Only They Can Say

This book is the second and concluding volume of Ramachandra Guha's magisterial biography of Mahatma Gandhi. It chronicles Gandhi's return to India in 1914 and his subsequent leadership in the Indian independence movement, focusing on his efforts to end British rule, promote Hindu-Muslim unity, abolish untouchability, and foster economic self-reliance. Guha's narrative explores Gandhi's innovative methods of nonviolent resistance and his complex relationships with key figures like Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

This book is the first part of a two-volume biography of Mahatma Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha. It delves into Gandhi's life from his birth in 1869 to his return to India in 1915, covering his upbringing in Gujarat, his years as a student in London, and his two decades as a lawyer and community organizer in South Africa. The biography draws on newly uncovered materials to provide a vivid portrait of Gandhi's development of the techniques of civil disobedience, particularly the concept of 'Satyagraha' or 'truth force,' which he formulated in response to the discrimination faced by Indians in South Africa.