THE POLAKS AND MAHATMA GANDHI : A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP BY PRABHA RAVI SHANKAR [PAPERBACK]

This book titled The Polaks and Mahatma Gandhi T Unique Relationship A is about the long and close association between Mahatma Gandhi and Henry Salomon Leon Polaks and his wife Millie Polak and the help and support they gave him at a time when he was evolving into a 'Mahatma in South Africa. The book has grown out of my previous book G.A. Natesan and National Awakening (2015). It was during the course of this research that I became acquainted with H.S.L. Polak (1882- 1959), who was not only a close political aide of Gandhi but also a principal fellow seeker after truth. Polak was the author of The Indians in Transvaal; Helots within the Empire and How They Are Treated (1909), in which he graphically described the miserable conditions of the Indian indentured labourers there. He was also the author of the first monograph on Gandhi, Mr. Gandhi: A Sketch of his Life and Work (1910) both published by Natesan. This was India's first published book on that great man. The Polaks also contributed immensely to Gandhian literature by writing various articles on him from time to time. Polak's account of his life from 1869 to 1914 is complete in every detail, his portrayal of Gandhi's trial and struggles in South Africa, in particular, is fascinating. Millie Graham Polak wrote Mr. Gandhi, the Man (1931) that provides into the personal life of Gandhi.

A deep insight Polak was the editor of the Indian Opinion from 1906 to 1916. He was Gandhi's able and trusted comrade who identified himself completely with the Indian cause and endeavoured to bring about the abolition of indentured labour. Even after his return to England in 1916, Polak continued to take interest in Indian affairs. He founded the Indians Overseas Association to defend the interests of the Indian people in the colonies