Gandhi: A Memoir
By William L. Shirer
Published by Simon and Schuster Inc (1979)

THE book under review this week is a memoir of Mahatma Gandhi.
It was written by Willian Shirer, an American journalist who got the opportunity to ‘observe Mahatma Gandhi as he launched the Civil Disobedience Campaign and to enjoy his personal friendship and confidence’ as he covered the rise of the independence movement.
Gandhi: A Memoir is a book that narrates not only the historical account of Gandhi and his experiences, but the life of Indians in their struggle to gain independence from the British.
It is a book that shows the levels of patience Gandhi had as he resorted to using diplomacy to gain independence from the British.
His resilience, devotion and love for his people is evidenced by the way he conducted his politics.
“What you English don’t realise is that freedom is our birthright, as it is yours. “We are ready to pay any price for it,” said Gandhi as quoted by the writer.
His zeal for independence saw him promoting the rights of women and empowerment of poor Indian villagers.
Written with a mixture of historical events that surrounds the domination of India by the British, the book reveals the exploitation and unbalanced lifestyle between Indians and the British.
Shirer, the writer, does well in describing how Gandhi, as a leader, suffered so much to see his kith and kin liberated.
Gandhi: A Memoir is a book that reflects not only the bravery of Gandhi, but his wisdom in dealing with his enemy, in this case, the British.
Through negotiations, the great leader used his strong religious background to conduct politics that was non-violent.
To him, independence for India was to be obtained through consistent passive resistance.
That resistance was mostly in the form of speaking out against the injustices wrought by the British.
He delivered speeches at various fora.
“We shall gain our freedom – in my lifetime,” said Gandhi to Shirer.
“Well, the British still have the guns.
“Yes, but we have something more important than guns.
“We have truth and justice – and time – on our side.”
Gandhi’s mission and struggle to achieve independence was not in any way impeded by arrests and time in prison.
Every time he was victimised by the brutal British regime, he emerged stronger.
His nationalism became exemplary even to nationalists who came after him.
One could associate nationalists such as President Robert Mugabe, Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara to principles propounded by Gandhi.
It is Gandhi’s zeal to fight alongside fellow countrymen that Shirer narrates and celebrates in the memoir.
The writer describes him as a humble leader who did not only believe in his religion, but respected other religions.
Gandhi was a leader so committed to the aspirations of his people that besides toiling for the masses, he did not care much for dressing and food.
He was a man of simple tastes, totally consumed by his work.
“Over his skin and bones was a loosely wrapped dhoti and in the chilliness of a north-Indian winter, he draped a coarsely spun white shawl over his bony shoulders,” writes Shirer.
“His skinny legs were bare, his feet in wooden sandals.”
So influential and respected was Gandhi that his people had no qualms following him when he called them to participate in the Salt March and ‘Quit India’ Uprising.
“But it was the Salt March that caught the imagination of millions of Indians and aroused them to revolt,” says Shirer.
As a man dedicated to justice and independence for India, Gandhi endured life in prison and fasted, forcing the British to hear the demands of the Indians.
Shirer writes that Gandhi, despite being Hindu, was against a divided India and desired unity between the Moslems and Hindus.
“When freedom came – he was heartbroken that independence had been won at the cost of dividing India – the Moslems under fanatical Jinnah had broken away to form the Islamic nation of Pakistan,” writes Shirer.
It is against this background that one must know that despite the British granting India independence in 1947, tensions still exist between India and Pakistan.
The division created by the British has resulted in the death of innocent civilians in clashes between India and Pakistan.
Gandhi’s wish was to leave an independent India where all Indians could live in harmony, but this did not happen.
He was assassinated by a fellow Hindu who thought he was betraying the religion through pursuing peace between the Moslems and Hindu.
Born on October 2 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30 1948.
Gandhi: A Memoir is a must-read book.
It has fascinating insights on the man and his work.