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Student Experiments | Basic student experiments - 3B Scientific a3bs.com | Experiments & Measurements | Experiment Case - 3B Scientific 3bscientific.co.uk |
The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Gujarātī "સત્યના પ્રયોગો અથવા આત્મકથા") is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through to 1920. It was initiated at the insistence of Swami Anand and other close co-workers of Gandhi, for him to explain the background of his public campaigns. In 1999, the book was designated as one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by HarperCollins publishers.[1]
[edit] EtymologyFor Gandhi, truth was the sovereign principle; inclusive of many other spiritual principles and schools of thought.
In this autobiography, Gandhi has recounted the period from his birth (1869) up to the year 1921. In the last chapter, he notes, "My life from this point onward has been so public that there is hardly anything about it that people do not know..." [edit] InfluencesGandhi wrote in his autobiography that the three most important modern influences in his life were Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You, John Ruskin's Unto This Last and the poet Shrimad Rajchandra (Raychandbhai)[2]. [edit] First publication and later editionsAfter its initiation, "The Story of My Experiments with Truth" remained in the making for 4–5 years (including the time while Gandhi was imprisoned at Yeravda near Pune, Maharastra), and then it first appeared as a series in the weekly Gujarati magazine Navjivan during 1925-28 which was published from Ahmedabad, India. In a book-form, it was first published (in Gujarati) by Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad in two volumes (Vol I–602pp–1927; Vol II–608pp–1929) at a subsidized rate and has run though five editions/reprints since then - last in January 2001. After the first publication, it was revised and translated into English by Gandhi's close associate and aide-de-camp Mahadev Desai. The English translation first appeared as a series in "Young India", another English language weekly of Navajivan Trust. [edit] TranslationThe only English translation of The Story of My Experiments with Truth was done by Gandhi's friend and assistant Mahadev Desai. By modern standards Desai's translation is flowery and liberal, turning passages such as "Everyone should fast and stop work" into "Let all the people of India, therefore, suspend their business on that day and observe the day as one of fasting and prayer." It also bowdlerises the original in places. (see The Believer 51, Feb. 2008 [1])  Mahadev Desai (1892—1942), a journalist, was born in 1892 in the Surat district of Gujarat state in India. He graduated from the Bombay University with B.A. (first class), majoring in Philosophy and Logic. This was followed by a Law degree, and in 1915 he qualified as a lawyer. Owing to his love for literature and to support his education, Mahadev Desai elected to translate John Morley's book On Compromise into Gujarati language in a competition for best Gujarati translation sponsored by Forbes Gujarati Sabha (See: Alexander Kinloch Forbes). After winning the prize, he went to meet with Gandhi (who returned to India in 1915) in Ahmedabad to seek his advice. Some authorities, however, suggest that Desai met with Gandhi in relation with a letter that the former has sent expressing his views and criticism on Gandhi's proposed ashram in Ahmedabad. Anyhow, this was their first meeting, and in November 1917, Mahadev Desai decided to join Gandhi on a full-time basis – an intimate association that lasted for nearly 25 years until the early death of Desai in 1942. In Verrier Elwin's words:
[edit] ReviewsSome critics have suggested that Gandhi has assumed the basic knowledge of the events and socio-political situation of India during late 19th – early 20th century on the reader's part. It may be advisable to supplement the reading with other (recent) authors like Yogesh Chadha (Gandhi: A Life) who could help provide the background information and insight of that era.
[edit] References
[edit] Editions in print
[edit] Online editions
[edit] External links
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