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Gandhi: A Life
Gandhi: A Life reveals the transformation of an ordinary, timid young man, into a leader, whose stand against a mighty empire brought millions together. From the poor and the illiterate, to the intelligentsia and the rich, Gandhi's followers forged a sustained, non-violent movement for independence. When Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869, India was divided. British India, ruled by the Viceroy from Delhi, stood in stark contrast to the other India; a checkerboard of hundreds of princely states, and royal instruments without political power. Shortly before his nineteenth birthday, Gandhi - by then a husband and father of several years - set sail from Bombay to England to study law; shortly thereafter, he traveled to South Africa to practice. An outsider, the young barrister tasted first-hand the bitter fruits of class prejudice, racial intolerance, and colonial oppression. At the same time, his pursuit of spiritual fulfillment, and a keen curiosity about the world's diverse religions, nourished Gandhi's own deeply felt convictions, pointing him toward the path along which he would guide India to independence.
576 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 9, 2020
Un uomo eccezionale, spinto da ideali di non violenza e pacifici che dovrebbero essere da esempio a certi attuali capi di governo.
"Ciascuno di noi dovrebbe guardare dentro di sé e purificare il più possibile il proprio cuore..." Questa è una delle numerosissime frasi dette da Gandhi. Un uomo di pace, un tenace sostenitore della non-violenza... Purtroppo non tutti sono riusciti a comprenderlo e il fatidico giorno del 30 gennaio 1948 venne ucciso con tre colpi di pistola armata da Nathuram Godse, il quale dopo, durante il processo, osò dichiarsi "un eroe dell'India"... Ma chi è stato Gandhi? Cosa ha fatto di eccezionale? In cosa credeva? In questo scorrevole volume di 507 pagine del giornalista Yogesh Chadha, ci viene riportata tutta la vita della "Grande Anima" (Mahatma), la sua lunga lotta contro la violenza e a favore della riconciliazione tra indù e musulmani, la battaglia durata tutta la vita per ottenere l'indipendenza dell'India dai conquistatori inglesi, i suoi digiuni, le sue preghiere, la celebre marcia per il sale... Indubbiamente quella di Gandhi è una figura enorme, una vera e propria "montagna" di umanità, di esempio di pace, di perdono ai nemici... Ho notato che tutte le sue azioni (celebre il suo motto "azione o morte") erano sempre spinte dal suo incredibile equilibrio spirituale interiore e dalla sua incrollabile fede in Dio. Colpisce, poi, il suo stile di vita, di estremissima frugalità: vestiva con un abito che lui stesso filava, mangiava lo stretto necessario, nelle stanze dove veniva ospitato non voleva mobili... Ma l'importante era il suo esempio, i suoi celebri discorsi alle folle, i suoi infiniti digiuni che più di una volta l'hanno portato a sfiorare la morte... Gandhi, il rivoluzionario disarmato, è una figura che, conosciuta, rimane dentro i nostri cuori per sempre.
"Ciascuno di noi dovrebbe guardare dentro di sé e purificare il più possibile il proprio cuore..." Questa è una delle numerosissime frasi dette da Gandhi. Un uomo di pace, un tenace sostenitore della non-violenza... Purtroppo non tutti sono riusciti a comprenderlo e il fatidico giorno del 30 gennaio 1948 venne ucciso con tre colpi di pistola armata da Nathuram Godse, il quale dopo, durante il processo, osò dichiarsi "un eroe dell'India"... Ma chi è stato Gandhi? Cosa ha fatto di eccezionale? In cosa credeva? In questo scorrevole volume di 507 pagine del giornalista Yogesh Chadha, ci viene riportata tutta la vita della "Grande Anima" (Mahatma), la sua lunga lotta contro la violenza e a favore della riconciliazione tra indù e musulmani, la battaglia durata tutta la vita per ottenere l'indipendenza dell'India dai conquistatori inglesi, i suoi digiuni, le sue preghiere, la celebre marcia per il sale... Indubbiamente quella di Gandhi è una figura enorme, una vera e propria "montagna" di umanità, di esempio di pace, di perdono ai nemici... Ho notato che tutte le sue azioni (celebre il suo motto "azione o morte") erano sempre spinte dal suo incredibile equilibrio spirituale interiore e dalla sua incrollabile fede in Dio. Colpisce, poi, il suo stile di vita, di estremissima frugalità: vestiva con un abito che lui stesso filava, mangiava lo stretto necessario, nelle stanze dove veniva ospitato non voleva mobili... Ma l'importante era il suo esempio, i suoi celebri discorsi alle folle, i suoi infiniti digiuni che più di una volta l'hanno portato a sfiorare la morte... Gandhi, il rivoluzionario disarmato, è una figura che, conosciuta, rimane dentro i nostri cuori per sempre.
