Mahatma Gandhi- A Misunderstood Hero

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About the Book Jaydev Jana is a retired IAS officer. He was born on 20 February, 1951 at Dakshin Kasiabad, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He was educated at Belur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, and at Science College, Kolkata. He began his carrier as a member of State Service and afterwards he joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). From his early age he was deeply influenced by the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. Presently he is associated with Gandhi Vichar Parishad, Bankura, and West Bengal Gandhi Peace Foundation, Howrah. He regularly writes articles and letters in The Statesman, The Telegraph, Science Reporter, The Economic and Political Weekly on pressing issues concerning economics, health, environment, food, nutrition, sociology etc. At present, he lives in Kolkata and can be reached at [email protected].

Preface The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: 'Is it so bad, then, to be misunder-stood? Pythagoras was misunder-stood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton and every pure and wise spirits that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.' Mahatma Gandhi was a pure and wise spirit that took flesh. He was indeed a saint among politicians and also a controversial and misunderstood figure. He is both worshipped as a father figure and dismissed or interpreted without being read.

Mahatma Gandhi was a practical idealist. But we have ignored the path he prescribed. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, shortly before his death admitted that the predicament that the country faced was rooted in the deviation from the Gandhian path. The book is the compilation of my articles and letters, published mainly in the Statesman bearing essence of his thoughts and personality.

First of all, I am grateful to my wife, Aparna, for her incessant support and encouragement. I deeply remember and express my heart-felt gratitude to late Sisir Sanyal of Gandhi Vichar Parishad, Bankura, from whom I learnt a lot as to the art of applying ideals of Mahatma Gandhi to uplift the rural poor through sustainable village development. I am thankful to Mr. Ravindra Kumar, the Editor and Managing Director of the Statesman, who has placed me under a deep debt of gratitude for publication of my articles and letters regularly as well as for giving me per-mission to re-use those articles and letters in the book. I would also like to thank Debajyoti Kar of Codex, the publisher, for his encouragement and valuable suggestions to make the book attractive. Finally, I thank my well wishers.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages