Mahatma Gandhi and his Apostles

by Ved Mehta

In this book, the renowned author Ved Mehta brings Gandhi to life in all his holiness and humanness, shedding light on his principles and his purposes, his ideas and his actions. Through interviewing disciples of Gandhi in five countries, Mehta reconstructs in precise detail Gandhi's daily routine, recounts the story of his life, and presents the beliefs and practices of his "apostles." Mehta's book, widely praised when it was first published in 1977, is a biographical portrait of Gandhi unlike any other. "A remarkable examination of the life and work of a human being who has been extolled around the world as one of the greatest souls of all time. . . . A very readable account, dotted with sharply etched portraits."-Paul Johnson, New York Times "Meticulously researched, passionately felt, elegantly written."-Max Lerner "Mehta's work . . . touches much more than the personality of Gandhi, for it deals with the more general issue of the evolution and maintenance of a cultural symbol. . . . Mehta has given us a sensitive view of India and a personalized experience of the meaning of Mahatma Gandhi."-Edward S. Kayes, American Historical Review "An outstanding book . . . aglow with illuminating detail."-John Grigg, The Listener

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Indian-American journalist Ved Parkash Mehta

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ved_Mehta

Reviews

[Syed M. Abdullah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ved Mehta takes you along the intellectually perplexing path of making Gandhi a saint, a prophet at some moments, while at others, he makes him the most idiosyncratic character of his time. At one point, Mehta analyses the psychology of Gandhi from Freudian perspective, and through the words of the interviewees, declares him an abnormal person whose sexuality has remained repressed in the earlier days of his life. However, towards the end of his treatise, he depicts Gandhi and his mission the most extraordinary happening in the modern Indian history. More so, Gandhi's mission, particularly the one pertaining to alleviation of poverty and dismal sanitation problems, is highly demanding and tested the commitment of many 'brahmacharis'; but despite his devotion, very few have succeeded and followed the essence of what 'Gandhism' was actually trying to convey.

[Jamey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written nonfiction about the way a charismatic figure is inevitably misunderstood by his most ardent imitators.

[Jonathan Birch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a historically significant book that began as a series of articles in the New Yorker. It caused a major furore in India when first published, even prompting a chaotic shouting match in parliament, where there were calls to ban it for defaming the "father of the nation". Were they justified? I had to find out.

What I found is a book of big virtues and big flaws. It is undeniably a brilliant piece of writing. Mehta was a master of the "New Yorker profile" style: you visit someone in their milieu, describe it vividly, chat with them intimately for hours, distil the chat into a few unguarded and revealing quotations, and arrange everything into a sardonic, wryly amusing portrait. Here some major Gandhians get the New Yorker treatment.

They make a rather tragicomic group, it has to be said. The India of the early 1970s, under Indira Gandhi (no relation), memorialised the Mahatma obsessively while trashing his principles and values. Gandhi would have wanted his followers out in the streets protesting, not curating Gandhi museums. In a sequence of portraits rich with pathos and sometimes quite heartrending, Mehta captures the inaction and weakness of will of the self-styled custodians of Gandhi's legacy. This is juxtaposed with an account of Gandhi's own restless action and strength of will, to powerful effect.

However, the critique relies on extreme selectivity. JP Narayan, JB Kripalani and Morarji Desai were anything but inactive. They don't remotely fit Mehta's narrative, so they are either omitted entirely or mentioned only briefly. Mehta's thesis fits some prominent members of Gandhi's circle, but as a broader generalization it doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

And the book is at its most irritating when trying to stir up scandal. Mehta guarantees attention by making some huge claims about Gandhi's private behaviour. Mehta's Gandhi struggles to respect the boundaries of women. Indeed, he takes advantage of the power he holds over them. These are shocking claims but no solid evidence is provided to back them up. Mehta's contemporary critics were probably right to be angry about this. We shouldn't ban this kind of journalism, but we should expect better.

[Alifia Yaohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the good biography book. The details of Gandhi's life and his fights for humanity, India's country, religion, and his doctrine about Satyagraha, non-violence fights. It's all mentioned really detail in this book. And also his fights in South Africa. This book tells a lot about Mahatma Gandhi and after I read this book, he's really inspired me with his non-violence fights.

[Appu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came out in 1977 and it was controversial then.There were calls to ban the book. The book is an honest appraisal of the legacy of Gandhi some 25 years after the great man's death. Mehta interviews many of Gandhi's surviving disciples and they turn out to be curious bunch. There is a vast gap between Gandhian theory and its practice. What made the book controversial is Mehta's close probing of Gandhi's infamous brahmacharya experiments towards the end of his life. It also contains a biography of Gandhi drawn more or less from Gandhi's own version of his life. Mehta's prose is silky smooth and the book is extremely readable some 40 years after it was first published. Certainly deserves to be more widely read.

[Lutfi Retno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku yang ngasih tahu pembacanya sisi lain Gandhi. Ternyata dia nggak sesuci yang digambarkan biografi lain tentang dia. Ved cerita klo ternyata Asram gandhi tu nggak benar-benar mandiri. Mereka masih membutuhkan donatur. Dan tiga donatur terbesar gandhi adalah kapitalis. Trus buku ini juga cerita tentang ritual Gandhi untuk ngetes kekuatan selibatnya.

Tapi, bagaimanapun juga, Gandhi tetep keren.

[Sue Kozlowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non-fiction. I only read half. Not that good - boring. Maybe just not my thing.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much that I did not know about Gandhi. This book provides a great perspective.

[Bharat Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will probably trigger my first of many mid-life crises. Necessary premier to Gandhi-an thought & The lost virtue of Losing.

Does end (failure) justify the means? While, Past is ever more Prologue!