Gandhi Today: The Story of Mahatma Gandhi's Successors (Paperback)

by Mark Shepard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A fascinating study.... As useful as it is encouraging. -- Michael Nagler, founder Peace and Conflict Studies Program, UC Berkeley

A fast-moving account of a living tradition.... Full of good ideas for peacemakers. -- Virginia Baron, Editor, Fellowship

A masterpiece of committed reporting... History that needs to be better known, told in clear, compelling, common language. -- American Library Association Booklist, Feb. 1, 1987 (starred review)

A remarkable job of introducing the contemporary Gandhian movement -- readable, honest, challenging. -- Jim Forest, General Secretary, International Fellowship of Reconciliation

May prove to be the most important book of 1987. -- Green Letter, Spring 1987

Remarkable... Anyone interested in helping others or in helping make the world a better place should have this book. -- Henry O. Thompson, General Secretary, International Association of Gandhian Studies

Shepard has done a marvelous job. His book presents living proof the ideals of the Mahatma will never die. -- Cesar Chavez, founder and President, United Farm Workers of America

This lively book fills a critical gap in our understanding of Gandhi's way.... A source of hope and inspiration. -- Joanna Macy, author/activist

Product Description
What became of the Gandhian tradition in India following the death of Mahatma Gandhi? Did it quietly die away? Or were there still Indians who believed in his philosophy and methods, committed to continuing his work?

These were the questions that sent journalist Mark Shepard to India in 1978-79, where he found that the tradition begun by Gandhi was very much alive in such individuals, groups, and movements as:

-- an acclaimed saint who collected over four million acres in gifts of land for the poor

-- a leader of a nationwide protest movement that helped topple India's ruling party in the mid-1970s

-- a Peace Army that fought riots with nonviolence

-- a "Hug the Trees!" movement that physically blocked excessive logging in the Himalayas

-- a People's Court that even tried cases of murder and government corruption

-- a development center that was helping 400 villages rise from poverty

-- a nationwide movement of villages in which all land was held in common and decisions were made by unanimous consent

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Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: Seven Locks Press (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932020518
• ISBN-13: 978-0932020512
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,635,492 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Proof that Gandhi's ideas live on, April 29, 2004

By	economist "economist" (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gandhi Today: A Report on India's Gandhi Movement and Its Experiments in Nonviolence and Small Scale Alternatives (Hardcover)

I grew up and was educated in India with little knowledge or understanding of Gandhi life, work, and deep international influence. My teachers, most of whom were Christians, looked down on what they considered Gandhi's unsophisticated ways.

College in India was no better than school, with the exception of a gentle Physics professor who introduced me to Gandhi's ideas on Economics. I went on to study Gandhi's ideas more closely, read his autobiography, and most recently came upon this book. Reading it has made me very very happy!

Mark Shepard has done a wonderful job visiting with, interviewing, and summarizing the efforts of Gandhian activists in India (with a last chapter taking a quick look at activities of Gandhians worldwide). Whether it is the Peace Army preventing religious riots, or the New Dawn community pooling resources and getting rid of moneylenders and other abusers of authority, each account brilliantly and vividly informs and inspires.

Great reading!