Gandhi Today: The Story of Mahatma Gandhi's Successors - Softcover

Shepard, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0932020518 ISBN 13: 9780932020512

Publisher: Seven Locks Pr, 1987

Synopsis

What became of the Gandhian tradition in India following the death of Mahatma Gandhi? Did it quietly die away? Or were there still Indians who believed in his philosophy and methods, committed to continuing his work?
 
These were the questions that sent independent journalist Mark Shepard to India in 1978–79. There he found that the tradition begun by Gandhi was very much alive, in such individuals, groups, and movements as:
 
-- An acclaimed saint who collected over four million acres in gifts of land for the poor.
 
-- A leader of a nationwide protest movement that helped topple India's ruling party in the mid-1970s.
 
-- A Peace Army that fought riots with nonviolence.
 
-- A "Hug the Trees!" movement that physically blocked excessive logging in the Himalayas.
 
-- A People's Court that even tried cases of murder and government corruption.
 
-- A development center helping 400 villages rise from poverty.
 
-- A nationwide movement of villages in which all land was held in common and decisions were made by unanimous consent.
 
Learn about all these and more in this engaging report on the legacy of the twentieth century's greatest peacemaker and revolutionary.
 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
Mark Shepard is the author of "Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths," "The Community of the Ark," and "Gandhi Today," called by the American Library Association's Booklist "a masterpiece of committed reporting." His writings on social alternatives have appeared in over 30 publications in the United States, Canada, England, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, and India.
 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
"A masterpiece of committed reporting. . . . History that needs to be better known, told in clear, compelling, common language." -- American Library Association Booklist, Feb. 1, 1987 (starred review)
 
"Shepard has done a marvelous job describing individuals and groups keeping the spirit of Gandhi alive in India and throughout the world. His book presents living proof the ideals of the Mahatma will never die." -- Cesar Chavez, founder and President, United Farm Workers of America
 
"This lively book fills a critical gap in our understanding of Gandhi's way. . . . A source of hope and inspiration." -- Joanna Macy, author/activist
 
"A remarkable job of introducing the contemporary Gandhian movement -- readable, honest, challenging." -- Jim Forest, General Secretary, International Fellowship of Reconciliation
 
"A fascinating study. . . . As useful as it is encouraging." -- Michael Nagler, founder, Peace and Conflict Studies Program, University of California at Berkeley, and author, America Without Violence
 
"A fast-moving account of a living tradition. . . . Full of good ideas for peacemakers." -- Virginia Baron, Editor, Fellowship
 
"The author is a committed partisan of Gandhian thought and methods, but he is also a reporter who makes a case that Gandhi is an important figure who keeps on marching. . . . Among [the successful experiments he visited] are some remarkable ones." -- United Press International (UPI), Jan. 18, 1988
 
"Finally there is a small, readable book on the Gandhian legacy. . . . Encouraging and positive." -- Thomas Weber, Legal Studies, La Trobe University (Australia)
 
"May prove to be the most important book of 1987." -- Green Letter, Spring 1987
 

 

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

What had become of the Gandhian tradition in India? Had it quietly
died away? What about the "army" of constructive workers Gandhi sent to the
villages?

Were there still Indians who believed in his philosophy and methods,
committed to finishing the work he began?

If so, what were they doing now?

I was inspired to seek answers to these questions when, in late 1977 in San
Francisco, I met a modern-day Gandhian named K. Krishnan Nair.

"The Indian revolution has two aspects," Nair told me. "The first phase we
have achieved -- that is, liberating our country from foreign domination.
The second phase is the complete restructuring of our society.

"Until we complete this work, we'll not be sitting quiet."

Nair urged me to come to India to see for myself the current work of the
Gandhians. Taking up this challenge, I traveled to India in October 1978,
to spend the next five months visiting and living with Gandhians, learning
about their projects, their ideas, their lives.

I found that the tradition begun by Gandhi is very much alive. In fact, it
has grown much since Gandhi's time, with new faces, new issues, new ideas,
new techniques, new failures, and new successes. Though in some ways it may
have fallen back from the standard Gandhi set, in other ways it has gone
beyond him.

I offer what I found, in the hope that others too may discover in it
signposts along the road to a more just and peaceful society -- a society
for the welfare of all.

Edition details

• Publisher: Seven Locks Pr
• Publication date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0932020518
• ISBN 13: 9780932020512
• Binding: Paperback