Deepa Bhatnagar

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (18781972), popularly known as Rajaji, was the first Governor General of independent India (194850).  A lawyer by profession, he was drawn into the non-violent nationalist movement steered by Mahatma Gandhi and came to be known as his ‘conscience-keeper’. He was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1955.  A prolific writer, he is also known for his books on the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. This volume looks at the period when Rajaji became involved in the freedom movement (190721).  It is a collection of articles and letters he wrote to prominent leaders like Gandhi, Gokhale, Vijiaraghavachariar, and in newspapers like The Hindu, Madras Mail and Commonweal. These give us an insight into the thoughts of one of the most important leaders of the Indian national movement in the Madras Presidency. Selected Works of C. Rajagopalachari, Vol. I, 190721 is the first in a series of ten volumes published in association with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) on the writings of Rajaji.