Author:
Louis Fisher is a Jewish-American born in 1896. A school teacher, turned a British Army volunteer, and made a career as a journalist with interest in world's politics and figures of the era
The book
A soft-cover with 626 pages, excluding sources and bibliography and indexing - a great help to recall the numerous names and subjects in between of reading.
The book is divided into 3 parts - Part one, "The End and The Beginning" detailed out the lineage of Gandhi, early days in school, years to graduate law in London, his early years of being an "utterless" lawyer, his 21 years tenure in the South Africa, leading the Civil Rights movement to abolish racism, prejudice and injustice against Indians in the South Africa, years of being away from home and family, and nurtured as a social activist.
Part two " Gandhi in India" were series of Civil right movement after returning home, to abolish the Hindu multi-caste divides and unite the multi-religions people, to strike agaist the highly imposed tax and the monopoly by British on salt and textiles, and the beginning to acquire independence for India. All actions were in a form of the so-called Non-Cooperation - an act of non-violence and peaceful resistances. It is intersting to learn how a simple boycott on British related products (school, law firm, employments), and making home-made salt and spinned-fabrics did give big impact to the monopolized British economy, that send Gandhi and friends, many times into prisons.
The final part, The Birth of Two Nations, gathers around series of violence and killing events between the HIndu and Muslim that led to the the partition of India and the creation a country for the muslim called the Pakistan, before the independence of India was sought. It is interesting to learn that Gandhi, who resisted the creation of Pakistan from the beginning (for he believe in unity instead), was assinated for being "responsible in favouring Pakistan"- he was assinated for favoring the compensation of amount 550,000,000 rupess to Pakistan, besides his doctorine of the non-violence.
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869. His is from Vaisya caste origins, the third caste in Hindu society. His father inherited a high officer post from his grandfather and greatgrandfather, in a small a state called Porbandar. At age of 13-year-old Mohandas married to 13-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji and had four sons: Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas, and Devdas.
Of all the four, Harilal the eldest has a significant story. He was a feel-neglected son since child, whose dream to study in England but was opposed by own father who believed, - receiving life-training is a lot more important than an formal education that Hiralal was currently in the right track (taking care of the mother and broters in India, while Gandhi was in South Africa). He openly rebelling his own father by converting to Islam. He was said to appear in derelict condition at his father's funeral, that few had recognized him.
The day Gandhi was assassinated he looked
".. so serene was the face and so mellow that the hallow of devine that surrounds the body that it seemed almost sacrilegious to grieve"
The day Gabdhi died
"..he is a private ctitzen, wothout wealty, property official titles, official posts, acedemic distinctions, scientific achievemnets or artistic gifts.
He is just an orginary man in a loincloth
Gandhi was not a bright student during his school days
"He encountered difficulty in mastering the multifiation than learning naughty names for the teacher."
Gandhi was greatly inspired by the Bhagavad Gita - a part of Mahabbrata, the greatest Indian epic and the world's longest poem which contains fables, philosophical dissertations and theological discussions.The Gita's emphasis on selfless service. Gandhi once said
"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of external tragedies and if they have not left any visible or invisible effect on me, I owe it to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita."
Gandhi was a complete failure a lawyer in Rajkot and Bombay:
"He could not utter a word during a petty case in court
John Ruskin's unto this last placed is another great influence to Gandhi, it
" preached the dignity of manual labour, urge the simple life, and stressed the debilitating complexities of the modern economic system"
Gandhi read and learn all relions
"He reads the Gita in the morning and Koran in English translation at noon. He used the bible to teach English to Christian Chinese fellow prisoner. He reads Ruskin, Socrates, Tolstry, HUxley, Bacon's essay and Carlyle's Lives. He was happy. Be believed whoever has a good taste for reading good books is able to bear loneliness in any place with great ease."
Gandhi in jail
"He had seventy five compatriots with him in jail, and he become their cook."
Trials:
" On 14 Nov, when Gandhi was brought to trial, Kallenbach and Polak testified against him. Twenty four hours later, Gandhi appeared as a witness agaisnst Kallenbach, and two days after that, Gandhi and Kallenbach testified against Polak."
He loves the people:
"A foreighner was once said to Gandhi " How is your family/ and " he replied, "all of India is my family"
Gandhi was besieged by people who demanded a view of Mahatma, during his tour by train:
"If Gandhi train did not halt at their tiny station they would lie down on the tracks and be run over by it. The train did stop there."
Gandhi said he is a farmer
At the preliminary hearing after his arrest, Gandhi gave his age as fifty-three and his profession "farmer and weaver"
Gandhi spinned and weaved during congress.
At congress meeting, members would open a small box liek a violin case , take out a collapsable spinning wheel and spin noiselessly throughout the proceeding
Slat-making.
At karachi, 50000 people watched as salt was made on the seashore
Gandhi on air:
The Columbia Broadcasting System arranged for a radio address to the United States the day after gandhi's arrival in England. In the studio he eyed the microphone and said " Do I have to speak into that?". He was already on the air.
Treat me like everbodyelse
The prisoner governer brought furniture, crokery and other utensils for Gandhi. "For whom you have brought all this" Gandhi protested "Take it away please"
Happiness
Gandhi knew that people with full refrigirators, crowded clothes closets, cars in every garage and radios in every rooms my still be psychologically insecure and unhappy. "Rome" he said "suffered a moral befall when it attained high material affluence"
His goal is to be and not to have
The lavatory joke
He had also read my Men and Politics; he read it in his library, as he called the lavatory where he kept a shelf of books.
Assassinated
Gadhi touched his palm together, smiled and blessed. At the moment, Godse pulled the trigger. Gandhi fell and died murmurring "Oh God"
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