Gandhi Jayanti 2021: 6 books on Mahatma Gandhi every Indian should read
A lion-hearted freedom fighter, a spirited social reformer, an astute politician and a staunch nationalist, Gandhi will forever be remembered as the one-man army for his contribution towards India’s struggle for independence and relentless efforts to bring down the British Raj.
Mahatma Gandhi, Bapu, the Father of Nation, a lot has been said and written about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is synonymous with India’s freedom struggle.
If you look at the struggles he had to face and the way in which he lived for his countrymen despite the constant criticism that was thrown his way, it will not be less than that of a new age superhero.
A lion-hearted freedom fighter, a spirited social reformer, an astute politician and a staunch nationalist, Gandhi will forever be remembered as the one-man army for his contribution towards India’s struggle for independence and relentless efforts to bring down the British Raj.
October 2, his birthday, is observed as Gandhi Jayanti to remember his sacrifice and non-violent, peaceful fight for freedom. The day is also observed as the International Day of Non-Violence.
There is no end to the literature that covers Gandhi’s life. In view of Gandhi Jayanti 2021, here are some books every Indian should read on the Father of the Nation.
India before Gandhi
Written by historian Ramachandra Guha, the book, starting from Gandhi’s birth in 1869, tells about his childhood years, his years studying in London and the time he was practicing law in South Africa.
India after Gandhi
There is another book by Guha which comprises the history of modern India after independence, the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and the integration of Goa, debacle of 1962, efforts to integrate Kashmir, death of Gandhi and his efforts for peace during Partition.
My Experiments with Truth
In his biography, Mahatma Gandhi covers all aspects of his life right from childhood to the year 1921. The book was first written and published in Gujarati from 1925 to 1929 and later translated into English by Mahadev Desai in 1940. Undoubtedly, the book is an honest account of his early life, ideologies, his mistakes and the lessons he learned from them.
Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948)
Another book by Ramachandra Guha tells the story of Gandhi’s life – from his departure from South Africa to his death. The seminal years that saw how a barrister turned into a campaigner-activist with a strong moral compass.
Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World
Written by Louis Fischer, the book gives a glimpse of Mahatma Gandhi’s personality and how he shaped the freedom struggle. This biography of Mahatma Gandhi became the basis for the Academy award-winning film on Gandhi by Richard Attenborough.
The Good Boatman
Rajmohan Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, wrote this book in which he tries to look into Gandhi’s philosophy of success.
In this book, Rajmohan thoroughly discusses Mahatma Gandhi’s unsuccessful attempts to keep India united, his attitude towards caste and untouchability, his controversial experiments with chastity and views on God, truth and non-violence.
Ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly election, PM Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the incumbent Hemant Soren government, accusing it to put appeasement at the top of its agenda.
While addressing a rally in Jharkhand’s Garhwa, the Prime Minister said the coalition government of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and RJD are supporters of Bangladesh infiltrators. He said that the JMM-RJD-Congress government has taken appeasement to its peak, and that these parties are destroying the state’s social harmony. He alleged that the parties are supporters of infiltrators, and to get votes of Bangladesh infiltrators, they are getting them settled across Jharkhand.
The Prime Minister stated that when schools disallow Saraswati Vandana, one can imagine how big the danger is. When there is stone-pelting during festivals, Maa Durga is stopped and curfew is imposed, one knows how dangerous it is, he continued. The Prime Minister also added that when the issue of infiltration goes to court and the administration denies, it becomes clear that the government machinery has been infiltrated. PM Modi was referring to allegations that a Muslim teacher stopped prayers to Goddess Saraswati at a school in Jharkhand’s Giridih.
Narendra Modi further claimed that if the bad policies of JMM, Congress and RJD continue, the adivasi society in Jharkhand will shrink, and advised people to use their vote to uproot this infiltrator coalition. He maintained that Jharkhand’s swift development is possible only if it has a government that expedites the implementation of central schemes.
