Author Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, participated in an enlightening Book Club session at the headquarters of India’s International Movement To Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.) as part of its weekly initiative to promote a culture of reading among young minds. He discussed his book “The Lost Diary of Kasturba, My Ba” with the students during the class, providing in-depth perspectives on the life and legacy of Kasturba Gandhi.

“I think what I admired about her was her resoluteness and her astute political understanding of that time. She used to observe nearly every meeting her husband, Mahatama Gandhi, had with people and leaders. An intriguing fact is that Bapu was traveling through Maharashtra when Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was freed from the Cellular Jail and placed under house arrest in Ratnagiri. He requested permission to visit Savarkar,” said the author.

However, he was informed that he was not permitted to enter Ratnagiri. Because he had met Savarkar during one of his travels from South Africa to England, he dispatched Ba (Kasturba Gandhi) to meet Savarkar. Following that encounter, he penned Hind Swaraj, a biblical ideological book that summarizes his views on Satyagraha, Swatantrata, and Swadeshi. He therefore desired to see Savarkar once more. However, he asked Ba to come see him after failing to obtain authorization. Ba then went to see Savarkar.

Mahadevbhai’s diary notes that she was extremely disturbed when she returned, but there is no documentation of that meeting.

A great session indeed for all.

Priyanka Dutta