Launched by renowned authors M.J. Akbar and K. Natwar Singh, “Gandhi: A Life in Three Campaigns” is their latest work.
An important ceremony was held at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library at the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya to introduce this book, and it was hosted by Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library Society.
Book
Topic and Structure
Three of Mahatma Gandhi’s most important mass campaigns are the focal points of this biography of his life and struggles:
- The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920): Gandhi’s capacity to rally the people in opposition to British domination is emphasized.
- In the 1930s, a small amount of salt became a symbol of defiance against colonial oppression in the Salt Satyagraha movement.
- A resounding demand for an end to British colonialism in India was made by the Quit India Movement (1942).
It is said that these campaigns were pivotal in the fight against the British Empire in India and its eventual downfall.
Reflections on the Book Release
At the book presentation, Ajit Doval, the national security advisor, lauded Gandhi for his strategic use of “soft power” in the fight against colonial authority.
His term for Gandhi’s method of political organizing was “smart power,” which he defined as inclusive and going beyond traditional ideas of “soft” and “hard” power.
By drawing parallels to military triumphs in which smaller forces vanquished larger ones, Doval highlighted Gandhi’s capacity to utilize moral force to subdue a stronger opponent.
