Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography

Pramod Kapoor

• Publisher: Roli Books
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9788193600917
• eBook ISBN: 9788193600917
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

His life and ideals remain an inspiration across the world but in reality, it was the complexity of his character that made Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi such a fascinating subject. Yet, much of the finer details of his life and intellectual growth has been obscured by the greatness of his achievements. To bring them all together in this illustrated biography is to bring alive one of the most revered figures in modern Indian history and in a way that is a departure from earlier works. Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography is an intimate study into the evolution of a mischievous, fun-loving boy, into the Mahatma. From his schooling and early marriage in Kathiawar to his first brushes with the grandeur of London; from his chance employment for a legal case in South Africa to a train ride in Pietermaritzburg that led to his first fight for equality; from a relatively unsuccessful lawyer to a globally celebrated crusader for human rights – Gandhi was that rare rebel who redefined the meaning of mass resistance for generations to come. This book is the result of intensive research and tracks Gandhi's life through photographs sourced from across the world. The chronological text and accompanying photographs bring out his unique complexities – his failures and successes, the intimate relations he shared with his contemporaries and the difficult one he shared with his own family. This book is a labour of love and an attempt to portray Gandhi's methods and his message for a new generation of readers.

GANDHI

AN ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY

PRAMOD KAPOOR

ROLI BOOKS

This digital edition published in 2018

First published in 2016 by

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Copyright © Pramod Kapoor, 2016

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eISBN: 978-81-9360-091-7

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When I began my research on Mahatma Gandhi, I contacted a number of scholars and thinkers who had made impressive contributions to the literature on him. Some were generous with their time and suggestions; others dismissed my request as a worthless exercise. While the former imparted knowledge, the latter generated an intense inner determination. Both contributed to my experiment with Gandhi, so to them my sincere gratitude.

First, a big thanks to my colleagues who helped in putting this book together. Without very able and diligent support from my colleagues, this book would have taken much longer to publish. To Sneha, our most trusted designer, who has been part of our team for nearly 20 years and whom I consider to be the best in the business. To Priya, my editor, whose demanding but very valuable suggestions made this book what it is. To Neelam Narula and Dipali Singh for their editorial support. Saloni Vaid, a very able photo researcher, followed the leads meticulously and produced images on demand.

Alison Moore, an accomplished editor from the United Kingdom, helped me adapt the Indian edition for international readers. I would like to acknowledge her valuable suggestions and diligent editing. Thank you, Ali.

My friendship with some of the best Gandhian scholars and historians of our time has been invaluable. Among them was Professor Mushirul Hasan, who got me going and encouraged me to pursue the subject. My gratitude also goes to Tridip Surhud, ever helpful and the finest mind on Gandhian literature; and to Dr Ashis Nandy, who gave me hours of his time, especially at the beginning of the project, and helped me understand some of the most difficult parts of Gandhi’s story. Thomas Weber was generous with his extensive knowledge and understanding. The piece on the Salt Satyagraha is largely inspired by his writing on the subject and I thank him with a deep sense of gratitude for reading the manuscript. At the very start I had the opportunity to share lunch with Dr Sunil Khilnani and his wife Katherine in London. Their initial appreciation and subsequent critique helped shape the book. My thanks to John Falconer, lead curator, visual arts, at the British Library, for being such a good friend and helping with material I could never have found without him. I also thank Shahid Amin and feel privileged to have the support of Dr Vinay Lal, E.S. Reddy, Ken Robbins, Vikram Raghavan and many other scholar friends who have been part of this journey.

From time to time I sent short pieces to my friends and can be accused of using them as my sounding boards. T.N. Ninan, whom I consider the finest newspaper editor, read a couple of pieces. He trashed the first one and suggested ways to improve it – I remember how thrilled I was to read his message about the second one, which he called a ‘riveting read’. S. Prasannarajan came up with the title My Experiment with Gandhi, which I have used as the title for the introductory chapter in the book. Krishna Prasad, then editor-in-chief, Outlook, who published excerpts of my stories in his magazine, was a constant source of encouragement. Tony Jessudasan, despite his extensive travel and professional commitments, acted as a model reader and came up with very useful suggestions. Then there was Dilip Bobb, a master craftsman with words who helped with rewriting passages and editing them. Thank you, Dilip, for all your hard work and help.

