The Dawn Of Life: M. K. Gandhi In South Africa

The Dawn of Life is an engaging memoir by Prabhudas Gandhi, first serialized in the handwritten journal Madhpudo and published as a book in 1948 in the turbulent aftermath of independence. Awarded the Narmad Suvarna Chandrak, this work offers a vivid account of Gandhi’s imagination of swaraj—both personal and collective—through the innocent yet probing memories of a young boy who migrated to Phoenix Settlement in 1905 to join his father and uncle Maganlal Gandhi. Beneath its simplicity lies a powerful invitation for readers to confront their own fears, prejudices, and violent impulses. Now available in English after more than a century, the memoir calls for the recovery of a dawn long obscured by communalism, casteism, and chauvinism. Translated by Hemang Ashwinkumar, this book stands as a unique witness to India’s history and the subcontinent’s struggle for identity. Prabhudas Gandhi (1901–1995), grandnephew of Mahatma Gandhi, was a Gujarati writer, translator, and Gandhian activist whose life reflected ideals of satyagraha, service, and simplicity. He participated in major movements—Champaran, Bardoli, Quit India—and was repeatedly imprisoned, leaving behind works that embody Gandhian values in action.