January 10, 2015
This is a very interesting book about a very complicated and interesting man. Gandhi has become a symbol for non-violent triumph whose example is thought to be a clear-cut defense of such method of social change. Of course, along the way, he's earned his share of critics. (see this article, written about the same time a movie about Gandhi came out, for the most outspoken example: https://www.commentarymagazine.com/ar.... I personally think the article has some good points and badly misrepresents other aspects of his life.) He's thought of as something of a civil rights hero the same way Martin Luther King is, which is accurate in many ways (MLK explicitly sought to imitate Gandhi in many ways), but incomplete. To his fans in the west, he's the saint to end all saints, nearly christlike. To his opponents, he's essentially an aberration that managed to help bring down relatively benign British rule, with significant consequences, many of which negative, and whose influence is uncertain in any case.d
My opinion, at least at this point, is that any such narrative of his life is likely wrong. Few characters in history are as clear cut in any one direction as their fans or opponents seek to portray, but never is that more so than with Gandhi. I personally find it hard to deny several, very difficult truths, seem to be true about him:
A. His early work in South Africa was very good and he was very right about the moral issues at stake. However, his triumph was incomplete. That I suppose can be said of all civil rights movements, but it seems to me to be especially true here.
B. His moral code is largely laudatory, particularly his attitude of forgiveness to enemies and his humility (such as it was, it was not always). If not unambiguously good, it at least is overwhelmingly so, with some mistakes. His methods of application, however, are much more complicated and difficult to judge.
Furthermore, his seeming full embrace of relativism planted the seeds of the undoing of much of what was good about his work. That is the thing that bothers me most. Hinduism, it seems to me, lends its self to this type of thinking more than other religions, and as a Hindu I suppose such errors could come as no great surprise. It does surprise me somewhat, however, given his obvious intelligence, he did not see the obvious problems this presented. It is one thing to say that a deity has plans for other religions that may not be entirely true, even your own. It is another thing to declare mutually exclusive philosophies equally true.
C. His political/civil rights work, while it almost always had its heart in the right place, is VERY difficult to judge. The mere fact that the British left can be credited to him, but it is probably inaccurate. And much of what he sought to accomplish, such as a unified Indian subcontinent, not only didn't happen, but didn't happen with massive amounts of bloodshed, which he sought to avoid at all costs. Can you call him a failure because of this? No, I don't think you can. I do, however, think it is inaccurate to call his successes unqualified, however. The qualifications are rather large. I also found certain aspects of his various causes badly misguided, even if secondary. Namely his dedication to vegetarianism and other dietary customs that I cannot see could do anything but hurt the poor and oppressed he sought to help. But those flaws are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, and have a deeply philosophical/theological basis that is difficult to really discuss deeply without reaching agreement on some much more important questions.
D. His personal moral example is even more complicated. While there is little doubt he was a man with much genuine earnestness in seeking what Aristotle called "the good," his actual conduct, as the book clearly relates, was not without controversy, even which he was aware of. His mid-life dedication to celibacy, even as a married man, clearly has very difficult implications both for himself and his wife. His arguable disregard, at times, for the well being of his family as most people would understand it, is similarly difficult. His late-life, incredibly odd relationships with young girls to "test" his vow of celibacy, can only be seen, I think, as a weakness he fooled himself into thinking was for some higher purpose.
Anyhow, this book was clearly sympathetic, and glossed over much of the difficult theology to placate western audiences. But neither did it shy away from some of his controversies, or present the information in such a way that made it difficult to question. Considering the saintly image Gandhi has amongst some, Yogesh Chadha gives one of the more objective views of him I've seen.
Anyhow, this is something I'm going to want to think more about. Perhaps study more. I can say that since I wanted to learn more about Gandhi, I think I made a pretty good choice of books to start with.
My opinion, at least at this point, is that any such narrative of his life is likely wrong. Few characters in history are as clear cut in any one direction as their fans or opponents seek to portray, but never is that more so than with Gandhi. I personally find it hard to deny several, very difficult truths, seem to be true about him:
A. His early work in South Africa was very good and he was very right about the moral issues at stake. However, his triumph was incomplete. That I suppose can be said of all civil rights movements, but it seems to me to be especially true here.
