In Search of Gandhi: Essays and Reflections

B.R. Nanda’s first work on Gandhi was published in 1958. Since then, he has published extensively on many related topics, but Gandhi appears as a leitmotif in the entire corpus of his work. Nanda’s intensive and abiding curiosity about this key figure of modern India has resulted in an insightful and unique understanding of Gandhi’s motivations, and the circumstances surrounding his political decisions and personal choices. The twenty-nine essays in this book are critical yet insightful and sympathetic analyses of various facets of Gandhi’s multidimensional personality. They were written on different occasions, for a variety of purposes, and together they offer a richness of perspective and understanding. They cover a vast territory: Gandhi’s formative years; his struggle against racism in South Africa and imperialism in India; his attitude to religion and the partition of India; his public life and his relations with colleagues, disciples and opponents; and the continuing relevance of his political and economic thought for India and the world, even in the twenty-first century. In Search of Gandhi presents, in compact and lucid form, the major events and personalities of Gandhi’s long public life. This comprehensive and scrupulously researched selection will be of immense interest to scholars of Gandhian studies and the history of the Indian freedom movement. It has much to offer those who want to know more about the man whose ideas and methods are recognized as being increasingly relevant in a world racked by ethnic conflict, religious fundamentalism and international terrorism.