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The Mahatma And The Ism
The first full-fledged attempt by a Marxist to evaluate Gandhi ''s role in India' 's freedom struggle. E.M.S. Namboodiripad, who began his political life as an ardent Gandhian, was uniquely positioned to analyse the various phases of the national movement and the role of Gandhi. The key question he poses is: how did Gandhi become the undisputed leader of the anti-colonial national liberation movement? In answering this question, he looks at the individual role of Gandhi and the unique contribution he made to developing the national movement, while also simultaneously taking into account the social and historical forces that shaped Gandhi and his worldview. First published in 1958, The Mahatma and the Ism remains important for its pioneering effort to assess Gandhism, for its rich content and sensitive handling of a great personality, and for subjecting the ideology and politics of that personality to incisive critical appraisal. This edition also contains an introduction by Prakash Karat that places this book within the context of EMS 's overall writing on Gandhi.
178 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
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About the author
E.M.S. Namboodiripad
39 books58 followersElamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad (13 June 1909 – 19 March 1998), popularly EMS, was an Indian communist politician and theorist, who served as the first Chief Minister of Kerala state in 1957–59 and then again in 1967–69. As a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI), he became the first non-Indian National Congress chief minister in the Indian republic. In 1964, he led a faction of the CPI that broke away to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM).
As chief minister, Namboodiripad pioneered radical land and educational reforms in Kerala, which helped it become the country's leader in social indicators. It is largely due to his commitment and guidance that the CPM, of which he was Politburo member and general secretary for 14 years, has become such a domineering political force, playing a vital role in India's new era of coalition politics.
EMS, Kesari Balakrishna Pillai, Joseph Mundassery, M. P. Paul and K. Damodaran were architects of 'Jeevat Sahitya Prastanam', which later came to known as Purogamana Sahitya Prastanam (Progressive Association for Arts and Letters). Though Kesari was considered to be one of the visionaries of the Progressive Movement for Arts and Letters in Kerala, serious difference of opinion emerged later between full-time Communist Party activists and other personalities, namely Kesari and Joseph Mundassery. In this context, EMS famously accused Kesari of being a "Petit-Bourgeois intellectual", an appellation he later retracked. EMS also acknowledged some of the earlier misconceptions of the Communist Party with respect to the Progressive Literature and Arts Movement. This debate is known as 'Rupa Bhadrata Vivadam', an important milestone in the growth of Modern Malayalam Literature.
As chief minister, Namboodiripad pioneered radical land and educational reforms in Kerala, which helped it become the country's leader in social indicators. It is largely due to his commitment and guidance that the CPM, of which he was Politburo member and general secretary for 14 years, has become such a domineering political force, playing a vital role in India's new era of coalition politics.
EMS, Kesari Balakrishna Pillai, Joseph Mundassery, M. P. Paul and K. Damodaran were architects of 'Jeevat Sahitya Prastanam', which later came to known as Purogamana Sahitya Prastanam (Progressive Association for Arts and Letters). Though Kesari was considered to be one of the visionaries of the Progressive Movement for Arts and Letters in Kerala, serious difference of opinion emerged later between full-time Communist Party activists and other personalities, namely Kesari and Joseph Mundassery. In this context, EMS famously accused Kesari of being a "Petit-Bourgeois intellectual", an appellation he later retracked. EMS also acknowledged some of the earlier misconceptions of the Communist Party with respect to the Progressive Literature and Arts Movement. This debate is known as 'Rupa Bhadrata Vivadam', an important milestone in the growth of Modern Malayalam Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 22, 2021
E.M.S. writes about Gandhi and Gandhism in 1958, one of the first Communists to do so. Two things that I didn't like: Firstly, E.M.S. spends too much time debating Gandhi and his actions, and not Gandhism itself. Obviously, Gandhi's actions make Gandhism but E.M.S' arguments boil down to mainly listing Gandhi contradictions with himself. I would've preferred him exploring truth and non-violence than questioning specific decisions made by Gandhi during the Independence struggle. The conclusion is no less terrific. Because Gandhi contradicts himself so many times, it is clear that truth is not absolute.
A bolder claim made by E.M.S. is that Gandhi was a tool of the bourgeoisie, who supported Gandhi because only they could afford non-violence. Plenty of instances show how Gandhi's actions helped the elite, but I'm still not convinced that Gandhi can be reduced to just another one of Monopoly Man's pawn. Maybe E.M.S. could've mentioned specific people that Gandhi favoured, but he justifies this lack of names by stating that Gandhi didn't help any one capitalist but the entire class. I'm not persuaded by such Big Brother scaring tactics (shoutout to my last book, still not over it).
Secondly (though no fault of his own because like I said, he writes in 1958), there is a lack of contextualisation when describing certain events. I nodded along as E.M.S. described random events of the freedom fight that were no doubt important then, but I reading a hundred years later, am unfamiliar with.
A bolder claim made by E.M.S. is that Gandhi was a tool of the bourgeoisie, who supported Gandhi because only they could afford non-violence. Plenty of instances show how Gandhi's actions helped the elite, but I'm still not convinced that Gandhi can be reduced to just another one of Monopoly Man's pawn. Maybe E.M.S. could've mentioned specific people that Gandhi favoured, but he justifies this lack of names by stating that Gandhi didn't help any one capitalist but the entire class. I'm not persuaded by such Big Brother scaring tactics (shoutout to my last book, still not over it).
Secondly (though no fault of his own because like I said, he writes in 1958), there is a lack of contextualisation when describing certain events. I nodded along as E.M.S. described random events of the freedom fight that were no doubt important then, but I reading a hundred years later, am unfamiliar with.
May 26, 2017
Not an easy read. Though EMS raises certain important questions as to whether the truth and the morality that Gandhi had championed were absolute or they were adaptable to the context.
October 26, 2015
A Marxist writing on the advocate of non-violence.... one of the best political writings I ever read
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews