Introduction

Gandhi's philosophy expostulated in his own words on various topics viz. Truth, Peace, Fearlessness, Love, Nonviolence, Vegetarianism, ... amongst 96 others, is available under the title: "The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi."

"Mind of Mahatma" is an encyclopedia of thoughts of one of the most revered souls of the 20th Century. For Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – Mahatma Gandhi for millions of Indians - his life and thoughts were two sides of the same coin and hence the book unfolds a life which was dedicated for human liberation. It was a life that encompassed the compassion of Gautam Buddha and the passion of Christ for service to humankind. Perhaps this prompted Albert Einstein to say that the forthcoming generations would not even believe that such a man walked on this planet. In his life of truth and Nonviolence, he could melt the differences between individuals, countries and continents. The book, in fact, re-establishes the relevance of the Mahatma in modern times. Several scholars have described this book, which has been translated in many languages, as the new "Bible" or the new "Gita".

This 496 pages book is about the Mahatma's thoughts on truth, nonviolence, fearlessness, democracy, simplicity, Sarvodaya, trusteeship, celibacy, self-reliance and about himself. The book is divided into 15 chapters and 96 subjects.

"I have nothing new to say...the principles of truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills", Mahatma wrote. These words derived their strength from the life of Mahatma who epitomized these values. Mahatma's words came alive with the wisdom he found in confronting personal and social problems. Now, for many, they are not just words, but the power of life. Mahatma's struggle was not against any individual but against the system of oppression.

The editors of the book R. K. Prabhu and U. R. Rao are some of the most experienced minds in the world of book editing. They have also edited "Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi". The book has a meticulously worked out index of subjects, dates, biography and explanation of difficult words. It is difficult to find such an authentic and comprehensive book on Mahatma.

(Published by Navjivan Trust, Ahmedabad 380014, India, priced at Indian Rupees 400.00)