Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is among the most enigmatic charismatic deeply revered and equally reviled figures of the twentieth century. His Autobiography one of the most widely read and translated Indian books of all time is a classic that allows us to glimpse the transformation of a well-meaning lawyer into a Satyagrahi and an ashramite.In this first-ever Critical Edition eminent scholar Tridip Suhrud shines new light on Gandhis life and thought. The deeply researched notes elucidate the contexts and characters of the Autobiography while the alternative translations capture the flavour cadence and quirkiness of the Gujarati. In the original and insightful introduction Suhrud traces Gandhis evolution into a seeker of Truth as God and explores possible modes of reading the Autobiography.This Critical Edition of the Autobiography is an absorbing illuminating text about the life-affirming journey of the most public and most complex figure of Indian history. Review Gandhis autobiography is probably the most important book ever published in India in part because of the stature of the author in part because of the nature of the work. InThe Story ofMy Experiments with Truth the Future Father of the Nation provided an astonishingly frank and revelatory account of his moral evolution and his personal struggles. In this superb critical edition Tridip Suhrud explains how and why the book was written provides detailed notes on the characters and situations mentioned and subtly analyses the evolution of the English translation from the Gujarati original. Suhruds work is a colossal contr... See more
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is among the most enigmatic charismatic deeply revered and equally reviled figures of the twentieth century. His Autobiography one of the most widely read and translated Indian books of all time is a classic that allows us to glimpse the transformation of a well-meaning lawyer into a Satyagrahi and an ashramite.In this first-ever Critical Edition eminent scholar Tridip Suhrud shines new light on Gandhis life and thought. The deeply researched notes elucidate the contexts and characters of the Autobiography while the alternative translations capture the flavour cadence and quirkiness of the Gujarati. In the original and insightful introduction Suhrud traces Gandhis evolution into a seeker of Truth as God and explores possible modes of reading the Autobiography.This Critical Edition of the Autobiography is an absorbing illuminating text about the life-affirming journey of the most public and most complex figure of Indian history. Review Gandhis autobiography is probably the most important book ever published in India in part because of the stature of the author in part because of the nature of the work. InThe Story ofMy Experiments with Truth the Future Father of the Nation provided an astonishingly frank and revelatory account of his moral evolution and his personal struggles. In this superb critical edition Tridip Suhrud explains how and why the book was written provides detailed notes on the characters and situations mentioned and subtly analyses the evolution of the English translation from the Gujarati original. Suhruds work is a colossal contribution to Gandhi scholarship as well as a vital aid to all readers present and future of Gandhis remarkable autobiography. This edition will be read and discussed for generations to come. Ramachandra Guha author of Gandhi Before IndiaThis pioneering critical edition subtly and invaluably expands our understanding of one of Gandhis key texts-and our sense of the man himself. Sunil Khilnani author of The Idea of IndiaGandhisAutobiography is an important document for understanding both the Mahatma and the nature of the Self. This edition is unlikely to be surpassed in value. It will authoritatively guide the lay reader through the textures of Gandhis prose and references. But even the most accomplished Gandhi scholars will learn new things about this text. Tridip Suhrud is the gold standard in scholarship. This meticulous and powerful textual engagement will only enhance his reputation. Pratap Bhanu Mehta vice-chancellor of Ashoka University and former president of the Centre for Policy ResearchWritten in his incomparably limpid English M.K. GandhisAutobiography is comparable as great literature to Augustines and RousseausConfessions. The invaluable new Introduction by Tridip Suhrud arguably the finest interpreter and editor of Gandhis writings and correspondence in our times alerts our attention to the tensions between Gandhis zest for living in and building an Ashramic community and his willingness to die for Truth-that is ahimsa-between fasting to expiate others impurity and marching with the masses to make salt to break unjust colonial laws between spinning cotton thread in large groups and meditating alone to listen for thstill small voice with. If we let Suhrud teach us how to read Gandhi then Gandhis life-writing can teach us how to seek the Selfs Truth instead of self-seeking. Arindam Chakrabarti director EPOCH Project University of HawaiiAn Autobiography by one of the twentieth centurys most remarkable figures this hugely influential book continues to be read widely around the world. This first critical edition allows us to understand the context and concerns that animated Gandhis writing as never before. Faisal Devji author of The Impossible Indian Gandhi and the Temptation of ViolenceGandhisAutobiography is a seminal wor