Gandhi’s method of non-violence faced significant challenges after Jinnah’s declaration of Direct Action Day, continuing until the partition and beyond. The miracle of non-violence seemed to fade, leaving peace as a fleeting hope. To counter the violence, Gandhi walked through areas devastated by violence- Noakhali, Bihar, Calcutta, and Delhi in the last fifteen months of his life, before his tragic assassination. During these travels, he advocated for peace and offered courage to those in need. In his recent book, 'Gandhi: The End of Non-Violence', Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee delves deeper into the questions that remain: Why did a nation that had fought through non-violence descend into violence? What is the psychology behind communal violence? What is non-violence, and how can it transform the human condition? What does it mean ‘to die a beautiful death’? And how can one write the history of a period so tragic? Tune into this episode to find answers to these questions and many others.
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