Gandhi- the Mahatma - Book review of My Experiment with Truth

"The Story of My Experiments with Truth" by MK Gandhi is his autobiography or as he puts it, his experiments with truth, starting from his childhood days to his days in England to the starting of Satyagraha in South Africa to the beginning of Independence movement in India around 1920.

Before reading this book, I thought he was called Mahatma because he steered India's freedom struggle but I now realize, it was his endeavor towards the welfare of the people that made him earn this respect from people. Through multiple stories from his life, I understand the aim of his life was to try to discover and embark on the path to Truth and attain Moksha. His ashram first set up in South Africa and then later in Gujarat was aimed to lead by example where everybody voluntarily shared all work irrespective of caste and creed. He would take up cases for people for free, raise social and political causes with authorities, challenge the status quo and try to reform people around him. Few would know that during the Boer war in South Africa, Gandhi went to the battlefield as a volunteer for ambulance corps ferrying the wounded on a stretcher.

He was a big proponent of Brahmacharya but his idea of the same included not only monogamy but also simplicity of clothes and the food one eats. Despite being a Barrister, Gandhi gave up his European dressing, started to live in a simple home, traveled in the 3rd class in train/ship and choose to donate whatever extra money he had apart from covering his basic expenses. He has dealt extensively about his experiments with what we today call as 'vegan diet'.

We all pretty much know about Gandhi’s take on standing for truth. His idea was hate the sin but not the sinner coming from the notion that we are all created from one single Creator and hating a sinner is the same as hating that ultimate Creator. At another place, he says, it is the reformer who is anxious for the reform, and not the society, from which he should expect nothing better than opposition, abhorrence and mortal persecution. His idea of non-violence through Satyagraha is I guess the most difficult thing to do. It takes a lot of courage to hold back one’s natural instinct which is to take revenge and instead face opponent gracefully.

All the things that Gandhi tried didn’t come to him overnight. He constantly experimented with ideas, adapted those before embracing those to his life.

Gandhi has painted a very sober portrayal of himself in the book which I guess is the mark of a true learned person. He has highlighted how he was an average student in the class, how he failed at his first practice in Bombay and how he had great difficulty in speaking impromptu including the ones where he was an organizer.

Overall, it’s a very inspiring read and there cannot be a better quote than what Einstein said for Gandhi “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth”