A book that showcases
little known facet of Gandhi's life
Book Review
Priyanka Joshi
Mahatma
Gandhi: A Journalist and Editor
Edited by Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee and Snehasis Sur
Publisher: Kolkata Press Club
First Edition: Oct. 2018
Price: Rs 200/-
The world at large knows Mahatma Gandhi as an activist and
leader of India’s independence movement. He is revered for the pivotal role he
played in demanding freedom from clutches of the British and inspiring other
politicians as well. The list of his disciples, followers and those motivated
by him is long, diverse and awe-inspiring. Those who followed his principles
include the likes of Nelson Mandela, Martin LutherKing Jr., Dalai Lama, Albert
Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore. Barack Obama answering a question in an
interview that who would he dine with, dead or alive, if given a chance, said
Mahatma Gandhi.
Writings on Gandhi have changed tremendously in the last 70
years yet one is struck by the diverse set of books written on him. From
Khushwant Singh to VS Naipaul and series by Ramachandra Guha have sketched
Bapu’s character in diverse perspectives. Sarojini Naidu, in her sonnet on
Gandhi, describes him as an eternal lotus who is a source of guidance and
strength for billions. He has also received his set of criticism highlighting
his proneness to human vulnerabilities. George Orwell, an English writer,
journalist and critic, in an article about Gandhi and how much can his means be
trusted, wrote that the response of contemporary Indian and British thinkers
towards Gandhi, signal towards him being honest at least to his principle that-
man is the measure of all things and our job is to make life worth living on
this Earth, which is the only Earth we have.
Gandhi the freedom fighter, social activist, apostle of peace
and non-violence was so well known that another facet of his life did not
receive much attention by people by and large. That is: Gandhi the journalist
and editor.
The book under review is an attempt to highlight and analyse
Gandhi as a journalist and editor. As one of the editors of the book Dr. Mrinal
Chatterjee writes “Gandhi as a journalist and editor carried the ideological
moorings of Gandhi, the freedom fighter and social crusader intimately
intertwined”.
The book, published by Press Club of Kolkata, and edited by Dr.
Mrinal Chatterjee and Snehasis Sur, President of the Press Club and a senior
journalist working in DoorDarshan, Kolkata- contains lectures and essays by
eminent scholars on Gandhi.
As Chatterjee writes Chatterjee
in his note to the readers, “I always thought more needs to be written on
Gandhi the journalist, editor and communicator and found an excerpt by Tushar
Arun Gandhi, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. It is then I decided to put
together lectures, articles and essays by well-known historians and media
academicians”, The book has lectures and essays by Tushar Arun Gandhi,
Ramachandra Guha, a historian and a biographer based in Bangalore and other
professionals Dr. K. John Babu, (an assistant professor of Convergent
Journalism at Central University of Kashmir), Subir Ghosh (a journalist and PR
professional), N. Patnaik (retired professor of English and linguistics in IIT
Kanpur), Professor Dr. CharuLata Singh who teaches Journalism and mass
communication, Dr. I Arul Aram of Department of Media Sciences, Anna University
and others.
The book foregrounds how “Gandhi’s approach to journalism was
totally devoid of ambition. To him it was not a vocation to earn his
livelihood”. As Mahatma in his autobiography has mooted his idea of journalism.
He states, “the sole aim of journalism should be service and that reference to
abuses is undoubtedly a necessary part of journalism and a means of creating
public opinion.” His career as a writer began with his subscription to a weekly
of a vegetarian society in London and very shortly got inducted in its
executive committee. Although in the beginning he focused mostly on open
letters and letters to editor, but his journey as a journalist started with his
first daily The Indian Opinion for Indians to lodge their grievances and to
mobilise public opinion in their favour.
The tract discusses varied aspects of Gandhi’s life as a
journalist as Barun Das Gupta, narrates the life story of Gandhi from beginning
till end highlighting the turning and important points in writing and editing.
It also talks about Gandhian impact on contemporary Indian writing. Subir Ghosh
writes about the writing style of Gandhi which is still one of the key
principle of writing in journalism. “He wrote in short and simple sentences with
familiar homespun words. His idioms and anecdotes were drawn from the everyday
experience in an average village”. It furthermore dissertates What all can be
learnt from Gandhi’s approach to Journalism and his mediums of communication.
“Young India and Harijan became powerful vehicles of his views on all subjects.
He wrote simple and clearly but forcefully with passion and bumming
indignation”, writes Professor V.S. Gupta, Haryana Agriculture
University.
In addition, the book elucidates how Gandhi was a staunch
believer in the power of the word and wrote very cautiously in his newspapers.
It provides an insight to all that an aspiring journalist can learn from
methods of Gandhi’s communication. Subir Ghosh unfolds that Gandhi was the man
who could communicate with the masses without mass media. He further adds
various qualities Bapu possessed which are detrimental to be successful in mass
communication.
When I decided to peruse the book, it was to have an insight
into the journalistic life of Gandhiji. But the book has much more to offer.
Though every orator has talked about Gandhi as a Journalist, yet every speech
has something peculiar to convey. It might get monotonous at times yet that
worth following as one can get distinctive perspective from Gandhi’s life.
Journalism played twin role in his life- his mission and service to society and
he followed the profession abiding by all laws and ethics. Budding journalist
have got plenty to grasp and understand from the life story of Mahatma and this
book has got the potential for enlightenment.
***
30.1.19
Priyanka Joshi is a student of PGDJ (English) at Indian Institute
of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Odisha.
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