B. His moral code is largely laudatory, particularly his attitude of forgiveness to enemies and his humility (such as it was, it was not always). If not unambiguously good, it at least is overwhelmingly so, with some mistakes. His methods of application, however, are much more complicated and difficult to judge.
Furthermore, his seeming full embrace of relativism planted the seeds of the undoing of much of what was good about his work. That is the thing that bothers me most. Hinduism, it seems to me, lends its self to this type of thinking more than other religions, and as a Hindu I suppose such errors could come as no great surprise. It does surprise me somewhat, however, given his obvious intelligence, he did not see the obvious problems this presented. It is one thing to say that a deity has plans for other religions that may not be entirely true, even your own. It is another thing to declare mutually exclusive philosophies equally true.
C. His political/civil rights work, while it almost always had its heart in the right place, is VERY difficult to judge. The mere fact that the British left can be credited to him, but it is probably inaccurate. And much of what he sought to accomplish, such as a unified Indian subcontinent, not only didn't happen, but didn't happen with massive amounts of bloodshed, which he sought to avoid at all costs. Can you call him a failure because of this? No, I don't think you can. I do, however, think it is inaccurate to call his successes unqualified, however. The qualifications are rather large. I also found certain aspects of his various causes badly misguided, even if secondary. Namely his dedication to vegetarianism and other dietary customs that I cannot see could do anything but hurt the poor and oppressed he sought to help. But those flaws are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, and have a deeply philosophical/theological basis that is difficult to really discuss deeply without reaching agreement on some much more important questions.
D. His personal moral example is even more complicated. While there is little doubt he was a man with much genuine earnestness in seeking what Aristotle called "the good," his actual conduct, as the book clearly relates, was not without controversy, even which he was aware of. His mid-life dedication to celibacy, even as a married man, clearly has very difficult implications both for himself and his wife. His arguable disregard, at times, for the well being of his family as most people would understand it, is similarly difficult. His late-life, incredibly odd relationships with young girls to "test" his vow of celibacy, can only be seen, I think, as a weakness he fooled himself into thinking was for some higher purpose.
Anyhow, this book was clearly sympathetic, and glossed over much of the difficult theology to placate western audiences. But neither did it shy away from some of his controversies, or present the information in such a way that made it difficult to question. Considering the saintly image Gandhi has amongst some, Yogesh Chadha gives one of the more objective views of him I've seen.
Anyhow, this is something I'm going to want to think more about. Perhaps study more. I can say that since I wanted to learn more about Gandhi, I think I made a pretty good choice of books to start with.
June 28, 2023
This brick of a book was fascinating. I had to read it in small chunks. I often had to stop and look places and things up and I would find new things I wanted to learn about.
I finished the book ambivalent about Gandhi, which I think is a good thing for the author. I didn’t want to read a book that fawned over Gandhi or a book that hated Gandhi- I felt the author did a good job of giving us information that we could make our own opinions on.
I find it incredible what Gandhi was able to accomplish through fasting and Satyāgraha (non-compliance). However, his treatment of his wife and other women in his sphere was very upsetting to me. There were times where Gandhi seemed to be arrogant or judgmental of others because they did not live how he thought they should; and he made horrible comments about the Jewish people and Hitler (basically that the Jewish people should pray for Hitler and accept genocide as non-compliance). While Gandhi’s influence on our world can not be understated, he was no saint.
Another thing this book did is make me want to learn more about Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
I finished the book ambivalent about Gandhi, which I think is a good thing for the author. I didn’t want to read a book that fawned over Gandhi or a book that hated Gandhi- I felt the author did a good job of giving us information that we could make our own opinions on.
I find it incredible what Gandhi was able to accomplish through fasting and Satyāgraha (non-compliance). However, his treatment of his wife and other women in his sphere was very upsetting to me. There were times where Gandhi seemed to be arrogant or judgmental of others because they did not live how he thought they should; and he made horrible comments about the Jewish people and Hitler (basically that the Jewish people should pray for Hitler and accept genocide as non-compliance). While Gandhi’s influence on our world can not be understated, he was no saint.
Another thing this book did is make me want to learn more about Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
February 6, 2019
I mean, it's probably not the MOST invigorating read (lots of Indian politics), but I honestly really enjoyed it. He's a very interesting person, and he had to deal with a LOT of crap. I'd recommend reading it.
October 17, 2022
Gandhi is often seen as a saint on the order of the catholic saints. And one may expect a biography to be mere hagiography.
