About Author The author of this book is the most popular legendary person of the twentieth Father of our Nation, Mahatma in the eyes of people, the person who ed his whole life for the cause of independence to the country, the person who advocated principles of Truth, Satyagraha, Non-violence and spiritual thoughts of Self-realization to the people, who is none other than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, M.K. Gandhi is a very strange figure in Indian history. both move Indian and less Indian than anyone you will ever mest ar read about. Indians love to celebrate him and love to distance themselves from him His name lives on in a legacy of political leaders that he would likely not endorse. Gandhi ji influence on India is a topic for another post. This book is. his autobiography and his views of what was going on around him during the beginnings of the movement for a free and independent India. It is a classic; however don't expect it to prepare you for Indian culture like other backs might,Aside from being inspired by his faith and life, the biggest takeaway I got from this book was how common of an Indian Gandhi ji was. He talks in detail about his family, He is consumed both with very noble thoughts and very common, ordinary thoughts. Afier reading this, Gandhi ji comes across as the true “common man" to emulate, About book History of book The Stery of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through to 1921. It was written in weekly instalments and published in his journal Navjivan from 1925 to 1929, Its English translation also appeared in instalments in his other journal Young India. [t 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.Book Review: Part one The first part narrates incidents of Gandhi's childhood, his experiments with eating meat, smoking, drinking, ling and subsequent atonement. There are two texts that had a lasting influence on Gandhi, both of which he read in childhood. He records the profound impact of the play Harishchandra and says, “L read it with intense interest...lt haunted me and | must have acted Harishchandra to myself times without number." Another text he mentions reading that deeply affected him was Shravana Piirabhakti Nataka, a play about Shravana's devation to his parents. Gandhi got married at the age of 13. In his words, "It is my painfull duty to have to record here my munriage at the age of thirteen...1 can see no moral argument in support of such a preposterously carly marriage.” Another important event documented in this part is the demise of Gandhi's father Karamehand Gandhi. Gandhi wrote the book to deal with his experiment for truth. His disdain for physical training at school, particularly gymnastics has also been written about in this pan, In this part Gandhi ji mtroduced his family members and the details about his dhood days in this part in an interesting way. He rated himself as an average student with a shy character to e with others. At the same time Gandhi's rejection to copying incident jandhi's words only, Two birth fo the readers. He narrated about his at school, an aneddote one has to know through things which literally helped in his character building at this age are a play lot Shravana Pitribhakti Nataka and the other is Satyaharischandra play. His child marriage with Kastiirba, death of his father, his joumey to England to eam law degree, the problems he faced there with their culture-as well as his ot through Gita and Bible are the interesting things that the reader ean yet first-hand information strict adherence to vegetarianism, religious foundation he from this part. Part Two To deal with a case Gandhi ji went to South Africa and there he was humiliated by racial discrimination incident in a first class coach, Gandhi ji was very much moved by the oppressive and racial discrimination methods shown by South 3African rulers over the Indians who are living there. This heart throbbing situation of local Indians in South Africa made him a confident and strong leader. 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 nonviolent 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, he espoused the idea that other faiths remained worthy of study and contained their own truths. Not surprisingly, even after his work assignment concluded, Gandhi soon found a reason to remain in South Africa. This pivotal reason involved the “Indian Franchise Bill", with which the Natal legislature intended to deprive Indians of the right to vote. No opposition existed against this bill, except among some of Gandhi's friends who asked him to stay in South Africa and work with them against this new injustice against Indians, who white South Africans disparagingly called “coolies." He found that racist antitudes had become deeply entrenched, especially in the Dutch-ruled regions, where they lived in the worst urban slums and could not own property or manage agricultural land. Even in Natal, where Indians had more influence, they were not allowed to go out after 9 p.m. without a pass, while in Cape Colony, another British terntory, they were not allowed to walk on the sidewalk. The new bill which prohibited Indians from voting in Natal only codified existing injustice in writing. Although a last-minute petition