Milo MInderbinder Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (the prefix of the word Mahatma meaning ‘Great Soul’ came later in life) was, it could be strongly stated, the last great leader of people in the world who never raised a hand in anger, but still managed to debilitate and remove from his country one of the most powerful empires in the history of the planet. Louis Fischer’s biography was first published in the early 1950’s and still reads brilliantly. In a rather exotic career as a foreign correspondent for newspapers such as the New York Times in the first part of the last century he reported on the new communism in Russia, the Spanish civil war, the rise of the Nazis, but out of all of those things and many more he covered it seems the thing that really inspired him was interviewing and becoming friends with a small old man from India. The book is in short very readable chapters. We start from day one of the Mahatma’s life and then Fischer describes how the young lawyer first became active in civil rights for his immigrant countrymen in South Africa and then we are brought back to India and the beginning of Gandhi’s Satyagraha (civil resistance) movement in which by peaceful means he mobilised hundreds of millions of Indians against the illegal occupation of the British Government. Gandhi’s power is the like of I have never read about before. He bridged divides between religions, politics, nations and was sought out for advice by artists, royalty, peasants, and politicians. I could go into more detail but that’s for the future reader to find out for themselves and its hard to include in a review the many interesting aspects covered in the book. Gandhi’s life makes for a great read, most notably because the events in it are so extraordinary but at the same time real. Fischer details the history of India and the occupation of the British, the good and bad of the two most prominent religions of India (Hindu’s and Muslims), and how the infighting of Indian against Indian delayed Independence for their nation as a whole. In the middle of it all was a man who believed in the good of people and had an unyielding faith in humanity and for people to realise the error and horror of oppression and violence towards their fellow human beings. Gandhi’s beliefs are as relevant today as they ever were. I could go on and on but I won’t. What I will say is this is a great biography of a truly great man. For me personally this has been a life changer of a read and has given me a few new designs for my own life and the way I look at the world. This book has altered my head. Edited March 25, 2012 by Milo MInderbinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Is Subhas Chandra Bose mentioned much in the book Milo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo MInderbinder Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 Funnily enough he isn't VF. But he does get mentioned with regard to the various political factions involved with India's independence. I thought he may feature more if I'm honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thank you for the review - sounds like a book I should look up. Have you read Gandhi's autobiography : My Experiments With Truth? It is inspiring on so many different levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo MInderbinder Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 I haven't read it Bree but thanks for the pointer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiggy Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 So the author was actually a friend of Gandhi? I take it that he is the little old man? I've never really read anything on Gandhi, or any sort of biographies, but am interested in it. Ive been getting more and more into non-fiction, and wouldn't mind picking up a biography. So I take it, that this book, since the author was friends with Gandhi, offers special insights into his life? You've almost got me hooked......I'm nibbling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinay87 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I recommend My Experiments with the Truth too. I've never heard of this book though, might look into it since I'm currently reading on Indian history myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I have watched many documentaries about the life of this incredible person, but admit I never thought of picking up a biography about him. I think I'll try Louis Fischer's, thanks to your review, Milo. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsanchezi Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 me too, I never thought of picking up a biography about him.I think I'll try Louis Fischer's, thanks to your review, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.