[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  GANDHI: BEHIND THE MASK OF DIVINITY

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I have recently encountered a book entitled 
Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity, which sheds new light on the 
founder of India. The author, Colonel G. B. Singh, USA, portrays 
Mohandas Gandhi as a person who was more interested in advancing his 
own group than in the advancement of all people. Using Gandhi's own 
words, Colonel Singh portrays a very different Gandhi than you and I 
have been told about.
  Colonel Singh argues that the Gandhi we have been told about isn't 
the real Gandhi. He writes that he hopes that his book will stimulate 
discussion and provoke people to think about who Mohandas Gandhi really 
was. Since Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian nation, 
understanding his character is essential to understanding India.
  Colonel Singh's book is definitely controversial, but it is an 
important contribution to a full understanding of this important 
historical character.
  Madam Speaker, there is an excerpt from the book's introduction on 
the back cover, which has been reproduced, and I would like to 
introduce that two-paragraph excerpt into the Record at this time to 
give a flavor of the book and encourage people to broaden their 
perspective on Gandhi.

      From the Introduction to Gandhi: Behind The Mask of Divinity

                            (By G.B. Singh)

       Over the years I have discussed Gandhi with many Americans, 
     both formally and informally. . . . What continues to irk me 
     is the amount of Gandhi ``propaganda material'' that has 
     flooded our libraries and bookstores. For an unsuspecting 
     Westerner, the reading of Gandhi as he is portrayed on these 
     shelves can bring about the intended result. That is 
     understandable. This book is an attempt to close the gap 
     between the popularized Gandhi and the historical Gandhi. 
     This book will incite readers to be more open-minded and to 
     seek to validate the ``truths'' presented. My hope is that it 
     will provoke honest, healthy, and open dialogue and foster 
     more scrutiny about him. . .
       Years of dedicated research on Gandhi convinced me that our 
     hero was fundamentally a racist. In this book, I present the 
     facts. The evidence presented here is not a matter of 
     speculation or distorted interpretation. Much of the 
     irrefutable evidence lay buried beneath a mountain of 
     Gandhi's own writings--in his own words, which I have 
     uncovered--comments that will be difficult to dispute once 
     they are read. In this book you will read the evidence in its 
     entirety. My primary intention is to untangle the web that 
     Gandhi weaved--and his followers are still weaving--for many 
     years. Only through a methodical probing can we expose 
     Gandhi's campaign of deception: the lies, the propaganda, the 
     misinformation, the half-truths, and the effort to hide 
     behind religion. Where Gandhi left off, his followers have 
     picked up, and they continue their own sophisticated 
     campaigns, both in India and abroad. The book should not be 
     looked upon as another Gandhi biography. Rather, it should 
     provide a standard by which to weigh the Gandhi literature 
     for accuracy and objectivity. Also, this book, though 
     narrowly focused, should stand as a guide alerting us to how 
     thoroughly the Gandhi propagandists and others have succeeded 
     in deceiving us.

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