Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of the main leaders who led the freedom movement in India. It would be difficult to imagine a free India without his efforts and contribution. He holds an important position in our in Indian history. So, many authors have come out with several Mahatma Gandhi books.
Mahatma Gandhi has inspired many leaders with his methods and simple lifestyle. The world learned about the atrocities by Britishers on India due to his efforts. So, over the years, many writers have tried to project and present his life through several Mahatma Gandhi books. Some say that he was a great man and some say he had his evils but the one thing everyone will agree upon is he was a great leader.
He inspired millions of people in India. Now we don’t have him with us, but he is alive through several books. Here are my top 10 Mahatma Gandhi books that you must read at least once in your life!
1. The Story of My Experiment with Truth
by Mahatma Gandhi
If you have not heard about the name of this book then you are not watching enough news. This is an autobiography by Bapu. So if you wish to understand him to the core, go for this book. This book focuses his perspective and interpretation about life.
Like an expert storyteller, he speaks about his childhood days to life till 1921. Initially, it was written in Gujarati and was published in Navjivan in instalments. Gandhiji presents all the bitter truths about his life and how his ideologies were based on the events and incidents of his life. He also focuses on the life lessons he gained all through the years.
2. The Good Boatman
by Rajmohan Gandhi
Rajmohan Gandhi is the grandson of this great leader. In this book, the author tries to understand Gandhi’s life and philosophy. Just like we all have our own view of Mahatma Gandhi, the author also puts forward his views. Rajmohan Ji presents his views on the various methods which were used by Gandhiji during the freedom fight against the British rulers.
He discusses how with time, the newer generation is unable to grasp the reality of the struggles this great man and his followers went through. He feels sad that he has been made a hero in the books but no one is understanding the struggle, the effort and the hard work of the great leader. Thus, the author tries his best to highlight the struggles of Bapu through this book.
3. Waiting for the Mahatma
by R K Narayan
R K Narayan is a well-known author in India. Almost every Indian has read his books at least once in his or her life. This book is his version of the life of Mahatma Gandhi and how things were in the freedom movement days. He was a witness of the freedom struggle and thus he projects those days in front of the eyes of the readers in a beautiful manner.
This novel is about Sriram and his dedication towards a freedom-fighter, Bharati. Bharati’s loyalty lies with Mahatma Gandhi. Sriram becomes a part of all the revolutionary events that happen during the Indian struggle.
The novel presents how this young man went through several triumphs and tragedies while he was at Gandhiji’s service. R K Narayan presents the personality Mahatma Gandhi with the help of the character Sriram.
4. The life of Mahatma Gandhi
by Louis Fischer
Louis Fischer was generous enough to put present his memory about the Great leader through this biography. Mr Fischer’s focus was on the unique strategies that Gandhiji used. He describes in details about the strategy of Satyagraha.
At the same time, the author tells us about Gandhi’s personality. He tells us how the great Gandhi portrayed himself as a saint in front of his followers. The author has even mentioned about Gandhi Ji’s humorous side. Mr Fischer tries to explain Gandhi’s systems and strategies. He even informs how we can use these methods and strategies to solve world problems.
5. Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope
by Judith M. Brown
It is no doubt that Mahatma Gandhi is a controversial figure. Even to this day, social media is abuzz with the question of whether Gandhiji was really a good man or a wicked leader. However, the author of this book, Judith Brown portrays Bapu in a surprising manner. On the basis of the context of that time, the author gives us a man who was not a saint or a wicked leader, but a person who was a lot complicated. He was difficult to understand. His thought process, his visions and his opinions were always surprising for the people around him and even his loyal followers.
In this book, the author gives more emphasis on the problems related to this man. She chose the timeline of 1920 when Gandhi went through a personal crisis. It was due to this that his plans for the non-violent movement did not work out.
According to the author, Gandhiji tried to combine the Indian traditionalism with western culture and idealism. There was a saintly side to him and people liked him for this purpose. But he practised what he preached. Whoever visited his ashram had agreed on this.
Related: 5 Websites From Where You Can Download Free Ebooks
6. Mahatma Gandhi
by Subhadra Sen Gupta
This book is a simplified version of Mahatma Gandhi. It doesn’t have any specific target audience. People of any age can easily read and understand this book. She recreates the legacy of this great leader who was just more than a saintly person.
