If there is any icon to represent the spirituality in 20th century, it is Mahatma Gandhi. For the same period, if there is an icon to represent determination, it is Winston Churchill. In the book Gandhi & Churchill, author and historian Arthur Herman tries to connect the lives of these two ’great’ icons with a covering statement, ’The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age’.
The author took huge effort to assemble lot of articles from different sources and tries hard to prove there had a hi-story of rivalry. Like in the film ’Khushi’, the author tries to show the interlinking of their life, without knowing the presence. In South Africa and in England they were present at similar time, but didn’t meet but once. Still they become foes. So much so that somebody wishes for the death of the other. They have many similarities but their approach is just on opposite direction.
To the author’s merit, the hope of an actual rivalry was keep till the last of chapters. Only when we finish reading we realise that there had not much of a rivalry exists in most part of their life. So, what is the relevance of the book? The beauty of the presentation is that history is been told along with the events leading to major actions. It is not an easy task and the author took a good amount of pain to make a believable presentation.
The book heavily borrows from already existing works, so much so that the list of notes for references adds more than 60 fine printed pages. This dependence brings a kind of believability and a certain kind of accuracy to the book, before one assumes the motive behind the book where there are no references.
The book attempt two character assassinations, one of Gandhi and the other of Churchill. (If Keechaka is dead, there is only one person to look for the responsibility, i.e. Bheema. What if Bheema and Keechaka both are been killed? I was surprised but yes, it is all evident before the end.) The author simply didn’t understand the ’spirituality’ of ’Ahimsa’ or pretend didn’t understand and attempt to put down Gandhi on ’assumptions’. After reading ’my experiments with truth’, I give away a good part of respect to Gandhiji (despite the books brutal honesty), but this book helped me to bring back the respect knowing the attitude surrounded him to make certain stands. I don’t have much knowledge about Churchill but the knowledge from the book itself is contradicting. When there is a pointing finger along with it, the proof is that it is not the complete picture. May be it is true, but the author fails to explain certain stands taken by Churchill which cannot be from a ’rude’ person in the picture. Here, I assume the author failed again to assimilate with the values of the individual without which any judgment will be partial. As a reader, I rejected the allegations completely and enjoyed reading simply ignoring the author’s attempt by a laugh.
The narration is quite simple and with the presence of struggles, sufferings, wars, Mutiny - the book was never short of events which can hold the interest of the readers. 600 plus pages of fine print is readable with raising curiosity with each turning page. (One particular term I noticed completely mispelled in the book, i.e. Purana swaraj, instead of Poorna Swaraj. It is understandable knowing it is written by a westerner, but its repeating was little annoying at places). There are a good collection of selected photographs to help the reader imagination.
The book gives an impression that it is a ’capitalist propaganda’ to destroy the icons of the past to replace the icons of ’present’ (like they tries to create future cash as a trading currency instead of past or present). However, I wonder why one read history. For one who read history correctly, can see transparent that a fascist empire came and gone, so was the socialist empire and many royal empires, even the capitalist empire is all wounded and bleeding but refusing to admit any doctors for cure. The book is a proof of such an imperial ambition, sadly like the one ’Churchill’ had attempted, not knowing it is too late and too short. Entry of India to capitalism, through the gate of Bangalore, as hinted in the book is only an eye opener with which we can see that we are closing our eyes on the major issues facing the country. No empire can stay long without the welfare of its people and neighbours. The earlier India and the world learn it, the better.
Despite its ’attitude’, the book draws a good picture of the background which is a pleasure to read and observe. All major events in the India’s independence struggle, the history of Raj and the two world wars - it is a know it all kind book, of course on a surface level. For new comers many doubts may get cleared in the light of awareness. However, one has to remember that history is to be observed to understand where an opinion is to be judged before accepting. This book is nowhere if one compare to ’Freedom at Midnight’ but definitely a good read to rekindle a new wave of patriotism in Indians. The book failed to prove the cover point, i.e. it is the epic rivalry that destroyed an empire. In fact the impression is otherwise. The book is a very good read for one who read with a rational approach. Enjoy the stories from the history!