Chadha's book is not.
Gandhi presents himself as a progressive universalist seeking to bring India into a new age. In the great Sir Ben Kingsley movie, one can interpret that it is Jinnah and the Muslim League that rejects Gandhi's universalist India for sectarian Pakistan. But Chadha's book shows a much much more complicated picture.
Gandhi was willing to speak out to defend Indian Muslims and wanted them joined into a greater India. But, he also disowned his son for marrying a Muslim. He rejected and attempted to end Untouchableness; yet Viceroy Archibald saw all of Gandhi's acts as replacing the British Raj with a "Hindu Raj." One gets the picture that without moderates in the Congress Party, a new united India would look much like Modi's version - and total understand Jinnah's reluctance to follow the lukewarm support of Gandhi into independence.
Gandhi's dream for India was one that was remade by the personal actions of individual Indians. He was ill-prepared for the what comes after Independence. There was no talk of actual structures or institutions.
The Hagiography of Gandhi might be good for 2 page biographies in a kids book; but the real Gandhi and his real effects during his time should be reviewed as well. Chadha finds the real Gandhi: the Good, the Bad and (in later life) the Weird.
Chadha's book is not.
Gandhi presents himself as a progressive universalist seeking to bring India into a new age. In the great Sir Ben Kingsley movie, one can interpret that it is Jinnah and the Muslim League that rejects Gandhi's universalist India for sectarian Pakistan. But Chadha's book shows a much much more complicated picture.
Gandhi was willing to speak out to defend Indian Muslims and wanted them joined into a greater India. But, he also disowned his son for marrying a Muslim. He rejected and attempted to end Untouchableness; yet Viceroy Archibald saw all of Gandhi's acts as replacing the British Raj with a "Hindu Raj." One gets the picture that without moderates in the Congress Party, a new united India would look much like Modi's version - and total understand Jinnah's reluctance to follow the lukewarm support of Gandhi into independence.
Gandhi's dream for India was one that was remade by the personal actions of individual Indians. He was ill-prepared for the what comes after Independence. There was no talk of actual structures or institutions.
The Hagiography of Gandhi might be good for 2 page biographies in a kids book; but the real Gandhi and his real effects during his time should be reviewed as well. Chadha finds the real Gandhi: the Good, the Bad and (in later life) the Weird.
March 31, 2023
This is an extremely dense read.
It is full of details about South African and Indian politics in relation to British colonialism.
As a child of the 1980s having watched the excellent movie Gandhi starring Ben Kingsley, I was able to manage the chronology of the book. It’s interesting… most of the movie is very accurate. Made me want to watch it again.
In any case, it is a good book but honestly very dry and detailed.
I would not recommend it.
I finished but it was a labor and I really didn’t enjoy it.
It ends very abruptly. There’s no detail on his funeral or his impact posthumously… Surprising.
I might find a shorter bio of the man. It’s well written but very long.
It is full of details about South African and Indian politics in relation to British colonialism.
As a child of the 1980s having watched the excellent movie Gandhi starring Ben Kingsley, I was able to manage the chronology of the book. It’s interesting… most of the movie is very accurate. Made me want to watch it again.
In any case, it is a good book but honestly very dry and detailed.
I would not recommend it.
I finished but it was a labor and I really didn’t enjoy it.
It ends very abruptly. There’s no detail on his funeral or his impact posthumously… Surprising.
I might find a shorter bio of the man. It’s well written but very long.
August 17, 2019
Da tempo volevo leggere una biografia sulla vita di Gandhi.
Dopo molto cercare ho optato per questa e la consiglio a chiunque avesse il mio stesso interesse.
L'autore, Yogesh Chadha, un giornalista indiano, ha svolto studi e ricerche per diversi anni prima di completarla e fatti e accadimenti sono riportati con imparzialità, senza idolatrare la figura di Gandhi, lasciando al lettore il compito di valutarne virtù e debolezze e di giudicarne l'operato.
Dopo molto cercare ho optato per questa e la consiglio a chiunque avesse il mio stesso interesse.
L'autore, Yogesh Chadha, un giornalista indiano, ha svolto studi e ricerche per diversi anni prima di completarla e fatti e accadimenti sono riportati con imparzialità, senza idolatrare la figura di Gandhi, lasciando al lettore il compito di valutarne virtù e debolezze e di giudicarne l'operato.
