introduction to Gandhi

#introductiontogandhi1193580 The Story of My Experiments with Truth (, lit. 'Experiments of Truth or Autobiography') is the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through to 1921. It was written in w****y installments and published in his journal Navjivan from 1925 to 1929. Its English translation also appeared in installments in his other journal Young India.[1] It was initiated at the insistence of Swami Anand and other close co-workers of Gandhi, who encouraged him to explain the background of his public campaigns. In 1998, the book was designated as one of the "100 Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a committee of global spiritual and religious authorities.[2] The Story of My Experiments with Truth First US edition (1948) Author Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Original title સત્યના પ્રયોગોઅથવા આત્મકથા Translator Mahadev Desai Country India Language Gujarati ISBN 81-7229-008-X (India) ISBN 0-8070-5909-9 (United States – authorised edition with foreword by Sissela Bok, Beacon Press 1993 reprint) ISBN 0-486-24593-4 (Dover Publications 1983 reprint of 1948 Public Affairs Press edition) Original text સત્યના પ્રયોગોઅથવા આત્મકથા at Gujarati Wikisource Starting with his birth and parentage, Gandhi has given reminiscences of childhood, child marriage, relation with his wife and parents, experiences at the school, his study tour to London, efforts to be like the English gentleman, experiments in dietetics, his going to South Africa, his experiences of colour prejudice, his quest for dharma, social work in Africa, return to India, his slow and steady work for political awakening and social activities.[3] The book ends abruptly after a discussion of the Nagpur session of the Indian National Congress in 1915.[4] In the early 1920s Gandhi led several civil disobedience campaigns. Despite his intention that they be peaceful, on several occasions, incidents of violence broke out.[5] The colonial authorities charged him in 1922 with incitement, and specifically of stirring up hatred against the government, and, the result was a six-year term of imprisonment. He served only two years, being released early on the grounds of ill health. Soon after, in the winter of 1925 at 56, Gandhi began writing his autobiography, on the example set by Swami Anand. He serialized it in his own w****y Navajivan (lit. New Life). The autobiography was completed in February 1929.[6] [4][7] Publication history Gujarati ISBN 81-7229-008-X (India) ISBN 0-8070-5909-9 (United States – authorised edition with foreword by Sissela Bok, Beacon Press 1993 reprint) ISBN 0-486-24593-4 (Dover Publications 1983 reprint of 1948 Public Affairs Press edition) Original text સત્યના પ્રયોગોઅથવા આત્મકથા at Gujarati Wikisource Starting with his birth and parentage, Gandhi has given reminiscences of childhood, child marriage, relation with his wife and parents, experiences at the school, his study tour to London, efforts to be like the English gentleman, experiments in dietetics, his going to South Africa, his experiences of colour prejudice, his quest for dharma, social work in Africa, return to India, his slow and steady work for political awakening and social activities.[3] The book ends abruptly after a discussion of the Nagpur session of the Indian National Congress in 1915.[4] In the early 1920s Gandhi led several civil disobedience campaigns. Despite his intention that they be peaceful, on several occasions, incidents of violence broke out.[5] The colonial authorities charged him in 1922 with incitement, and specifically of stirring up hatred against the government, and, the result was a six-year term of imprisonment. He served only two years, being released early on the grounds of ill health. Soon after, in the winter of 1925 at 56, Gandhi began writing his autobiography, on the example set by Swami Anand. He serialized it in his own w****y Navajivan (lit. New Life). The autobiography was completed in February 1929.[6] [4][7] Publication history edit In the book's preface, Gandhi recalled that he had actually undertaken to sketch out his autobiography as early as 1921 but had to set the work aside due to his political engagements. He took on the labour, he informs us after his fellow workers had expressed a desire that he tell them something about his background and life. Initially he refused to adopt a book format, but then agreed to write it in a serialized form with individual chapters to be published weekly.[6] The autobiography was written and serialized over the period from 25 November 1925 to 3 February 1929[8] in 166 installments, which appeared in Navajivan. The corresponding English translations were printed in Young India, and reprinted in Indian Opinion in South Africa, and in the American journal Unity. The Hindi translation was published almost simultaneously in the Hindi edition of Navajivan.[6][9] The original Gujarati version was published as the Satya Na Prayogo (lit. Experiments with Truth), bearing the subtitle, Atmakatha (lit. The Story of a Soul).[7] The English version, An Autobiography, bore the subtitle, Experiments with Truth.