Jawaharlal Nehru and the Dissenting Congressman
On his birth anniversary, a great-nephew of Acharya J.B. Kriplani reflects on what his and Nehru’s relations say about the late Congress leader’s ability to deal with dissent and criticism.
The RSS and Gandhi: A Necessary Backstory
In a remarkable coincidence, irrefutable evidence of ‘the RSS connection’ with Gandhi’s assassination surfaced in recent years – just as it was about to claim the Gandhian heritage.
Caste, Gandhi and the Man Beside Gandhi: The Diary of Mahadev Desai
Following Ramsay MacDonald’s Communal Award, designating separate electorates for ‘untouchables’, Gandhi began a fast unto death which culminated in the signing of the Poona Pact. The diary of Mahadev Desai, Gandhi’s personal secretary, offers an honest window into the days leading up to this decision.
The Search for Swaraj: An Exploration of Gandhi’s Works
The idea of ‘Swaraj’ remains central to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. Beginning from his seminal work ‘Hind Swaraj’ in 1909, the idea of Swaraj takes centre stage in the later development of Gandhi’s thought and ideas.
Gandhi’s Approach to Caste and Untouchability: A Reappraisal
Gandhi’s ideas on caste and untouchability have created much misunderstanding in scholarly circles. This paper examines the different positions of attack or defense of Gandhi’s treatment of the question of caste and untouchability, an issue to which Gandhi devoted a large amount of time and energy.
Independence Day Speech, 1957
“We have completed one journey of consolidating our freedom, the foundations of which were laid a hundred years ago by our people with their blood, sweat and tears… We have today to remember the lessons of unity, religious tolerance and fellow feeling taught by Mahatma Gandhi and other great sons of India and go forward in a united and determined manner.”
The Significance of the Quit India Movement: Two Articles
“’Quit India’: The Last Nail in the Coffin of the British Empire”: The movement took a turn not contemplated by Gandhi and the Congress leaders. Also: “81 Years Ago, Launching the Quit India Movement, Gandhi Had Warned Us of Our Current State”.
Remembering Those Who Opposed the Quit India Movement – And Who Didn’t
It is a well-known fact that during the Quit India Movement, the RSS sided with V.D. Savarkar’s Hindu Mahasabha. In the midst of the ‘do or die’ call by the Mahatma, it “kept itself within the law”.
As Our 76th Independence Day Approaches, Revisiting ‘Indian Ideas of Freedom’
In his landmark book, Dennis Dalton had originally examined the approaches of Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Gandhi, and Tagore.
Mohandas Gandhi Speaks to Abdullah Öcalan
On violence, non-violence, and the state. Mohandas Gandhi (1969-1948) and Abdullah Öcalan (1949-) were not contemporaries; this conversation is imaginary, but it may well have taken place in one of the many worlds we inhabit.