The Oxford India Gandhi: Essential Writings

Divided into fourteen parts, The Oxford India Gandhi seeks to redeem Gandhi from the plaster-cast image of the Mahatma. Edited by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Governor of West Bengal, the volume is different from the other works based on Gandhi, by the very virtue of its being compiled by his grandson. It is Gandhis essential story in his words-the story of his life as he himself might have narrated to a restless grandson-a story expressed in speeches and articles, but also in diary entries, letters, and most importantly, in conversations. Though the book draws from the already existing volumes on Gandhi and his life, it manages to look beyond the mundane, oft-repeated details about him-into the little things that almost always went unnoticed. Gandhi, in his own writings, gave one the liberty of peeking into his "not-so-perfect" side, and this volume covers those aspects as well. Most works on Gandhi have played on his iconic status, but the current volume concentrates on showing that the Mahatma was after all human. An interesting read, it offers a look into the personal life of perhaps the Subcontinent's most public figure of all times. Including this astonishing range of themes addressed by Gandhi in thought and action is aimed at reaching out to a larger audience, including young readers.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the Governor of West Bengal since 2004. He is the youngest grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and his maternal grandfather was Rajaji C. Rajagopalachari. As a former member of the Indian Administrative Service, he served as Secretary to the President of India and as High Commissioner to South Africa, among other distinguished administrative and diplomatic posts.