Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles

Ved Mehta

Yale University Press, Jan 1, 1993 - Biography & Autobiography - 260 pages

In this book, the renowned author Ved Mehta brings Gandhi to life in all his holiness and humanness, shedding light on his principles and his purposes, his ideas and his actions. Through interviewing disciples of Gandhi in five countries, Mehta reconstructs in precise detail Gandhi's daily routine, recounts the story of his life, and presents the beliefs and practices of his "apostles." Mehta's book, widely praised when it was first published in 1977, is a biographical portrait of Gandhi unlike any other.

"A remarkable examination of the life and work of a human being who has been extolled around the world as one of the greatest souls of all time. . . . A very readable account, dotted with sharply etched portraits."--Paul Johnson, New York Times

"Meticulously researched, passionately felt, elegantly written."--Max Lerner

"Mehta's work . . . touches much more than the personality of Gandhi, for it deals with the more general issue of the evolution and maintenance of a cultural symbol. . . . Mehta has given us a sensitive view of India and a personalized experience of the meaning of Mahatma Gandhi."--Edward S. Kayes, American Historical Review

"An outstanding book . . . aglow with illuminating detail."--John Grigg, The Listener

Contents

• Bapu: 3
• Relics and Monuments: 22
• Editors Biographers and Bibliographers: 33
• Family: 47
• Benefactors: 56
• In the Steps of the Autobiographer and His Biographers: 67
• Kathiawari Boy: 75
• Rajkot Student in England: 83
• Barrister: 96
• Community Servant: 107
• Satyagrahi in South Africa: 119
• Satyagrahi in India: 131
• Constructive Worker: 155
• Martyr: 167
• The Company They Keep: 177
• The Constructive Programme and: 214
• INDEX: 252

About the author

Ved Mehta, a native of Lahore, India, has been blind since childhood. He received his B.A. from Balliol College, Oxford and his M.A. from Harvard University in 1961. He has been on staff at the New Yorker magazine since 1961 and has written numerous articles on life in 20th-century India. A prolific author of more than 20 books and essay collections, Mehta's works include "Face to Face," "Walking the Indian Streets" and "Remembering Mr. Shawn's New Yorker: The Invisible Art of Editing."

Bibliographic information

• Title: Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles
• Author: Ved Mehta
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Yale University Press, 1993
• ISBN: 0300055390, 9780300055399
• Length: 260 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / General