As of yesterday, I finished reading Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography. Beginning the book, I had a lot of expectations. I thought it would discuss a lot about his struggles freedom fighting for India or hoe he overthrew the British. The book was focused a lot more on his personal life, his relationships and day to day choices rather than the bigger picture.
I was surprised to find out that my view of Gandhi himself changed a lot after reading the book. Most people think he lived a lavished life, having gone to school abroad and going to South Africa, it seemed as if he was more well off than most people in India. But when reading his story, I learnt of all the struggles he needed to overcome to be able to accomplish what he did. We battled physical abuse, violence and medical issues, which he overcame to pursue his mission.
When I first began reading, I though the book would be focused on learning about the “Truth”. When I discussed it with my mom, she felt as though Gandhi wrote a lot about looking at the objective truth without letting one’s biases get in the way. Seeing as he was a lawyer, this would be a valid perspective as in many of his cases he needed to put his patriotic feelings aside and deal with the problem at hand. However, I interpreted his “experiments with truth” to be the discovery of one’s truth. At many points in Gandhi’s life, he was asked or given the opportunity to compromise his moral for a better return, but after years of learning, he always stood his ground as to what he believed in.
Another thing that fascinated me was the way he remembered such minute details of his life. We has able to recall specific dates and locations, people and emotions. I think his great memory allowed for him to create an extremely reflective piece which gave an insight into what he did at the moment and what he thought of it years later. Many times (especially in regards to his early marriage), he spoke a lot about his regrets. I feel like that is a side of Gandhi that many do not see, the human aspect of him that made mistakes.
Overall, it was a worthwhile book to read. As an Indian myself, I developed a new found love for the way people of my country handled their struggles and issues. It has also made me think about myself a lot more critically in the way I stand by what I believe in and make my choices.
