Mahatma Gandhi

                 Mahatma Gandhi’s Campaign against Untouchability in Karnataka

Advocate’s view about the book:

This book is simple, lucid well-knitted when I read this book it took me to history of older era. Author Dr. G.A. Biradar had made remarkable job to touch the struggle of history to horizon. It is most authenticated script as it is based on documentary evidence. The entire fabric of book is being dealt pursuance to upliftment of Harijan, empowerment of women and weaker section. It would have most useful book to students, children, academicians, working institutions and research scholars all over the world forever. It gives us immaculate focus on how Mahatma Gandhi’s Campaign against Untouchability in Karnataka being led to non-violence freedom struggle.

 The author has made highest attempt to attain objective goal by defining social evils-psychology of different people, section, religious orthodox, drafting the law, enactment, implementation, over ever trodden path of Indian Soil. The words of Mr. Enrique Jardiel Poncela “When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing” are being enshrined in the art of Dr. G.A. Biradar. I hope evermore depict of Dr. G.A. Biradar may light the life of weaker section and be awarded with international honour.

        New Delhi                                                                                                                Naik H.K

        06-09-2011                                                                                                            Advocate

                                                                                                                                            Supreme Court of India

Mahatma Gandhi’s Campaign against Untouchability in Karnataka

Academician’s opinion about the book

                             

Dr. G.A. Biradar's book is a timely and most important intervention into debates about the history of the social reform of caste, and of untouchablity. The book focuses on the little known episode of untouchability reform during the anticolonial period in the Karnataka region, an area with a long history of anti-caste protest dating back to Basavanna. Dr. Biradar deftly draws on previously unknown archival materials to shed new light on the development of the anti-untouchability movement in Karnataka, and reveals Gandhi's signal role in the development of the movement in this region. The book thus brings an understudied region within the purview of Gandhian politics, caste history, and the history of anticolonialism more broadly.

Arvind Rajagopal

Professor of Sociology

New York University.

Dear Dr. G.A. Biradar,

 Mahatma Gandhi’s Campaign against Untouchability in Karnataka, which I read with great interest. This is one of the most comprehensive accounts I have read of an important, but understudied, phase of Gandhi’s career. You have done future scholars a service by putting together this record in an engaging and persuasive narrative. I feel I have learned a great deal from the book. The book is clearly a labour of love; and I congratulate you on its successful completion. I look forward to reading more of your work.

Mrinalini Sinha

Alice Freeman Palmer Professor of History

University of Michigan.

MUMBAI KARNATAKADALLI SAVINAYA KANOONU BHANGA CHALAVALI

                         MUMBAI KARNATAKADALLI SAVINAYA KANOONU BHANGA CHALAVALI

      Dear Dr. G.A. Biradar,

                    While I thank you for your thoughtful gesture of presenting me a copy of your book, in actual fact your untired and very long research under the caption “Civil Disobedience Movement in Bombay Karnataka”, I must say I got engrossed. My interest got accentuated first as a North Kannadiga myself and second, I too was part of ‘Satyagraha’, ‘Movement’, ‘Prabhatpheri’ etc as a Primary School student in K.E. Board School, Dharwar, in the mid forties. Our participation was mainly for the attraction of getting ‘Bendu Battas’, ‘Sweet’ and ‘Zin Medals’ to adorn our White Khaddar shirts, shorts and ‘Gandhi Caps’. Shouting slogans ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, ‘Jai Hind’, and also ‘Mahatma Gandhi jindabad’ etc etc. We youngsters went about Malmaddi area, without being much aware of the significance of the ‘Je Je Par’ and our own leaders.

                   We were, even till we became adults, conversant only with the big names of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Lokamany Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Vallabhbai Patel. I must admit in all the humility that your book has enlightened me of the fact that it was simple ordinary, both village and town folk who were actually instrumental in the great movement seeking the freedom for our country by peaceful means and bearing the brunt of police lathies and bullets.

                   Events of braggadocio, narrated by you of the village women in particular, who wouldn’t tolerate insults of their national leaders, would have remained dormant, if not for you educating even us, educated lot, in your narrations.

                   You have especially made us Belgaumites, happy when you take the names greats like  Channabasappa Ambli, Srinivas Rao Kowjalgi, Dr. N.S. Hardiker, Siddappa Hosmani and Paramanna Hosmani. Lo! you go on to mention the great contribution of Sidnalji of Sampagaon, who quickly organized a meeting of ‘Bapuji’ on his way to Bailhongal. You have rightly mentioned the name of Gangadharrao Deshpande, who was also known as ‘Lion of Karnataka’.

                      I hope Karnataka Government takes note of your sincere efforts and includes your book into the appropriate syllabus, as also by all schools of different states. Yes, we, especially today’s youth deserves to be made aware of their history-the freedom struggle in turn the value of history. Kudos to you Dr. Biradar, you are a hidden treasure. Feed us more of these narrations. God bless you.

       New Delhi                                                                                                       Basavaraj S. Kallur