested: was he a saint, revolutionary, class conciliator, or self-obsessed spiritual zealot? This biography examines his campaigns from South Africa to India to evaluate the successes and failures of Satyagraha and Ahimsa. The contradictions of Gandhi's politics are unpacked through an analysis of the social forces at play in the mass movement around him. Entrusted to liberate the oppressed of India, his key support base were in fact industrialists, landlords and the rich peasantry. Gandhi's moral imperatives often clashed with these vested material interests, as well as with more radical currents to his left. Today, our world is scarred by permanent wars, racist violence, environmental destruction, and economic crisis. Can non-violent resistance win against state and corporate power? This book explores Gandhi's experiments in civil disobedience to assess their relevance for struggles today.




Gandhi: 'Hind Swaraj' and Other Writings


Book Description

Mahatma Gandhi's fundamental work - a key to understanding both his life and thought, and South Asian politics in the twentieth century.




The Gandhian Moment


Book Description

The father of Indian independence, Gandhi was also a political theorist who challenged mainstream ideas. Sovereignty, he said, depends on the consent of citizens willing to challenge the state nonviolently when it acts immorally. The culmination of the inner struggle to recognize one’s duty to act is the ultimate “Gandhian moment.”




Mahatma Gandhi


Book Description

Dennis Dalton's classic account of Gandhi's political and intellectual development focuses on the leader's two signal triumphs: the civil disobedience movement (or salt satyagraha) of 1930 and the Calcutta fast of 1947. Dalton clearly demonstrates how Gandhi's lifelong career in national politics gave him the opportunity to develop and refine his ideals. He then concludes with a comparison of Gandhi's methods and the strategies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, drawing a fascinating juxtaposition that enriches the biography of all three figures and asserts Gandhi's relevance to the study of race and political leadership in America. Dalton situates Gandhi within the "clash of civilizations" debate, identifying the implications of his work on continuing nonviolent protests. He also extensively reviews Gandhian studies and adds a detailed chronology of events in Gandhi's life.




Gandhi's Vision


Book Description

* Presents some glimpses from Gandhi's life: how he adopted non-violence as a potent tool in his quest for the 'truth force' and led the path to India's independence* Showcases some hand-picked photographs from the National Gandhi Museum, which portray various scenes from Gandhi's life with his South African friends, co-workers and Kasturba, his wife. These show his transformation over the years, and a few personal moments as well, which highlight his bonding with family and children* Exhibits the picture that Gandhi himself envisioned of what the future of India as a free nation would behold* Rich in archival content, the book should help scholars and students alike, researching on the subject Gandhi's Vision: Freedom and Beyond chronicles the principal events leading to India's independence under Gandhi's leadership and his vision of a free India. The book commemorates 71 years of Indian independence and is replete with portraits of the Mahatma in action - invoking the spirit of patriotism, uniting people from all religions, regions and social groups across the country: Hindus, Muslims and Parsis, peasants and landlords, workers and capitalists, the intelligentsia and the illiterates, men and women, the young and the old. Among those stalwarts who led the freedom movement, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi shines not only for the novel means of non-violence, but also for simultaneously wanting to root out social evils like communal hatred, untouchability and gender disparity. With several such issues espoused by him continuing to dominate the social space, his teachings remain relevant even today. Contents:Introduction; Towards Freedom; The Awakening; Pre-Gandhian Movements in India and Gandhi in South Africa; Gandhi's Return to India; Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience in India; The Final Call - Quit India Movement; Walking Alone and Freedom; Gandhi's Dream of Free India; Vision of India as a Stable, Flourishing and Sustainable Nation; Progress with Knowledge and Education; Acknowledgements; References.




Great Soul


Book Description

A highly original, stirring book on Mahatma Gandhi that deepens our sense of his achievements and disappointments—his success in seizing India’s imagination and shaping its independence struggle as a mass movement, his recognition late in life that few of his followers paid more than lip service to his ambitious goals of social justice for the country’s minorities, outcasts, and rural poor. “A revelation. . . . Lelyveld has restored human depth to the Mahatma.”—Hari Kunzru, The New York Times Pulitzer Prize–winner Joseph Lelyveld shows in vivid, unmatched detail how Gandhi’s sense of mission, social values, and philosophy of nonviolent resistance were shaped on another subcontinent—during two decades in South Africa—and then tested by an India that quickly learned to revere him as a Mahatma, or “Great Soul,” while following him only a small part of the way to the social transformation he envisioned. The man himself emerges as one of history’s most remarkable self-creations, a prosperous lawyer who became an ascetic in a loincloth wholly dedicated to political and social action. Lelyveld leads us step-by-step through the heroic—and tragic—last months of this selfless leader’s long campaign when his nonviolent efforts culminated in the partition of India, the creation of Pakistan, and a bloodbath of ethnic cleansing that ended only with his own assassination. India and its politicians were ready to place Gandhi on a pedestal as “Father of the Nation” but were less inclined to embrace his teachings. Muslim support, crucial in his rise to leadership, soon waned, and the oppressed untouchables—for whom Gandhi spoke to Hindus as a whole—produced their own leaders. Here is a vital, brilliant reconsideration of Gandhi’s extraordinary struggles on two continents, of his fierce but, finally, unfulfilled hopes, and of his ever-evolving legacy, which more than six decades after his death still ensures his place as India’s social conscience—and not just India’s.