Gandhi and the Ali Brothers : Biography of a Friendship

The campaign of the Khilafat Movement and the Ali brothers'close collaboration with Gandhi are well acknowledged in the pages of history. It is also well known that after the collapse of the Khilafat–Non-cooperation Movement, the relationship between them became strenuous, and the Ali brothers moved away from Gandhi. But what is not so well known is that the promise of the relationship when it was forged was astounding, and Gandhi saw it as a solution to the problem of Hindu-Muslim unity, which he considered fundamental to India's independence. This book is a study of the relationship between Gandhi and the Ali brothers mainly in the context of the Non-cooperation and Khilafat Movements, focusing on the period of 1919–1931. Gandhi's involvement in the Khilafat agitation was his first direct intervention in an exclusively Muslim question, translating it into a national question. This was his way of bringing the Muslims out of their community cocoons into the mainstream of India's national politics. However, as his relationship with the brothers broke down, this turned out to be also his last such intervention. Consequently, the issue of Muslim participation remained unsettled till Partition. Gandhi and the Ali Brothers narrates the story of the coming together, the joint struggle and the parting of ways of Gandhi and the Ali brothers. It documents a lucid micro-history of the momentous developments in the personal relations of these political figures, with the dynamics of Hindu-Muslim interface as the backdrop. The campaign of the Khilafat Movement and the Ali brothers close collaboration with Gandhi are well acknowledged in the pages of history. It is also well known that after the collapse of the KhilafatNon-cooperation Movement, the relationship between them became strenuous, and the Ali brothers moved away from Gandhi. But what is not so well known is that the promise of the relationship when it was forged was astounding, and Gandhi saw it as a solution to the problem of Hindu-Muslim unity, which he considered fundamental to Indias independence. This book is a study of the relationship between Gandhi and the Ali brothers mainly in the context of the Non-cooperation and Khilafat Movements, focusing on the period of 19191931. Gandhis involvement in the Khilafat agitation was his first direct intervention in an exclusively Muslim question, translating it into a national question. This was his way of bringing the Muslims out of their community cocoons into the mainstream of Indias national politics. However, as his relationship with the brothers broke down, this turned out to be also his last such intervention. Consequently, the issue of Muslim participation remained unsettled till Partition. Gandhi and the Ali Brothers narrates the story of the coming together, the joint struggle and the parting of ways of Gandhi and the Ali brothers. It documents a lucid micro-history of the momentous developments in the personal relations of these political figures, with the dynamics of Hindu-Muslim interface as the backdrop. Gandhi's notion of multicultural nationalism, in the 1920s, was too early for its time. The world was in a flux; the map of Europe was being redrawn on 'ethnic nationalism', the foundation then for self-determination of the people and the politics of the nation. It would require many tragedies of the twentieth century, many exposures of criminal nationalism, from Nazism in Germany to ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, to make a case for tolerance and multicultural nationhood that Gandhi had aspired for. By mid-1920s, Muslims in India have realized their political interest as distinguished from Hindu interests; Hindus and Muslims broke out in frequent communal violence. Despite this, Gandhi stated, with brimming confidence-as he still had faith in his alliance with the Alis-that he was 'striving to be the best cement between the two communities'. Three years later, in 1927, Gandhi had to beat a retreat, declaring, 'I dare not touch the problem of Hindu-Muslim unity. It has passed out of human hands, and has been transferred to God's hands alone.' The Gandhi-Ali brothers' alliance had fallen through; the last major attempt at a Hindu-Muslim unity within a political framework till India went on to see the horror of the Partition of India in 1947. Book jacket The Theory: Communitarianism, Multiculturalism And Gandhi -- The History -- The Characters: The Ali Brothers -- Love At First Sight -- Troubled Alliance -- Journey Downhill -- End Of The Road -- Conclusion: Multiculturalism In Retreat (multiculturalism Before Its Time). Rakhahari Chatterji. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 Preface 10 1 - The Theory: Communitarianism, Multiculturalism and Gandhi 14 2 - The History 37 3 - The Characters: The Ali Brothers 65 4 - ‘Love at First Sight’ 92 5 - Troubled Alliance 126 6 - Journey Downhill 161 7 - End of the Road 189 8 - Conclusion 221 Index 237 About the Author 242