Laxman Bhole

Life of a Gandhian Laxman Bhole

Life of a Gandhian: Karmayogi Dadasaheb Chaudhari is a biographical-cum-political novel. It depicts a distinguished police inspector resigning from service in 1930 after a tortuous self-struggle coupled with meditation on Gandhian thinking followed by commitment to its lifelong practice. He started an ashram at his native village in East Khandesh of Bombay Province of British India on the model of Gandhiji's Sabarmati Ashram, inspired and organized youth in the district, participated in the freedom struggle and Gandhiji's constructive program of village upliftment and the society based on Gandian values. His choice of devoting to realize the ideals of Sarvodaya (Welfare of All) in the face of opposition from the conservative clique and exploiters of tribals vividly highlights the need for spirituality and service to society. Sub-plot with romantic color and native cultural glimpses is an additional feature of this novel. Almost everyone has sometime or other, a desire to do social service. This novel is, to that extent, the actualization of such a desire.