Indian Critiques of Gandhi

by Harold Coward (Editor)

Overview

Although Gandhi has been the subject of hundreds of books and an Oscar-winning film, there has been no sustained study of his engagement with major figures in the Indian Independence Movement who were often his critics from 1920–1948. This book fills that gap by examining the strengths and weaknesses of Gandhi's contribution to India as evidenced in the letters, speeches, and newspaper articles focused on the dialogue/debate between Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Annie Besant, and C. F. Andrews. The book also covers key groups within India that Gandhi sought to incorporate into his Independence Movement—the Hindu Right, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs—and analyzes Gandhi's ambiguous stance regarding the Hindi-Urdu question and its impact on the Independence struggle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791485880
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Series:	SUNY series in Religious Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	296
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Harold Coward is Emeritus Professor of History and Fellow at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria. He is the author or editor of many books, including most recently Yoga and Psychology: Language, Memory, and Mysticism, also published by SUNY Press.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Harold Coward

Introduction
Harold Coward

Part I: Critiques of Gandhi by Individuals

1. The Convergence of Distinct Worlds: Nehru and Gandhi
Robert D. Baird

2. Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Untouchability
Harold Coward

3. Of Many Mahatmas: Besant, Gandhi, and Indian Nationalism
Joy Dixon

4. Sri Aurobindo's Dismissal of Gandhi and His Nonviolence
Robert N. Minor

5. Tagore and Gandhi
T. S. Rukmani

Part II: Critiques of Gandhi by Groups

6. The Hindu Mahasabha and Gandhi
Ronald Neufeldt

7. Gandhi and the Christian Community
Timothy Gorringe

8. The Mahatma and the Sikhs
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh

9. Indian Muslim Critiques of Gandhi
Roland E. Miller

10. Gandhi and the Hindi-Urdu Question
Daud Rahbar

Conclusion: A Debate for Our Times
Julius Lipner

Appendix: Chronology of Gandhi, His Critics, and the Independence Movement
Hussein Keshani

Contributors

Index

Editorial Reviews

"Too many books on Gandhi give the impression that he was a solitary hero who had no critics or allies. This book places Gandhi in context, that is, the context of his contemporaries and peers in the struggle for Indian Independence, adding new insights and raising new questions. This is an important work."

From the Publisher