Tawara desai biography of mahatma

Mahadevbhai began keeping a diary on November 11,a week after he joined Gandhi as his secretary, and continued writing till August 14,a day before he died. Calling it his diary is, in fact, a misnomer because this was not about him, but about Gandhi. The only time Mahadevbhai did not write was when either he or Gandhi was in jail. The volume is, nevertheless, staggering.

So far, 23 of his diaries comprising over 9, pages have been published. The diaries for the years to are yet to be edited and published. He looked after many guests and must have saved 10 years of Gandhi's life by diverting from him unwanted visitors". Desai created a sensation by bringing out a hand-written cyclostyled newspaper after the Independent's printing press was confiscated by the British government.

Desai was sentenced to a year's rigorous imprisonment for his writings in — his first stint in prison. His report describing the life inside an Indian jail, published in Young India and Navajivancompelled the British authorities to bring about some drastic jail reform measures.

Tawara desai biography of mahatma: Mahatma Gandhi's. Conception of

The following year he became chairman of the executive committee of the Satyagraha Ashram and won a prize from the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad for his article in Navajivan. He was the only person to accompany Gandhi when the latter met with King George V. The colonial government, under the new ViceroyLord Willingdonwas determined to crush the movement and ordered a clampdown on the Indian National Congress and its activists.

InDesai was arrested again and sent to prison with Gandhi and Sardar Patel. Following his release inhe was re-arrested and detained in the Belgaum Jail. It was during this time in prison that he wrote Gita According to Gandhi which was posthumously published in He was arrested on the morning of 9 August and, till his death of a massive heart-attack six days later, was interred with Gandhi at the Aga Khan Palace.

Desai was 50 at the time of his death. Mahadev Desai was an outstanding writer, at ease with GujaratiBengali and English. He is highly regarded as a translator and writer in Gujarati. He started translating when he was studying in college. Later it was published as Satyagrahni Maryada. From Bengali, he translated Saratchandra Chattopadhyaya 's short stories as Tran Vartao and the novella Virajvahu Mahadevbhaini Dayari — is the 22 volume publication of Mahadev Desai's diaries.

He was also a regular contributor to Gandhi's publications Young IndiaNavjivan and the Harijanbandhu. Aged 50, Mahadev Desai died of a heart attack on the morning of 15 August at the Aga Khan Palace where he was interned with Gandhi. When Desai stopped breathing, Gandhi called out to him in agitation: "Mahadev! Our security was forfeited because the article Mrs.

Nehru's Message and Let Us Also See It Through were considered to be "interfering with the administration of law and the maintenance of law and order. Truth, Non-violence and other laws of our Ethical Code are sufficient to keep us true to us and to God It is likely that this endeavour, like its predecessor, may also be suppressed The tyrant is potent enough to arrest everyone of the activities of our mortal frame, but he cannot touch the immortal spirit within.

He may force the one to submit to his law, he may not dream of forcing his law on the other. I may be killed which only means, "I change, but I cannot die". With the caption 'I change, but I cannot Die', Mahadevbhai started publishing the paper by printing it on a cyclostyle machine. He too was arrested and convicted for a year's tawara desai biography of mahatma term which he passed in Naini, Agra and Lucknow jails respectively.

In his absence, the paper was taken over by Devdas Gandhi. Durgabehn preferred to stay back in Allahabad and help Devdas in running the cyclostyle machine, sticking wrappers on the copies and writing addresses on them. In those days, women rarely did such work, especially in the northern region of India. Madan Mohan Malaviyaji was greatly pleased to see Durgabehn working like this.

Mahadev was released from Lucknow jail in In the same year his father died. In he took over as editor of Navajivan and also saw his home blessed with a son. From he started rendering Gandhi's autobiography into English and published it serially in Young India. In he became the chairman of the executive committee of Satyagraha Ashram, received a prize from the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad for his article in Navajivan, took part in Bardoli Satyagraha along with Sardar Patel in and then became a member of the enquiry committee.

Tawara desai biography of mahatma: Dr Meghna Desai, Director, CDC India,

In he traveled to Burma with Gandhi, courted arrest and imprisonment in for taking part in the Salt Satyagraha. Mahadev was the only person to accompany Gandhi when the latter had a meeting with King George V. He was released and re-arrested in and detained in Belgaum Jail. Here, he wrote Gita According to Gandhi, which was published posthumously.

InMahadev was invited to preside over a separate session on journalism held under the auspices of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad.

Tawara desai biography of mahatma: A special set of 4

His address delivered at the conference is relevant even today. The holy temple of Jagannath was not very far from the place. This temple was not open to Harijans which meant that the managers of the temple were in favour of untouchability. When Gandhi came to know that the women folk had gone to Jagannath Puri he could not contain his exasperation.

He sternly rebuked Mahadevbhai, that he could have at least convinced Durgabehn, that the temple which believed in segregation was not a worthy place for Darshan. Mahadev could have defended himself but he chose not to. Next day, in the early hours of the morning, at prayer time, Mahadev went to Gandhi, wept remorsefully and in a not addressed to him, offered to resign.

It increased the anguish of Gandhi who wrote back:. What a gift in the morning? Even before the first mistake is rectified other mistakes follow one after the other! I would suffer thousands of mistakes rather than bear the separation. It is better to die at the hands of a devotee If you leave me, do you think Pyarelal would live here? If Pyarelal goes would Sushila stay with me?

This is not the time to cry or to go on fast Mahadev knew that to live with Gandhi was never an easy task. One always felt being on the mouth of a volcano. Yet Mahadevbhai adjusted his bearing so well that he became indispensable to Gandhi. Inhe played an important role during the agitations in Mysore and Rajkot. Inhe went to Bengal and Punjab to seek release of revolutionaries who were in prison and in to create peace and amity after the communal riots of Ahmedabad.

On 15 August, Mahadev did not get up as he was wont to at four o'clock for the morning prayer. He got up after the prayer was over. He prepared juice for Gandhi and toasts and tea for the rest of the inmates. He looked cheerful. Sarojini Naidu saw him shaving with full involvement. She thought it unusual for Mahadev, not because the InspectorGeneral of Prisons was to visit them that day.

After a little chit-chat Sushila Nayar went to massage Gandhi. Sounds of laughter could be heard from the room of Sarojini Naidu. Suddenly someone shouted "Sushila, come soon! Therefore she did. Then she heard her name called out again and at the same time Kasturba rushed to them, panting: "Something is wrong with Mahadev. She checked his pulse for blood-pressure.

But his heart had ceased to throb. Gandhi who came soon after stood dumbfounded.

Tawara desai biography of mahatma: On 30 January a fanatical Hindu

He stared at Mahadev without blinking. It was a complete chronological record of his life events and happenings with Gandhi. When Gandhi was arrested in Punjab inhe named Desai his heir. He has been associated with Gandhi in politics and freedom struggle movement. Atmakatha, in five parts is his autobiographical work. He started the Young India and Navjivan weeklies and later handed over to Gandhi.

He also started the monthly Yugadharma and edited the daily Hindustan. He also wrote for Young India, Navjivan, and the Harijanbandhu. Your Name. Your Email.