This book is a blatant attack on Mahatma Gandhi as the author feels that the social, political, economic and moral life in post-Independent India contains the legacy of the delusions of a philosophical life cherished and foisted on the people of India by Gandhiji. He asks, ?What was wrong with Gandhiji? Why did he fail on all fronts?? While trying to answer these questions, his regret is that neither Gandhiji nor his admirers went deep enough in their search for explanations.
Talking of spiritual delusions of Gandhiji, the author says that when Gandhiji failed to find a suitable guru, he decided to go ahead and take saintly vows, adopted the loincloth and assumed the role of a guru himself to guide others in spiritual as well as secular matters While he was struggling mid-stream, the gullible Hindus conferred upon him the title of ?mahatma? which only spoiled him further. He began to claim he was a chosen instrument of God and created a halo of divinity and infallibility around himself. His spiritual claims turned out to be hallucinations.
The author criticises Gandhiji for remaining in an experimental mood regarding any issue, be it non-violence or sex control.
Referring to ethical delusions, the author says that Gandhiji had delusions about ?Truth?. He considered himself a 20th-century edition of Raja Harishchandra ?and his entire ethical endeavour invariably carried with it an exaggerated self-confidence in an unfailing efficacy of his spiritual powers?something that he did not possess.? Gandhiji projected a saintly image and remained involved in politics for nearly five decades with the ambition to bring heaven to earth, claims the author. He further states that since Partition and its aftermath had shaken the faith of the people in the ?mahatmahood of Gandhiji?, he was now desperately anxious to retrieve his former popular image. Fasts, threats, tears and all other similar gestures of his later days were only ?stunts in the direction of rehabilitating himself as a mahatma.? The author feels that Gandhiji believed that he would achieve anything by spiritual powers, but he never possessed any such powers. He failed to understand that nature, scope and limits of what goes in the name of spiritual powers. Here every failure bewildered him.
Dr Kothari ridicules Gandhiji'spolitical thoughts which he considers as his most serious delusion. He says Gandhiji found India a fertile ground for experimenting with the fancies of Hind Swaraj (his book). Dr Kothari also criticises Gandhiji'sconcept of swaraj.
In trying to dispel the halo of divinity around Gandhiji, Dr Kothari has come out with his own interpretations of Gandhiji'smoves and actions which fail to succeed in justifying his statements.
(Critique Publications, 985, 5th Umed Hospital Road, Jodhpur-342 003.)
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