drive failed to the Indian Franchise Bill from passing, Gandhi remained active and organized a much larger petition, which he sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London, and distributed to the press in South Africa, Britain and India. The petition mised awareness of the Plight of Indians and generating discussions in all three continents 10 the point where both the Times of London and the Times of India published editorials in support of the Indian right to the vote. Gandhi also formed a new political organization called the Natal Indian Congress (a clear reference to the Indian National Congress), which held regular meetings and soon, after some struggles with financing, started its own library and debating society. They also issued two major pamphlets, An Appeal to Every Briton in South Africa, and The Indian Franchise-An Appeal, which offered a logical argument against racial discrimination. He was also thrown of the Train when he didn't agree to move from his first class seat which he paid for.Though, at first, Gandhi intended to remain in South Africa for a tnonth or a year at most, he ended up working in South Africa for about twenty years. After his initial assignment was over, he succeeded in growing his awn practice to about twenty Indian merchants who contracted manage their affairs. This werk allowed him to both earn a living while also finding time to devote to his mission as a public figure. During his struggle against inequality and racial discrimination in South Africa, Gandhi became known among Indians all around the world as “Mahatma,” or “Great Soul.” Part three In 1896, Gandhi made a brief return to India and retumed with his wife and children. In India, he published another pamphlet, known as the Green Pamphlet, on the plight of Indians in South Africa. For the first time. Gandhi realized that Indians had come to admire his work greatly and experienced a taste of his own popularity among the people, when he visited Madras, an Indian province, where most manual labourers had originated. Although his fellow-lndians greeted him in large crowds with applause and adulation, he sailed back to South Africa with his family in December 1896. Along with his family Gandhi went to South Africa to work with loca! Indians, He decided to completely dedicate his life to human service, He used to attend hospitals daily for two hours to clean the wounds of the patients and even clean toilets. At this time he developed the concepts of Brahmacharya, Non- and Satyagraha which later helped in the battle against Britis in India. Finally the mis: Jead by Gandhi in South Africa has tasted success and that is the first win for Gandhi as a leader, olence mule Gandhi began to organize a fast response to this new South African political configuration. Instead of working in Natal, he now established a camp in the newly conquered Transvaal region and began helping Indians who had escaped from the war in that region, and now had to purchase overly expensive re-entry passes. He also represented poor Indians whose dwellings in a shaniytown the authorities. had dispossessed. Gandhi also started a new magazine, Indian Opinion that advocated for political liberty and equal rights in South Africa. The magazine, which initially included several young women from Europe. expanded its staff around the country, increasing both Gandhi's popularity and the public support for his ideas. Gandhi did net waiver when a South African General by the mame of Jan Christiaan Smuts promised to eliminate the registration law, but broke his word.Gandhi went all the way to London in 1909 and gathered enough support among the British to convince Smuts to eliminate the law in 1913. Yet, the Transvaal Prime Minister continued to regard Indians as second-class citizens while the Cape Colony government passed another discriminatory law making all non-Christian marriages illegal, which meant that all Indian children would be considered born out of wedlock. In addition, the government in Natal continued to impose crippling poll tax for entering Natal anly upon Indians. In response to these strikingly unjust rules, Gandhi organized a large-scale satyagraha, which involved women crossing the Natal-Transvaal border illegally, When they were arrested, five thousand Indian coal miners alse went on strike and Gandhi himself led them across the Natalese border, where they expected arrest. Although Smuts and Gandhi did not agree on many points, they had respect for each other. In 1913, Smuts relented due to the sheer number of Indians involved in protest and negotiated a settlement which provided for the legality of Indian marriages and abolished the poll tax. Further, the import of indentured labourers from India was to be phased out by 1920. In July 1914, Gandhi sailed for Britain, now admired as "Mahatma," and known throughout the world for the success of Satyagraha, Part Four Gandhi's incr WT ed interest in practicing ve; court eases, experiments Ww ) experimenting Naturopa treating di: , fasting method to s estraining, training of the spirit, meeting with Gokhalae are the interesting things found in this part. ism, experiments of truth in thy in ‘The British remained determined to put an end to the Muslim Caliphate, they