EVENTS

Abstract

The first half of the twentieth century was an eventful period. In India, it saw the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi as the leading figure in the Indian National Movement, finally culminating in India’s independence and Gandhi’s assassination. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, The Eastern Miscellany (EM) took the lead in reporting about the events unfolding in the world in order to help Chinese people form informed opinions. Emergence and actions of Mahatma Gandhi readily attracted the attention of various contributors of The Eastern Miscellany. The EM brought out two special series of articles on Gandhi in 1922 and 1948, wherein Gandhi’s role in the Indian National Movement was praised, appraised and referred by the Chinese commentators. While encomiums were almost invariably showered on Gandhi, some of his actions were also criticised by the Chinese commentators. Debates were also carried on the relevance of Gandhi’s methods of non-violence and non-cooperation for China. 

About the Speaker

Prashant Kaushik is an M.Phil/Ph.D candidate at the Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He holds BA (H) and MA in History from University of Delhi and MA in Chinese from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has also studied Chinese language at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi and Heilongjiang University, Harbin, PRC.