Referring to the JMM’s decision to replace Champai Soren as Chief Minister after Hemant Soren was granted bail in a money laundering case, PM Modi said that the party has left no stones unturned in humiliating an adivasi son. He asked how the party will take care of the people of the state when nothing matters to them more than family. He added that he does not have a family, and the people are his family. He also mentioned that Champai Soren, once a trusted lieutenant of Hemant Soren, is now with the BJP.
Slamming the ruling coalition of corruption, he said that corruption hollows out the country like termites, and destroys the poor, Dalits, people from backward classes and tribals. He claimed that Jharkhand has seen for five years the corruption of the JMM-Congress-RJD government.
He also referred to the massive cash haul from the home of Congress’s former Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu last year. Mentioning that mountains of cash are recovered from the home of Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP, he questioned if this money didn’t belong to Jharkhand.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday witnessed chaos after People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para moved a resolution opposing the abrogation of Article 370 and called for restoring the union territory’s special status.
Waheed Para, the PDP MLA from the Pulwama Assembly seat, submitted the resolution to newly elected Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather and requested for a discussion on the matter during the five-day session, despite not being a part of the agenda.
It was submitted that although the agenda of the House has been finalised, they believe that the authority as the Speaker allows the inclusion of the resolution, as it reflects the sentiment of the people at large. After the resolution was submitted, all 28 Jammu and Kashmir BJP MLAs stood up to oppose the move, leading to noisy scenes inside the Assembly.
As the members protested, BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma demanded Para’s suspension for bringing the resolution in violation of Assembly rules. The agitation continued even after the Speaker repeatedly requested the protesting members to take their seats. He asserted the resolution has not come to him yet and when it does, he would examine it.
While the BJP members refused to call off their protest, National Conference MLAs slammed them for interrupting the proceedings of the House. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addressing the session, said that the resolution has no importance and it is only for the cameras.
The Chief Minister added that how the House will reflect and discuss this matter will not be decided by any one member. If there was a purpose behind the resolution, then they would have discussed this with the government before, he continued.
Nonetheless, CM Abdullah also admitted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not approve of the decision taken on August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also said that his government will make all efforts for the restoration of full statehood. He mentioned that restoration of full statehood would be a reciprocation of the faith reposed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir in democratic institutions.
Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti expressed that she was proud of Waheed Para for submitting the resolution.
Notably, Article 370 was a provision in the Constitution that granted special autonomy to the region of Jammu and Kashmir. It also allowed the state to have its own constitution, flag, and autonomy over internal matters except defense, communications, and foreign affairs.
However, the Centre on August 5, 2019 revoked Article 370, effectively removing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganising it into two Union Territories namely, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
20 killed after bus falls into gorge near Uttarakhand’s Pauri-Almora border, CM Dhami expresses grief
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each for the injured.
In a tragic incident, nearly 20 people were killed after a Garwal Motors Users bus fell into a 200-metre deep gorge near Uttarakhand’s Kupi in Ramnagar at Pauri-Almora border on Monday. The injured are being hurried to the hospital and a search operation is currently underway. At least 35 people were inside the bus when the accident occured.
The fatal accident was reported to authorities at around 9 am by passengers who had fallen from the bus during the accident. Police and teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are at the accident site in Marchula’s Salt area.
Speaking to the media, District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey said that the bus was going from Garhwal to Kumaon where the accident took place at Marchula in Almora. Sanjay Kumar, Salt Sub-District Magistrate stated that some of the passengers have been rescued and admitted to hospital.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each for the injured. The Chief Minister also directed the Commissioner of the Kumaon division to carry out a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Taking to social media platform X, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief, and said that a very sad news has been received about the casualties of passengers in the unfortunate bus accident that took place in Marchula of Almora district. He added that the district administration has been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations swiftly.
Furthermore, CM Dhami stated that the local administration and SDRF teams at the accident site are working rapidly to evacuate the injured and take them to the nearest health centre for treatment. He mentioned that instruction have also been given to airlift seriously injured passengers if required.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister’s office also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Almora, adding that the injured would be given Rs 50,000.
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