Rajmohan Gandhi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rajmohan Gandhi
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Gandhi in 1960
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| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 1990-92 |
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| Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 August 1935 New Delhi, British India |
| Political party | Aam Aadmi Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Janata Dal |
| Spouse | Usha Gandhi |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Ramchandra Gandhi (brother) Gopalkrishna Gandhi (brother) Mahatma Gandhi (paternal grandfather) Kasturba Gandhi (paternal grandmother) C. Rajagopalachari (maternal grandfather) |
| Occupation | Biographer, journalist, politician |
| Awards | International Humanitarian Award (human rights) |
Rajmohan Gandhi was born on August 7, 1935. He is an Indian writer, historian, and politician. He also teaches as a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US.
You might know his famous grandfathers! His paternal grandfather was Mahatma Gandhi, a leader of India's independence movement. His maternal grandfather was Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari, another important figure in Indian history. Rajmohan Gandhi is also a scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar.
In 1989, he joined a political party called Janata Dal. He ran in an election but did not win. Later, in 2014, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party and ran for election again, but also lost.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Rajmohan Gandhi was born in New Delhi on August 7, 1935. His parents were Devdas Gandhi and Lakshmi Gandhi. His father, Devdas, was the managing editor of a newspaper called the Hindustan Times.
Rajmohan Gandhi went to St. Stephen's College. His maternal grandfather, C. Rajagopalachari, was a very important person. He was the last Governor General of India and a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi.
Career and Writings
Academic Work and Activism
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Rajmohan Gandhi helped create Asia Plateau. This is a special conference center in Panchgani, India, for a group called Initiatives of Change.
In 2002, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award. This award was for his book Rajaji: A Life. The book is a biography about his maternal grandfather, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, who was a key leader in India's fight for freedom.
He has written many other books too. Some of his works include Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns and Revenge & Reconciliation: Understanding South Asian History. He also wrote about Vallabhbhai Patel, who was India's Deputy Prime Minister. One of his earlier books, The Good Boatman: A Portrait of Gandhi, was even translated into Chinese. His recent book, Punjab, tells the history of the region before India was divided.
Before teaching at the University of Illinois, he worked as a research professor. He was at a research center in New Delhi called the Centre for Policy Research. From 1985 to 1987, he was an editor for the Indian Express newspaper in Madras (now Chennai).
Awards and Recognition
Rajmohan Gandhi has received several awards for his work. In 2004, he got the International Humanitarian Award for human rights. This award came from the city of Champaign, Illinois. He also has honorary doctorates from the University of Calgary and Obirin University in Tokyo.
He is currently a judge for the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award. He also helps lead the Centre for Dialogue & Reconciliation in Gurgaon. In 2019, he contributed to a book called A New Divan: A Lyrical Dialogue Between East and West.
Views on History
In 2018, Rajmohan Gandhi spoke at the Oxford Union. He talked about the division of British India. He believes that welcoming the partition suggests that people from different backgrounds cannot live together. He thinks this is a "regressive suggestion."
He also believes that the idea of people with the same religion or race always getting along perfectly is "hilarious." He feels that the partition actually made problems worse. Rajmohan Gandhi strongly believes that "India belongs to all who live in it."
Political Journey
In 1989, Rajmohan Gandhi ran in the Lok Sabha election. This is an election for the lower house of the Indian Parliament. He ran against Rajiv Gandhi in Amethi but did not win.
From 1990 to 1992, he served in the Rajya Sabha. This is the upper house of the Indian Parliament. During this time, he led India's group to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. In the Indian Parliament, he helped lead a committee that looked after the conditions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
On February 21, 2014, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party. He ran in the 2014 general election from the East Delhi constituency but lost.
Personal Life
Rajmohan Gandhi is married to Usha Gandhi. They have two children together.
