The
Essential Gandhi – An Anthology of his Writings on his Life, Work and Ideas is a collection of the writings of The Mahatma
on various topics, throughout his life. This is a Vintage publication, and is edited by Luis Fischer. And, having
read the book – I concede that this is a truly masterly collection of his
writings, as we shall see in this review. I have to express my heartfelt gratitude
to both the publication house and the team that put this together, and brought
this to us, the normal people.
THE
CONTENTS
The book is organized into topics, with
collections of his writings presented on : his time in England, his early days,
the beginning of his method of struggle, his South African experience; subsequently
moving on to the later and far more pivotal Indian Freedom Struggle period,
wherein we find writings collected on Segregation, Civil Disobedience and how
it begins, Non-Violence, Political Views of The Mahatma, Jail time,
Independence and his views, Human Welfare, Sanitation, Social Equality, Dalits
and Harijans, Quit India, Indendence, Victory and Sorrow…
THE
ANALYSIS
This is a topical collection, with
snippets of his writings on each topic presented for the viewer; {note my choice
of words, please}… which brings in front of view of the audience a complete
picture of the Man himself. Put all the topics together, and a firmer picture
appears in front of us, as we get to have a much deeper connect with and
understanding of this man, this Mahatma, this Saint to whom we all owe such a
lot… at the end, you are left stunned into disbelief that such a great man ever
walked this planet so close to our own lifetimes, leaving us with a profound
sense of loss!
A word for the skillful editing –
this could not have been easy, for The Mahatma
was a prolific writer; and yet, we find in this book a series of pointed,
pertinent writings of his such that, taken together, they drive home a full and
powerful lesson as well as a deep understanding of his internal thought processes.
Every word in the book has been clearly chosen with deep passion and a deeper
care. This is both an exhaustive work of research as well as a work of love and
admiration. The admiration is clear; the research becomes evident when you understand
just how vast The Mahatma’s writings really were.
THE
LEARNINGS
Now this is the real meat of the book
– if you read it without preconceived notions, abandon your image of the Mahatma
– positive or negative – and just try and understand the lessons his words are giving
us, this effort will be well worth it. Most of the book is full of deep learnings and
standing lessons for India specifically, and humanity more generally; I shall
go into greater details on topical blogs relating to The Mahatma and his
writings – so keep in touch with my blog. For this review, let us look into one
or two powerful examples that highlight The Man, The Mahatma and his awesome
nature.
Instead
of thinking of improving the world, let us concentrate on self-improvement. We
can scarcely find out if the World is on the right or wrong path. But if we
take the straight and narrow path we shall find it all taking it too or
discover the method of inducing them to take it: Pg 236. {August 7, 1932}. This is also pretty much what
The Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta also states. As a matter of fact, The Geeta was a powerful
source for The Mahatma.
It
is not that I am incapable of anger, for instance, but I succeed on almost all occasions
to keep my feelings under control….such a struggle leaves one stronger…. The
more I work at this law the more I feel delight in my life, the delight in the
scheme of the Universe. It gives me a peace and a meaning of the mysteries of
Nature that I have no power to describe. Pg. 276. {Young India, October 1 1931}. Again, this is
another passage that is so close to the teachings of the Geeta, that I am in
awe of this Saint.
As you go through the book, one of the
most powerful lessons you learn is that it is totally feasible to internalize the
Geeta as is, and follow its teachings verbatim. This true Saint among men proved
that to those among us who listen to him and the learnings from his life. Controlling
Lust, Anger, Ego is exactly what The Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta teaches us, that we
have to rise above Tamogun and Rajogun, first into Satgun, and then into Shuddh
Sattva… thus, to me, this is the most powerful and motivating book it has ever
been my tremendous luck to read about.
The book also firmly dispels many half-understood
aspects of the Mahatma, for example – his true views on Industrialisation. As
we progress towards the 3rd decade of the 2000s, his words come back
with double force, and we realise that while Earth has moved ahead, is a more
equal place, with great freedom for most people, the key problems of poverty
and inequality remain unsolved. His views on Industrialisation are laid out in
detail in pages 246-263, in the chapter Blueprint
for a Better Life. A book review is not the place for an examination of
this rather complex topic, so let us leave it at that.
Let close with some quotes from this
chapter, which I hope will give a reason for the reader of this review to pause
and rethink his or her impressions of the Mahatma, and attempt to learn more from
this great Saint who once walked among us: As
a moderately intelligent man, I know that man cannot live without industry.
Therefore, I cannot be opposed to industrialisation…. {Pg 254}; …I am humble
enough to admit that there is much we can profitably assimilate from the West
{Pg 252}. In conclusion – I can now state I understand The Mahatma much better
than before, and admit that his views need deep contemplation even in the
modern world. There is much we can learn from him; there is much that can be
suitably adapted to our lives {adapted, not copied – tailormade to the current
scene we face}… thus, this book stands as one of the most pertinent and powerful
books in my collection
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