She tries to say that beneath that man of calm and quiet nature there was an intelligent and smart person who single-handedly started the massive independence movement! His idea of life was different. When the country was still on fire with the caste issues, this man would greet everyone alike. For him, there was no king or pauper. He would see all of them as human beings!
His goal was to see India free from the clutches of the British empire. It was not his only goal but wishes of thousands of Indians who were looking up to him. His followers as well played a huge role in his struggles. The author in this book has even described the extraordinary salt march to break the infamous salt law.
7. I am Gandhi
by Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer‘s take on Mahatma Gandhi’s biography is fun and friendly. I highly recommend that you add this your collection of Mahatma Gandhi Books. Brad Meltzer here focuses on the qualities of the great leader. He tries to explain these traits so that the young generation can learn and find a hero or a leader in themselves.
The author points out how Gandhi Ji used the concept of Non-violence and non-cooperation for his freedom to fight. He says that it was not only a fight against the British babus but also a fight against the existing discrimination system in India. British officers were notorious in discriminating Indians or other origin people. The author narrates how Gandhiji had faced the same scenario in both the destinations – South Africa and India.
The book is more about the heroism of Gandhi. You will see mostly the positive aspects of this great leader in this book. So, if you are a follower of Gandhism, this book must be in your bookshelf!
8. The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi
by Makarand R Paranjape
This book by Paranjape mainly focuses on the last 6 months of Bapu. It was a tragic time for India. Partition was in full form and there was huge bloodshed in almost all parts of the country.
The author in this book dissects the incident of the assassination in an analytical manner. Makarand R Paranjape is a scholar and with his knowledge of psychology, he interprets the assassination incident in a new manner. He gives us the reasons to think why the assassinator, Nathuram Godse might have taken this huge step. He describes the psyche and the mind of the killer which led him to do the task.
The beginning of the book explains why the assassination happened and as you keep on reading, you will know how it happened. Since this topic is quite controversial, the author has tried his best to present the facts with his scholarly knowledge in a balanced manner.
He isn’t partial to anyone. He has given the readers straight-forward facts for them to judge and come to their own conclusion. So, if you are curious about this incident, then you can give this book a read. It will help you learn about the incident in the point of view of a psychologist!
Related: 5 Best Apps For Reading Books Online
9. Why I assassinated Mahatma Gandhi
by Nathuram Godse
Whenever there is a tragic incident, there are two sides or multiple sides. Gandhi’s assassination was no different. Everyone knows that Nathuram Godse was the killer of the ‘Father of the Nation’ but we hardly know what led him to take the step.
In this book, the author has provided readers with ample arguments. Nathuram Godse wasn’t a bad person. He simply didn’t like Gandhi’s ideals. He did not believe in Gandhi’s methods of nonviolence and that it could lead to the freedom of the nation. Sometimes violence is necessary! Moreover, if you go through the minor details of the non-violence movement, you may feel that it had failed miserably. But everyone’s opinion is different.
Godse discusses Gandhi’s strategies for freedom and he clearly mentions that it would fail. He took into account the places where he failed. While reading this book, you may feel that the post-partition bloodshed on both sides of the borders occurred as a result of Gandhi’s failed strategies. Godse didn’t only disagree with the leader but he accused him of serious charges. So, this book would be an interesting read for people who are curious about the killer, Nathuram Godse.
10. Harilal Gandhi: A life
by Chandulal Bhagubhai
This book by Chandulal Bhagubhai presents a version of the life of the son of this great leader. Just like modern-day celebrities, Gandhiji was unable to give much attention to his family. He would be busy with his own work for the nation. The son’s view of his father wasn’t that pretty. This book deals with his life and relationship with his parents and especially with his father.
The author and scholar Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal wrote the book in Gujarati. It was later translated into English by Tridip Suhrud. As mentioned above, this book deals with the family life of the leader. It explains how the father and son went through their own crisis. Gandhiji goes through his midlife crisis and the son of his teenage crisis. And in this book, you will feel that Gandhiji is unsympathetic towards his son or his desires.
You will find many Mahatma Gandhi books in the market but a few only will give you the details. Gandhiji’s stories are popular but we still don’t know much about him. To date, people all around the world are trying to learn about him. His complex personality has made many curious! Some say that he wasn’t that saintly. There are several controversial facts about him that create doubts. However, you can read about him in the books mentioned above. If you have suggestions for any books of Mahatma Gandhi please type down in the comment section.