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This year 132nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated on 2nd October amidst questions revolving around the relevance of his principles and messages today. The questions arose particularly in the wake of the United States of America-led war against international terrorism. Questions were: Has India bid a good bye to Gandhiji's message of satya (Truth) and ahimsa (Non-Violence)? Can violence or terrorism be countered only by violence or terrorism?

One can find answer in the Union Home Minister L K Advani's assertions. He said in such a situation India had no alternative other than joining the US-led declared war. Interestingly, Advani is not alone in his approach. There are some others who also think the same way.

Several programmes were organised in the country to discuss this important phenomenon. The debate "Could the problem of world terrorism be tackled by the message of Gandhiji?" held at Kendriya Vidyalaya, AGCR Colony in the trans-Yamuna area of Delhi, gave a strange result. All the three students speaking against the motion won. This also showed the direction the wind was blowing. These students proved that Gandhiji might be the Father of the Nation and the most respected personality, but Gandhism appears to have no say in this country now.
In the backdrop of the above trend, the book under review "Gandhi: A Sublime Failure", published by Rupa & Co, seems to be a timely and relevant venture. The 268-page book is written by S S Gill, former secretary of Information and Broadcasting. Awarded Padma Bhushan in 1985, he also served as CEO of Prasar Bharati. Author of two books---"The Pathology of Corruption" and "The Dynasty: A Political Biography of the Ruling Family of Modern India"---,included in the Best Seller Lists, he is a columnist. His present book has brought him into a controversy and limelight too.
This book examines Gandhiji in the light of his agenda whether political, social or religious under eight different headings. While unearthing reasons for Gandhiji's failure, the book also enquires into the basis of his abiding universal appeal.
Earlier, nobody has written a book on this aspect of Gandhiji. Only Michael Hart, in his "The 100", has just touched it. While explaining why Gandhiji has not been included in his masterpiece he says: "Is this conclusion not correct that as a philosopher Gandhi failed completely. One understands this fact more clearly in the present age."

S S Gill has in ten chapters tried to prove through Gandhiji's own writings and other facts that none of his major projects got success. He led two great satyagrahas---Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements---but neither could achieve any of its declared objectives. He gave Hindu-Muslim unity the highest priority. But the Muslims never recognised him as their leader. He left no stone unturned in removing untouchability, but the untouchables did not accept him as their messiah. Now even the word 'Harijan', coined by him, is not appreciated by them. So far as the liberation of India from the yoke of Britain is concerned, it is said that if there were no Gandhiji, India had even then to gain Independence in the then prevailing situation after the end of the Second World War and colonial rule. Besides, observers also say that when the process of Partition was completed and both parts of the undivided India passed through a terrible holocaust, Gandhiji was no longer the top most and powerful political leader like Iran's Ayatullah Ruhullah Musavi Khomeini or South Africa's Nelson Mandela.

The book has revealed some startling facts for the first time. According to the author, Gandhiji had himself started realising the results of his experiments. Referring to Louis Fischer's The Life of Mahatma Gandhi (Harper Collins Pub, 1997, p 588), S S Gill quotes Gandhiji: "Have I led the country astray?" and "Is there something wrong with me, or are things really going wrong?" Another reference is to N K Bose's Studies in Gandhism (Kolkata, 1947, p 97) wherein Gandhiji has been quoted: "Truth and ahimsa, by which I swear and which have to my knowledge sustained me for sixty years seem to fail. My own doctrine was failing. I don't want to be a failure but a successful man. But it may be I may die a failure."

The book is unquestioningly a re-evaluation of a man who came back to India from South Africa in the early 20th century and soon dominated the scene, forcing the then towering figures like Dadabhai Naoroji and his comrade-in-arm Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Roy, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and C R Das, in the words of S K Majumdar, to go to almost political oblivion or out of limelight. q