Mahatma Gandhi is still acclaimed as father of the Indian nation
and regarded by many as humanity's nearest thing to a god. When
Indian politicians run into trouble they often quote his teachings
of tolerance, hoping to win popularity vicariously as US
politicians seek to deflect criticism by quoting John F Kennedy.
Yet, as Stanley Wolpert points out, many of Gandhi's pacifist
ideals have long been abandoned in his homeland. He would never
have countenanced India arming itself with nuclear weapons, for
instance, and he would have despaired at the greed, corruption and
power abuse that feature so strongly in Indian politics. As
Professor of South Asian History at the University of California,
Wolpert has a special interest in and affection for Gandhi. His
enthusiasm for the man is evident although the book is no fawning
tribute. Indeed, Wolpert sets out to find what motivated Gandhi and
concludes that here was a man of many complexes and contradictions
- who showed one face to the world while wondering how much he
believed in himself. From his early days of privileged living,
Gandhi rose to power through humility and a benign brusqueness that
many Western politicians dismissed as rudeness. What the
brusqueness concealed was a wealth of inner doubt and conflict.
Gandhi was not always comfortable in forcing himself to do what he
knew to be right. There is a suspicion that he sometimes found his
pious conscience an inconvenience. Whether without it he would have
made an even stronger and iconic leader we will never know. What is
certain is that he influenced the thinking of figures such as
Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Other biographers have often
pointed with some asperity to Gandhi's apparent inconsistencies,
inferring that they revealed weakness or lack of conviction. In
fact they revealed the opposite, as Wolpert explains. The book is
perceptive and scholarly, depicting a man who beneath his
diminutive exterior possessed all the strengths we knew about - and
some weaknesses we didn't. (Kirkus UK)
Gandhi's Passion is the story of his arduous, inspiring life and his paradoxical legacy. Hailed by millions as the father of modern India, Gandhi never held office in Free India's government. In waging his struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa and British domination over India, Gandhi always insisted on non-violent 'love' towards his adversaries.
The book ends by exploring Gandhi's national and international impact, especially in light of modern India's present day nuclear-armed, industrial state.
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