Jaati ke Viruddh Gandhi ka Sangharsh

The book seeks to examine Gandhi''s understanding of the caste and varna, and his evolving strategies to abolish it. It divides the entire political career of Gandhi in India into five periods--1915 to 1920, 1920 to 1927, 1927 to 1932, 1932 to 1945, and 1945 to 1948--based on the themes that emerge in his writings during those years on issues of untouchability, caste, varna, sanatani Hindu, inter-dining, and inter-caste marriage. It traces the evolution of Gandhi''s views, exploring shifts and turns in the context of political and social development of the time.

In 1909, while still in South Africa, Gandhi publicly decried the caste system for its inequalities. Shortly after his return to India though, he spoke of the generally beneficial aspects of caste. Gandhi''s writings on caste reflect contradictory views and his critics accuse him of neglecting the unequal socio-economic structure that relegated Dalits to the bottom of the caste hierarchy. So, did Gandhi endorse the fourfold division of the Indian society or was he truly against caste? In this book, Nishikant Kolge investigates the entire range of what Gandhi said or wrote about caste divisions over a period of more than three decades: from his return to India in 1915 to his death in 1948. Interestingly, Kolge also maps Gandhi''s own statements that undermined his stance against the caste system. These writings uncover the ''strategist Gandhi'' who understood that social transformation had to be a slow process for the conservative but powerful section of Hindus who were not yet ready for radical reforms. Seven decades after it attained freedom from colonial powers, caste continues to influence the socio-political dynamics of India, and Gandhi against caste --the battle is not over yet.