Gandhi’s Trials and Errors

Abstract

Drawing upon the personal as well as political life of Mahatma Gandhi, this article argues that a series of experiments shaped and determined Gandhi’;s life and politics. Experiments, usually associated with hesitance and lack of confidence, were what the Father of the Indian Nation took earnestly to ensure the seriousness of his intents and doings. Always open and willing to create, execute, modify and indulge in experiments, Gandhi made sure of what worked and what did not on the basis of pragmatic considerations and proper contexts, thereby working from truth to truth and adopting what he thought worked well and discarding what he deemed erroneous. Taking cues from Gandhi’;s writings and actions, the author further explores the interconnectedness between his experiments and experiences and hints at how the Mahatma was made as much of the failures as of the successes.