How have the different kinds of available sources helped the historians in reconstructing the political career of Gandhiji and the history of the national movement that was associated with it? Explain.

Solution

The different kinds of available sources which helped the historians in reconstructing the political career of Gandhiji and the history of the national movement that was associated with it:

(i) Public voice- One important source is the writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries, including both his associates and his political adversaries Speeches, for instance, allow us to hear the public voice of an individual,

(ii) Private scripts- Private letters give us a glimpse of his or her private thoughts. In letters we see people expressing their anger and pain, their dismay and anxiety, their hopes and frustrations in ways in which they may not express themselves in public statements

(iii) Autobiographies- It similarly give us an account of the past that is often rich in human detail. They tell us what the author could recollect, what he or she saw as important, or was keen on recounting, or how a person wanted his or her life to be viewed by others.

(iv) Through police eyes- Another vital source is government records, for the colonial rulers kept close tabs on those they regarded as critical of the government.

(v) From newspapers- One more important source is contemporary newspapers, published in English as well as in the different Indian languages, which tracked Mahatma Gandhi’s movements and reported on his activities, and also represented what ordinary Indians thought of him.