Mohandas K. Gandhi, called Mahatma (""great soul""), was the father of modern India, but his influence has spread well beyond the subcontinent and is as important today as it was in the first part of the twentieth century and during this nation's own civil rights movement. Taken from Gandhi's writings throughout his life, The Essential Gandhi introduces us to his thoughts on politics, spirituality, poverty, suffering, love, non-violence, civil disobedience, and his own life. The pieces collected here, with explanatory head notes by Gandhi biographer Louis Fischer, offer the clearest, most thorough portrait of one of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has known. ""Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. . . . We may ignore him at our own risk."" -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
With a new Preface drawn from the writings of Eknath Easwaran
In the annals of spirituality certain books stand out both for their historical importance and for their continued relevance. The Vintage Spiritual Classics series offers the greatest of these works in authoritative new editions, with specially commissioned essays by noted contemporary commentators. Filled with eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace, Vintage Spiritual Classics are incomparable resources for all readers who seek a more substantive understanding of mankind's relation to the divine.
By:
Mahatma Gandhi
Edited by:
Louis Fischer
Imprint: Vintage Books
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 2nd ed.
Dimensions:
Height: 201mm,
Width: 130mm,
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 289g
ISBN: 9781400030507
ISBN 10: 1400030501
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 15 November 2002
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
"PART ONE: The Man 1.) Beginnings of a Great Man 2.) Gandhi in England 3.) Gandhi Fails 4.) The Method Is Born 5.) The Struggle 6.) Victory in South Africa PART TWO: The Mahatma 7.) Facing the British in India 8.) Segregation in India 9.) Civil Disobedience Succeeds 10.) Murder in an Indian Garden 11.) Non-Violence 12.) Gandhi's Road to Jail 13.) The Power of the Mind 14.) National Independence Is Not Enough 15.) Gandhi's Message to All Men 16.) Gandhi's Political Principles 17.) Belief and Human Welfare 18.) Sex, Sanitation, and Segregation 19.) The Liberty March 20.) How to Enjoy Jail 21.) Fast Against Indian Prejudice 22.) Blueprint for a Better Life 23.) Gandhi on Socialism and Communism 24.) Gandhi About Himself 25.) Gandhi's Advice to Negroes 26.) Love Versus War and Dictators 27.) ""Quit India"" 28.) Independence and Sorrow 29.) Last Victory"
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence movement. Born in 1869 in British India, he was the pioneer of Satyagraha—a philosophy that is concerned with truth and resistance to evil through active, non-violent resistance. He led India to independence from Britain and inspired movements for freedom and civil rights around the world. Gandhi lived a simple life, organizing an ashram that was self sufficient and even made his own clothes. He lived on a vegetarian diet and later on a fruitarian diet. He often underwent long fasts, for both self purification and for protest.He was assassinated in 1948 in New Delhi, India.
Reviews for The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas
"""Gandhi believed in revealing himself. He regarded secrecy as the enemy of freedom-not only the freedom of India but the freedom of man. He exposed even the innermost personal thoughts which individuals usually regard as private. In nearly a half-century of prolific writing, speaking, and subjecting his ideas to the test of actions, he painted a detailed self-portrait of his mind, heart, and soul. ""Gandhi was a unique person, a great person, perhaps the greatest figure of the last nineteen hundred years. And his words have been preserved as they came from his mouth and pen."" -- Louis Fischer"
