The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Stop distribution of revised book on Gandhi'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Stop distribution of revised book on Gandhi'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, NOV. 7. The Union Government should immediately stop distribution of the revised edition of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi within or outside the country until the authorities concerned give "satisfactory explanations" on deletions, omissions and alterations made in the latest edition.

This decision was taken at a meeting called by a number of Gandhian institutions here on Sunday.

Criticising the "carelessness" shown by the authorities in republishing the book, the meeting called upon the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which published the revised edition in 2001, to make public names of persons involved in the revision.

La. Su. Rengarajan, who worked as Officer on Duty and Deputy Director in the Publications Division during 1964-89 for the original edition, said researchers the world over regarded this particular series as a universal and standard reference for authenticity. Academic discipline had been given up. The Government should make arrangements for republication without any changes.

B.S. Raghavan, former West Bengal Chief Secretary, said there should be no sanitisation of "prime and pristine archival material" such as the Collected Works. The services rendered by K. Swaminathan, Chief Editor in charge of the original edition, and his team had not been recognised in the new edition. This should be corrected.

R. Gandhi, senior advocate, said public interest litigation could be filed in the High Court on this matter. K. Kasturirangan, former Editor of Dinamani, said all Gandhians should come together under one umbrella and work together for the purpose.

Kumari Anandan, former president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, said he would extend his help for mobilising public opinion in this issue.

P.N. Srinivasan, Editor of the Tamil magazine Bharatamani, said the Government should make use of the services of Mr. Rengarajan .

Giving specific instances of alterations and modifications, A. Annamalai, Director, Gandhi Study Centre, said it would require a large number of researchers and scholars for comparing the two editions and spotting every deletion or omission. His organisation would be keen on associating itself with any such task.

Dharampal, historian, said all the deletions and omissions should be listed which should be brought to the notice of the President and Prime Minister.

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