. Knowing Gandhi There are many different kinds of sources from which we can reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of the nationalist movement. . Public voice and private scripts One important source is the writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries, including both his associates and his political adversaries.
Within these writings we need to distinguish between those that were meant for the public and those that were not. Speeches, for instance, allow us to hear the public voice of an individual, while private letters give us a glimpse of his or her private thoughts. In letters we see people expressing their anger and pain, their dismay and anxiety, their hopes and frustrations in ways in which they may not express themselves in public statements. But we must remember that this private-public distinction often breaks down.
Many letters are written to individuals, and are therefore personal, but they are also meant for the public. The language of the letters is often shaped by the awareness that they may one day be published. Conversely, the fear that a letter may get into print often prevents people from expressing their opinion freely in personal letters. Mahatma Gandhi regularly published in his journal, Harijan , letters that others wrote to him.
Nehru edited a collection of letters written to him during the national movement and published A Bunch of Old Letters . Source One event through letters In the 1920s, Jawaharlal Nehru was increasingly influenced by socialism, and he returned from Europe in deeply impressed with the Soviet Union. As he began working closely with the socialists (Jayaprakash Narayan, Narendra Dev, N.G. Ranga and others), a rift developed between the socialists and the conservatives within the Congress.
After becoming the Congress President in , Nehru spoke passionately against fascism, and upheld the demands of workers and peasants. Worried by Nehru’s socialist rhetoric, the conservatives, led by Rajendra Prasad and Sardar Patel, threatened to resign from the Working Committee, and some prominent industrialists in Bombay issued a statement attacking Nehru. Both Prasad and Nehru turned to Mahatma Gandhi and met him at his ashram at Wardha. The latter acted as the mediator, as he often did, restraining Nehru’s radicalism and persuading Prasad and others to see the significance of Nehru’s leadership.
In A Bunch of Old Letters , , Nehru reprinted many of the letters that were exchanged at the time. Read the extracts in the following pages.