The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India

As the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a historian, Gopalkrishna Gandhi provides a unique perspective on India’s post-independence journey in The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India. His life experiences and familial background offer unique perspectives on important national issues. The historical structure of the book is well utilized to narrate the events and significant personalities of several eras, beginning with the political upheaval and intercommunal conflicts that prompted India’s independence, Partition, and Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

From 1947 to the present, the book is divided into eight sections, each of which focuses on a distinct period and event. This framework is used in The Undying Light to provide readers with a clear and understandable journey through the country’s complicated past. With the help of this chronological approach, readers can track the political and social developments in India and see how the past has shaped the present. Gandhi’s well-organized story makes it easier to see how the country’s path has changed and continued.

The way the early years of the Indian republic are portrayed in the book, including the personalities who influenced it and the political climate that characterized it, is especially captivating. Gandhi incorporates discussions from his family’s close interactions with those in charge of affairs, in addition to primary materials, newspaper archives, and firsthand recollections. He has a deeper understanding of the events of the time because his father, Devdas Gandhi, the youngest son of Mahatma Gandhi, was the editor of a prominent English daily in Delhi at the time.

The author examines how India’s identity has changed over time in The Undying Light, taking into account how sociological changes, political upheavals, and historical occurrences have shaped the country’s present. Gandhi highlights the value of accepting variety and preserving democratic principles as he considers the struggles and victories that have molded India’s path. His observations compel readers to reflect on the future course of the country and their own part in influencing it.

Beginning with the terrible bloodshed in Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, and Delhi, and ending with the killing of the Mahatma, the book chronicles the events leading up to and soon following independence. His memories of working as secretary to two presidents, R. Venkataraman (1987–1992) and K. R. Narayanan (1997–2002), provide valuable perspectives on how the nation’s highest constitutional position operates. The focus is still on how both presidents maintained constitutional propriety in a time when coalition politics are becoming more and more prevalent, even when political factors are mentioned. In particular, President Narayanan found methods to act or speak in ways that he felt were appropriate for a leader of state.

Gandhi describes instances in which he had to use constitutional morality, including after the police firing in Nandigram, while serving as governor of West Bengal from 2005 to 2009 and temporarily of Bihar. In light of current discussions on purported gubernatorial overreach, these observations become even more pertinent today. Important national events, including the 1962 Sino-India War, the Emergency, Indira Gandhi’s assassination, and the Gujarat riots of 2002, are all covered in The Undying Light. A better comprehension of the effects of these events on the course of the nation is offered by the author’s first-hand accounts. Gandhi’s view of these occurrences sheds light on their causes and effects while emphasizing the lessons discovered and the obstacles now facing people everywhere. Readers are prompted by his observations to think on the value of perseverance and attentiveness in defending the country’s democratic principles.

Written by a person who experienced India’s most significant events, The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India is more than just a history book; it is a personal voyage through those times. Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi gives unique anecdotes and inside information that are difficult to acquire elsewhere. The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India is an insightful, thorough, and captivating book that serves as a reminder to readers of the principles that formed India and the constant need to uphold them.

Shahruk Ahmed Mazumdar is a Writer, Columnist

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