Rather than writing a conventional biography of Gandhi, Ved Mehta turns his attention to the people who surrounded him.

He traces the history of his disciples, followers, political allies and spiritual heirs who helped shape, interpret and sometimes contest Gandhi’s vision. Through interviews, observation and historical reconstruction, Mehta builds a portrait not only of the man himself but of the wider community that formed around him and carried his ideas into independent India.

Originally published in the wake of extensive reporting and research, the book occupies a fascinating space between biography, oral history and political journalism. Mehta is attentive to contradictions, allowing Gandhi’s admirers and successors to emerge as complex figures rather than mere devotees. The result is both a study of one of the twentieth century’s most influential political thinkers and an examination of how charismatic movements survive after their founding figure is gone.

Ved Mehta remains one of the great literary journalists of the twentieth century, best known for his long association with The New Yorker. His writing combines rigorous reporting with a novelist’s eye for character, making this an unusually vivid entry point into modern Indian political and intellectual history.

Penguin paperback edition. 1980 reprint. Good condition with light shelf wear and creasing to covers.