enforced the Rowlatt Act resolutely. Even Gandhi became less tolerant towards British practices and in April 1920, he urged all Indians, Muslim and Hindu, to begin a “non-cooperation” protest against the British rule by giving up their Westem clothing and British jobs. As a personal example, on August 1, he returned the medals for valour that he had received in the Boer War in South Africa. He alsa became the first president of the Home Rule League, a largely symbolic position which confirmed his position as an advocate for Indian Independence. In September 1920, Gandhi also passed an official constitution for the Congress. which created a system of two national committees and numerous local units, all working to mobilize a spirit of non-coaperation across India. Gandhi and other volunteers travelled around India further establishing this new 6grass roots organization. which achieved great success. The new Briti in India, Lord Reading, did not dare to interfere because of Gandhi's popularity. By 1922, Gandhi decided that the initiative of non-cooperation had to transform into open civil disobedience, but in March 1922, Lord Reading finally ordered Gandhi's arrest after a crowd in the city of Chauri Chaura attacked and killed the local representatives of British authority. Gandhi, who had never encouraged or sanctioned this type of conduct, condemned the actions of the violent crowds and retreated into a period of fasting and prayer as 1 respansé to this violent outburst. However, the British saw the event as a trigger point and a reason for his arrest. Part Five People treated G sful mission at South Africa, On the request of his political guru Gokhale, Gandhiji traveled throughout India and that made hin realize the poor condition of Indians at the hasty rule of British Champran Satyagraha, Ahamedabad Satyagraha, Kheda Satyagraha, Satyagraba against Rowalat's act are important events we can know from this part andhiji as hero after his succ However, in Gandhi's absence, Indians returned to their British jobs and their everyday routines. Even worse, the unity between Muslims and Hindu, which Gandhi advocated so passionately, had already begun to fall apart to the point where the threat of violence loomed large over many communities with mixed population. The fight for Indian independence could not continue while Indians themselves suffered disunity and conflict, all the more difficult to overcome in a huge country like India. which had always suffered religious ions, as well as divisions by language, and even caste. Gandhi realized that Independence and that the British had lost the will and power to sustain their empire, but he always acknowledged that Indians could not rely simply on the weakening of Britain in order to achieve independence He believed that Indians had to become morally ready for Independence. He planned to contribute to such readiness through his speeches and writing, advocating humility, restraint, good sanitation, as well as an end 10 child marriages. He acknowledged that he had changed his position on many issues, like child marriages, and that he had not always managed to discern the most moral course of action in his life. After his imprisonment ended, he resumed his personal quest for purification and truth. He ends his autobiography by admitting that he continues toexperience and fight with "the dormant passion" that lie within his own soul, He felt ready w continue the long and difficult path of taming those passions and putting himself last among his fellow human. beings. the only way to. achieve salvation, according to him. Boo! Lary ‘The story of my experiments with truth’ is in five parts which begins with Gandhi's birth and his experiences in his personal life nll 1921. The original script was written in Ciujarati language by M.K. Gandhi to Navajivan magazine and it was later translated into English by Mahadev Desai. According to Mahadev Desai the sub-tittle Autobiography was given by Gandhi himself for his The stary of my experiments with Truth’, In this book, Gandhiji mainly emphasized his experiments on his principles of truth, non-violence, spiritualism, celibacy, self-realization, vegetarianism etc. Gandhi requested the readers to conduct similar such experiments in their life in their own way in quest of truth. A bricf summary of the five parts found in this autobiography was given below for the interest of the readers. Conclusion Without doubt this is one of the most popular and famous book of this century. Gandhi gave utmost importance to principals, values and humanity rather than his fife itself. Gandhiji lived his whole life as an example to others rather than simply preaching values to others, The great scientist, Albert Einsteen. rightly remarked, the generation to come may not believe such a person like Gandhi with blood and flesh has walked on this earth, People have realized the importance of the principals and values of Gandhiji at present than before. Big people like Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela ond American President Oboma became ardent admirers of Gandhi. Without any doubt the centuries to come Gandhiji will be remembered by people of any generation for the non- violent way he got independence to India.