Kasturba Gandhi
Brij Mohan Bhalla
‘If anything she stood above me. But for her unfailing co-operation
I might have been in the abyss...
- M.K. Gandhi
The contributions of Kasturba Gandhi to Indias struggle for Independence have not been given the critical
position they deserve, argues Professor B.M. Bhalla in this seminal study, Kasturba Gandhi: A Biography. In
its portrayal of Kasturba as an activist and wife, walking along with the Mahatma, first in South Africa and
then in India, her story should be read in terms of the struggle of Indian women for identity, equality and selfempowerment.
This biography delineates how she became an ardent follower of her husbands great mission
and how she struggled to retain her individuality in difficult situations in public and private life. Her capacity
to adapt to changed conditions and circumstances, her courage to face adversity, loss and dangers matched her
husbands. By Gandhis own confession, his ‘better half, this study is a vital re-assessment of Kasturba Gandhis
position within the Indian freedom movement.
Born in Dinga district of Gujrat in what is now Pakistan, Prof. B.M. Bhalla has had a long and distinguished teaching career in Delhi University. His works have been published in various national and international journals and his translation of the Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s celebrated verse epic Luna won him the prestigious Delhi State Sahitya Academy Award in 2003.