[10] In the preface, Gandhi states:[4] It is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my experiments with truth, and as my life consist of nothing but experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography. But I shall not mind if every page of it speaks only of my experiments. The Story of My Experiments with Truth was first published in the United States in 1948 by Public Affairs Press of Washington, D.C. [11][12] edit In the book's preface, Gandhi recalled that he had actually undertaken to sketch out his autobiography as early as 1921 but had to set the work aside due to his political engagements. He took on the labour, he informs us after his fellow workers had expressed a desire that he tell them something about his background and life. Initially he refused to adopt a book format, but then agreed to write it in a serialized form with individual chapters to be published weekly.[6] The autobiography was written and serialized over the period from 25 November 1925 to 3 February 1929[8] in 166 installments, which appeared in Navajivan. The corresponding English translations were printed in Young India, and reprinted in Indian Opinion in South Africa, and in the American journal Unity. The Hindi translation was published almost simultaneously in the Hindi edition of Navajivan.[6][9] The original Gujarati version was published as the Satya Na Prayogo (lit. Experiments with Truth), bearing the subtitle, Atmakatha (lit. The Story of a Soul).[7] The English version, An Autobiography, bore the subtitle, Experiments with Truth.[10] In the preface, Gandhi states:[4] It is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my experiments with truth, and as my life consist of nothing but experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography. But I shall not mind if every page of it speaks only of my experiments. The Story of My Experiments with Truth was first published in the United States in 1948 by Public Affairs Press of Washington, D.C. [11][12] edit In the book's preface, Gandhi recalled that he had actually undertaken to sketch out his autobiography as early as 1921 but had to set the work aside due to his political engagements. He took on the labour, he informs us after his fellow workers had expressed a desire that he tell them something about his background and life. Initially he refused to adopt a book format, but then agreed to write it in a serialized form with individual chapters to be published weekly.[6] The autobiography was written and serialized over the period from 25 November 1925 to 3 February 1929[8] in 166 installments, which appeared in Navajivan. The corresponding English translations were printed in Young India, and reprinted in Indian Opinion in South Africa, and in the American journal Unity. The Hindi translation was published almost simultaneously in the Hindi edition of Navajivan.[6][9] The original Gujarati version was published as the Satya Na Prayogo (lit. Experiments with Truth), bearing the subtitle, Atmakatha (lit. The Story of a Soul).[7] The English version, An Autobiography, bore the subtitle, Experiments with Truth.[10] In the preface, Gandhi states:[4] It is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my experiments with truth, and as my life consist of nothing but experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography. But I shall not mind if every page of it speaks only of my experiments. The Story of My Experiments with Truth was first published in the United States in 1948 by Public Affairs Press of Washington, D.C. [11][12] Indians, who were mostly manual laborers, experienced even more unjust treatment. Very soon after his arrival, Gandhi's initial bafflement and indignation at discriminatory policies turned into a growing sense of outrage and propelled him into assuming a position as a public figure at the assembly of Transvaal Indians, where he delivered his first speech urging Indians not to accept inequality but instead to unite, work hard, learn English and observe clean living habits. Although Gandhi's legal work soon start to keep him busy, he found time to read some of Tolstoy's work, which greatly influenced his understanding of peace and justice and eventually inspired him to write to Tolstoy, setting the beginning of a prolific correspondence. Both Tolstoy and Gandhi shared a philosophy of non-violence and Tolstoy's harsh critique of human society resonated with Gandhi's outrage at racism in South Africa. Both Tolstoy and Gandhi considered themselves followers of the Sermon on the Mount from the New Testament, in which Jesus Christ expressed the idea of complete self-denial for the sake of his fellow men. Gandhi also continued to seek moral guidance in the Bhagavad Gita, which inspired him to view his work not as self- denial at all, but as a higher form of self-fulfillment. Adopting a philosophy of selflessness even as a public man, Gandhi refused to accept any p*****t for his work on behalf of the Indian population, preferring to support himself with his law practice alone. But Gandhi's personal quest to define his own philosophy with respect to religion did not rely solely on sacred texts. At the time, he also engaged in active correspondence with a highly educated and spiritual Jain from Bombay, his friend Raychandra, who was deeply religious, yet well versed in a number of topics, from Hinduism to Christianity. The more Gandhi communicated with Raychandra, the more deeply he began to appreciate Hinduism as a non violent faith and its related scriptures. Yet, such deep appreciation also gave birth to a desire to seek inner purity and illumination, without solely relying on external sources, or on the dogma within every faith. Thus, although Gandhi sought God within his own tradition,