My Experiments with reading.. 

  Well, they were right when they said MBA and love make you do things which you never have! This is one of those things I never thought I would do. Reading an autobiography was never on my to-do list, and specially a serious solemn type was out of question. Pardon me for the cliche, but you never learn anything new unless you do something you never have. So for our blogging assignment, I read a part of the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi- My Experiments with Truth. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how interesting it was! There were somethings which I liked and appreciated, some things I totally detested and some things were plain ridiculous. Anyhow, this book reading assignment was one of the most interesting ones so far. I read the 3rd part of the autobiography. It describes Gandhiji's journey in South Africa, his journey back to his roots and the incidences-experiences en route. Gandhiji along with a hoard of fellow Indians to South Africa and they face racial discrimination. The thing that stroked the most about him how to maintain a cool demeanor in crisis and the ability to handle situations. He had a tremendous sense of balance and lived by the saying 'forgiveness is a virtue'. On the other hand, he seemed to be very dominating- he home schooled his children against their will, embraced celibacy irrespective of his wife's true wishes, his refusal to let the doctor start a non vegetarian diet when in ill health. He came across as a very melancholic, serious person who could never let his hair down and enjoy the moment. But, he was a fabulous leader, and leadership came to him effortlessly. He believed truth alone prevailed and that he was one headstrong person who took the bull by its horns, without running away. This is very evident with his stint with the whites at Natal. There are a lot of references of legends like Phirozshah Mehta, Gokhale, Annie Besant. He seemed to have a very good PR and social skills. Another very remarkable thing about him which comes across very strongly is he was as comfortable having English Tea with whites as he was with interacting with Indian peasants. He was a leader of the masses and the classes both. In the later half of the section, Gandhiji recalls his experience of becoming a Congress leader in South Africa, and his experience of managing public funds and government institutions for the first time. He seemed to worship his idols, yet stand up and speak his mind against them. His stay with Gokhale is a live example of the same. I remember his lesson on 'Svavalambhan/Self Help' vividly about him doing his own laundry and haircut as we had a chapter on the same back in school. This section is a very small part of his life, but his thoughts and ideas strikes you hard as intense, extremist and sometimes cynical. I am now all grabs for reading the entire book! Everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Stefen Covey talk about Gandhiji! Lets see how he influences me!