My wife Kiran has been an adviser and researcher and has accompanied me all over the world in search of archival material. She has the ability to find unique data and images that I have often overlooked. Thanks are also due to Kapil and Diya for reading the pieces from time to time and for bearing with me at times when I would talk for hours about Gandhiji and nothing else. There is no formal thanks for them – my affection says it all.

TO MAA AND PITAJI

Writing this book brought me closer to them

Dissenting pamphlets and posters formed part of the propaganda used during India’s struggle for freedom. Many families who sympathized with the struggle and Gandhi’s call for civil disobedience hid printing presses in their basements. The non-cooperation tree in the pamphlet above represents two factions: the Swaraj Part (left side of the tree), which was against Gandhi’s decision to withdraw the movement after instances of violence, and the No-Changers (right side of the tree), who agreed with his view. Barring this minor difference in thought, the two factions shared the same ideology and goal of ‘Purna Swaraj’, or complete independence.

CONTENTS

MY EXPERIMENT WITH GANDHI

1869–1914

EARLY YEARS IN INDIA, ENGLAND AND SOUTH AFRICA

1915–1929

RETURN TO INDIA, THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT AND THE CALL FOR INDEPENDENCE

1930–1939

SALT SATYAGRAHA AND THE ROUND TABLE CONFERENCES

1940–1946

THE CRIPPS MISSION AND QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT

1946–1947

COMMUNAL RIOTS, PARTITION AND INDEPENDENCE

1948

ASSASSINATION AND FUNERAL

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI: A LIFE

...

1869 2 October	Born in Porbandar, Gujarat.
1879–80	Primary schooling at Rajkot, Gujarat.
1882	Marries Kasturba.
1885	Father Karamchand Gandhi dies at 63.
1888 June	Birth of first son, Harilal.
4 September	Sails for England for higher studies.
October	Reaches Southampton, England.
6 November	Joins Inner Temple, London.
1890 June	Passes the London Matriculation.
19 September	Joins the London Vegetarian Society and becomes a member of the executive committee.
1891 10 June	Called to the Bar.
12 June	Sails for India, and on reaching Bombay learns of his mother’s death.
1892 14 May	Receives permission to practise in Kathiawar courts, but fails to establish a successful practice.
28 October	Second son Manilal born.
1893 April	Sails for South Africa, becomes a legal adviser to Dada Abdullah & Company.
26 May	Refuses to remove his turban; leaves the court.
7 June	Thrown out of first-class carriage of train at Pietermaritzburg station. Vows to dedicate himself to active non-violent resistance.
1893	Reads Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God Is Within You.
1894 22 August	Founds the National Indian Congress in South Africa.
1896 5 June	Sails to India and addresses meetings on behalf of Indians in South Africa.
30 November	Sails for South Africa with his family.
12 December	Reaches Durban, South Africa.
1897 4 May	Third son Ramdas born.
1899 11 October	Establishes Indian Ambulance Corps during Boer War.
1900 22 May	Assists Kasturba in the delivery of fourth son, Devdas.
1901 October	Leaves South Africa for India.
1901–1902	Attends Indian National Congress session in Calcutta. Opens law office in Bombay; fails to establish a successful practice.
1902	Returns to South Africa without family, after urgent request from Indian community.
1903 February	Opens law office in Johannesburg.
4 June	First issue of Indian Opinion published.
1904 October	Reads John Ruskin’s Unto This Last.
December	Establishes Phoenix settlement.
1906 July	Takes vow of brahmacharya (celibacy for life).
11 September	Starts satyagraha at Empire Theatre in Johannesburg, where people take pledge to oppose Asiatic Registration Bill (the Black Act).
1 October	Sails for England to present Indians’ case to Colonial Secretary.
1908 10 January	Sentenced to two-month imprisonment in South Africa but released on 31 January.

Table of contents

• Gandhi