Gandhi and His Critics [Hardcover]

B. R. Nanda (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195617223 | ISBN-13: 978-0195617221 | Publication Date: November 21, 1985

Written for all those whose curiosity about Gandhi was sparked by Richard Attenborough's film, or for anyone who would like to know more about this strangely enigmatic leader, this is a fascinating in-depth study of Gandhi's personality and thought. The book explores the evolution of Gandhi's ideas, his attitudes toward religion, the racial problem, and the caste system, his conflict with the British, his approach to Muslim separatism and the division of India, his attitude toward social and economic change, his doctrine of nonviolence, and other key issues. Throughout, the author sheds new light on the mighty figure who initiated revolutions against racism, colonialism, and violence--three major revolutions of our time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nanda's essays are rich in historical detail, splendidly written, and will be of benefit to those who, as Nanda puts it, 'want to steer clear of deification as well as denigration,' and find in Gandhi 'a degree of rationality, radicalism and relevance to our times'."--Religious Studies Review

"[Nanda] makes his case incisively, supported by solid research and a succinct style."--Journal of Asian Studies

"Nanda has proved to be an outstanding researcher and his presentation is precise and fascinating." --International Journal on World Peace

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

B. R. Nanda is at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 21, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195617223
• ISBN-13: 978-0195617221
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,987,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nanda fall short in his reponse, May 19, 2007

By 

Anand Velayudhan "Anand Velayudhan" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Gandhi and His Critics (Paperback)

This book is one of the Gandhi publications that came out as an answer to Richard Grenier's controversial article The Gandhi Nobody Knows which was published in a Jewish journal around the time Richard Attenborough's movie on Gandhi was released in 1982. Though not powerfully and directly, Nanda in his book was able to leverage his expertise on Gandhi to lay facts from history in an attempt to challenge some of the accusations Richard Grenier leveled against Gandhi. But, his response to such a controversial article was below the expectation especially since it came from an author of one of the most authoritative biographies of Gandhi.

Seemed to be aimed at all the critics of Gandhi, Nanda's this short book is not very well challenging Richard on some of the seemingly contradicting stances and statements of Gandhi that were pointed out in the article. Some of the most pertinent accusations leveled against Gandhi by his critics are his obsessive adherence to Hinduism and its implications on the national cause, his mixing of religion and politics, his exhibitionism, his contradictions, and his excessive appeasement to Muslims but not to the untouchables. Nanda was not providing adequate explanations to any of these but instead just providing facts from the history and letting readers decide the verdict on Gandhi. While it is true that a devoted Gandhi scholar could possibly not agree with his critics on many areas, a casual reader could easily find himself lost in critics' pretentious accusations and out of context references that support them. To aid such readers, a proper, to the point explanations to the accusations is what needed. Nanda unfortunately failed in that attempt; whether he ever had an intention of writing this book as a reply to Richard's article is not known.

It is easy to criticize Gandhi, so is to answer his critics. Both these are possible because of the contradictions and the conspicuity of his life. But the attitude the intellectual circle has towards such criticisms as one that produced by Richard which has besmirched to the level of a smear campaign directed antagonistically at Gandhi for some unknown reason is that such micro level analysis of Gandhi is not necessitated for emphasizing the usefulness of his teachings and validating his contributions to India's freedom struggle. As Stanley Jones rightly said in his book, Mahatma Gandhi ; an interpretation, while one look at Gandhi through a microscope, one also has to look at him through a telescope to get the total man. Gandhi's critics have always missed this point. The more a person is revered, the higher the intention to defile such a person; a perfect example is a recent book by G. B. Singh Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity in which the author has gone to the extent of even calling Gandhi a racist. What these critics reveal is not much of Gandhi himself but lot of them themselves.

Richard's article was considered inferior by many but his article along with the movie produced a next wave of studies on Gandhi and on the relevance of his teachings on this ever deteriorating world. A lukewarm reply from the historians to Richard's article and hundreds of publications since then produced all over the world on Gandhi's life and his teachings shows that scholars have almost shunned Gandhi's critics.

Gandhi is the least understood of all leaders of twentieth century and that is precisely why he still remains as an enigmatic figure and source of a great deal of research. Even after fifty years since his death, Gandhi remains as a source of inspiration for people to delve into his writings and find new meanings and interpretations of his teachings. It seems highly likely, a hundred years from today, that people still be looking into Gandhi with awe and will carry on the research in the hope to find answers to many universal problems of mankind. And, it is highly likely too that there will be more and more critiques on his life and his teachings in the years ahead.

A novice reader of Gandhi is advised to read the biography of Gandhi by the same author first before reading this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Gandhi's Thinking, May 30, 2011

By 

JSmalls - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gandhi and His Critics (Paperback)

As a young adult, I was in love with Gandhi and his thinking. This book taught me that despite the great man from India's global image, he left behind a mixed legacy for many in his native country and the world. A professor from the subcontinent once told me, "Revolutions are like great waves ... only when they recede do you see the disjointed pieces they leave behind on the beach." This work brings my professor's words to life.