Harilal Gandhi

Book excerpt: Harilal Gandhi, the eldest son of Mohandas and Kasturba Gandhi, is a mysterious, fascinating figure. Paradoxically, Harilal has also been the subject of much speculation in recent times. Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal s life of Harilal Gandhi is the only full-length biography available on him. It reconstructs a life from letters, family records and archives of the Sabarmati Ashram, and old files of newspapers. Apart from the life of Harilal Gandhi as chronicled by Chandulal Dalal, Tridip Suhrud has included twelve appendices constituting of hitherto unpublished letters and related material. Chandulal Dalal s biography, combined with the Translator s Appendices, contains the complete published, un-published and archival material available on Harilal Gandhi.