Gandhi Before India, published in 2013, covers the first forty-five years of Mohandas Gandhi's life, ending with his departure from South Africa in 1914. Guha argues that this period, often treated as a prelude, is where Gandhi's ideas about non-violence, religious harmony and political organising were actually formed.
Using a wealth of new sources, including papers of Gandhi's associates and contemporary newspapers, Guha reconstructs his childhood in Kathiawar, his student years in London, and his work as a lawyer in Natal and the Transvaal. He gives prominent attention to the friends who shaped him, such as Hermann Kallenbach, Henry Polak and Millie Polak, and to the Indian traders, indentured labourers and Tamil hawkers who joined his campaigns.
The biography is sympathetic but critical, discussing Gandhi's early attitudes towards Africans, his demands on his wife Kasturba and his sons, and his idiosyncrasies alongside his courage. Detailed yet readable, it was followed by Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, which takes the story to his death in 1948.
Book details
| Author | Ramachandra Guha |
|---|---|
| First published | 2013 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Biography |
| Type | Non-fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 670 |
| Setting | Porbandar, Rajkot, London, Durban and Johannesburg, 1869-1914 |
Themes
- Formation of satyagraha
- Racial discrimination
- Friendship across cultures
- Family sacrifice
- Diaspora politics
Who should read it
Readers who want a deeply researched, balanced account of the young Gandhi and his South African years.
If you liked this, try
- The Story of My Experiments with Truth
- India After Gandhi
- Great Soul