Question

"There are different sources that provide us special insight into the working of Mahatma Gandhi in the National Movement of India." Explain the statement with example.

Answer 1

Many different kinds of sources from which we can reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of the nationalist movement are as follows:

1. One important source is the writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries.
2. Mahatma Gandhi regularly published in his journal, Harijan, letters that others wrote to him.
3. Nehru edited a collection of letters written to him during the national movement and published A Bunch of Old Letters.
4. Governmental records are yet another crucial source because the British closely monitored Gandhi's activities. The reports and letters that police officers and other officials wrote are now available for public reading.
5. The modern English-language newspapers of the era, known as "Yell as the Vernaculars," were another source that followed Gandhiji's movements and reported on his actions. Additionally, they discussed how the general public felt about him. However, news reports might be biased or skewed. This resulted from the authors' worldviews and political beliefs who published them.
6. These opinions impacted what was written and how events were covered. Reports published in a London newspaper would differ from those published in an Indian nationalist journal.
7. An analysis of the fortnightly reports of the Dandi March revealed that the Home Department steadfastly refused to acknowledge that Gandhi's efforts had elicited any enthusiastic response from the populace. The march was seen as a play or a futile attempt to rally those unwilling to overthrow the British.