June 21, 2018
A towering figure in International politics, this biography excellently portrays a quiet, well-born man who grows stubborn and reluctantly becomes the de facto leader of the world's largest democracy. A gentle man who refuses to bow to the might of the greatest empire of the time, and ends up as the one man who could and did cause the collapse of the British Empire. It's an astounding story, very well told.
November 8, 2012
A great biography of a great man. The basic story of how Gandhi led a non violent revolution to win independence for India from the British is often told. This book covers the Mahatma's entire life, including his work as a lawyer and activist on behalf of Indians in South Africa, his family life, philosophy and some of his more human sides. There are some fantastic tidbits including Gandhi's correspondence with Tolstoy, his visit to a textile mill and slum neighborhoods in England, meeting Charlie Chaplin and more.
The struggle against British rule in India is described in excellent detail. Also, I was interested to read how the Muslims forced a separation for Pakistan on receiving independence from Britain much against Gandhi's wishes. The brutality of the separation between the Hindus and Muslims frames the end of the book. This lends a violent and sad ending to a great success of non violent action.
At the end of course there is tragedy as Gandhi is assassinated. The author then sends two chapters detailing the plot, the assassins and their trial. Sad, but still interesting conclusion.
Hard to figure - the human race can produce a moral giant like Gandhi and the same human race can murder him...
Well worth a read.
The struggle against British rule in India is described in excellent detail. Also, I was interested to read how the Muslims forced a separation for Pakistan on receiving independence from Britain much against Gandhi's wishes. The brutality of the separation between the Hindus and Muslims frames the end of the book. This lends a violent and sad ending to a great success of non violent action.
At the end of course there is tragedy as Gandhi is assassinated. The author then sends two chapters detailing the plot, the assassins and their trial. Sad, but still interesting conclusion.
Hard to figure - the human race can produce a moral giant like Gandhi and the same human race can murder him...
Well worth a read.
August 3, 2012
لا أنكر ، لم أحبذ يوما فلسفة اللاعنف ، لظالما ظننتها أكثر " رقة " من أن تأخذ مفعولا حقيقيا ، ناهيك عن استقلال دولة ، لكن للحق ، احترامي لغاندي كبير جدا ، تواصله الحميم مع الهند ، إبداءه الإنسانية قبل الأديان و الجنسيات ، هذا الرجل .. عظيم حقا
بعض الإقتباسات الرائعة من غاندي
" أنا مسلم و سيخي و هندوسي و مسيحي و يهودي .. مثلكم جميعا "
" العين بالعين تجعل العالم كله أعمى "
شاهدت فيلمه ، مذهل طبعا <3
بعض الإقتباسات الرائعة من غاندي
" أنا مسلم و سيخي و هندوسي و مسيحي و يهودي .. مثلكم جميعا "
" العين بالعين تجعل العالم كله أعمى "
شاهدت فيلمه ، مذهل طبعا <3
January 29, 2008
I believe any biography of Gandhi would be good, but what made this biography particularly good was the fact that Chadha didn't hold back from revealing aspects of Gandhi's life that were not so flattering. This book is a clear departure from the biographies of the Mahatma and more a biography of Mohandes Gandhi the man.
Great read.
Great read.
October 4, 2008
I liked the book better than his autobiography. I felt like I got a sense of who he was and also what was going on politically at the time in India. I didn't feel like the writing was particularly captivating and some more analysis of the historical significance of what was happening would've made the book better. I did appreciate being able to learn about his life.
January 15, 2016
So much is said about him, so much is quoted from him, it was interesting to actually learn about him. The book manages to trace his life trajectory and works hard to honor two competing truths: he was an incredible, influential, unique man but he was not a saint (it shows you his struggles). I'm glad to have read it, and still enamored with Gandhi.
November 1, 2007
An interesting inside look at the life of Gandhi. The book is very long (maybe 900 pgs) and does not give much detail on Gandhi as an individual human being. The biography focuses on his life as a political figure with little attention to his personal identity.
March 10, 2012
Great down to earth biography on Gandhi the man that doe snot seek to make him into a saint but instead portrays him evenhandedly. Good coverage of his time in South Africa and the experiences there that influenced him later on.
July 30, 2012
I have great respect for Gandhi so I liked the book. It was dry at times and a little more historical perspective would have helped. I do believe that too much attention is paid to his assassin at the end of the book. Overall, it's a good book about a great man.
January 10, 2009
A goob about a great man...but a very dry read. Unless you're a dedicated Gandhi fan it may be tough to get through.
March 6, 2013
patience and virtue in a small paperback
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews