Conduct above all

In one who will stand up to power — not just to those who happen to be in office at a particular moment, but to establishments that embody power: like the establishments of entrenched religions — conduct and character are everything. I remember how struck I was thirty years ago when I inquired from the Navjivan Trust the circulation figures of Gandhiji’s writings. The figures nail the point even today, and are worth pondering over, especially in this day of sound-byte journalism and the “breaking news” of this shift, to say nothing of the day.

The english version of Gandhiji’s autobiography was first printed in 1927. The print order was a mere 6000 copies. The next printing was not needed till 1940, thirteen years later. This was the period when Gandhiji was quite the undisputed leader of the national movement and yet less than 500 copies of one of his most significant books were being absorbed by the market in a year. Hind Swaraj, which he often insisted was his testament, did no better: between 1925 and 1941 only 7000 copies of this little book were printed. His Satyagraha in South Africa was an indispensable account for understanding the evolution and conduct of the techniques of political action that were then moving the country. This account fared even worse: only 3000 copies of it were printed in 1924; a second printing was not needed till 1940.

Even in the journals which he began and on which he relied, Harijan and Young India, saw their circulation dwindle. In the early stages the circulation of Harijan had reached 40,000 and that of Young India 30,000. For a country of millions, these were not earth-shaking numbers. Moreover, the circulation did not always remain in the 30-40,000 range. In 1925, Gandhiji was concerned that the circulation of Harijan had dropped to 6000 and that of Young India to 5000. True, the Gujarati editions of his books sold a larger number of copies. Between 1927 and 1940, against the 6000 copies of the English edition of his autobiography, 50,000 copies of the Gujarati edition found buyers. But even 50,000 copies over the 13-year period — less than 4000 copies a year — in the language and region of the Mahatma himself is not a very impressive figure.

... contd.