In such a scenario, the news that 3 lakh copies of a book, that too of a non-fiction work, were sold in less than four years is quite unbelievable. But that is what exactly happened in the case of the autobiography of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Within a span of three and a half years, 3 lakh copies of The Story of My Experiments with Truth or An Autobiography were sold. In the past three years, Gandhiji’s autobiography was the best seller in Malayalam. Sixty thousand copies were sold in 1998, 1,20,000 in 1999 and 1 lakh in 2001. Printing over 50,000 copies of a Malayalam book in a year is unprecedented.

    It was on January 30, 1998, that a new Malayalam translation of An Autobiography was launched by the Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in collaboration with the Poornodaya Book Trust, Kochi, Kerala. The translation was done by an eminent writer, Dr. George Irumbayam, and the work was edited by the great Malayalam poet and Gandhian social worker, late Prof. G. Kumara Pillai. Fifteen editions of the book, with 20,000 copies in each, have been sold by now. The sixteenth edition will be out soon. In addition to the Malayalam translation, the English version of the book has also been moving fast in the recent past in Kerala.

    A systematic campaign undertaken jointly by Navajivan, a trust founded by Gandhiji himself and Poornodaya, a public trust formed by a group of Gandhian social workers for the propagation of Gandhian ideals, was instrumental in this successful venture. A mobile book exhibition organized by them covered around 1,200 schools in the past three academic years. The Government Girls High School, Cotton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram, witnessed a historic event when all the students of the School bought copies of An Autobiography. The special scheme to supply the book at reduced prices to students was launched at the St. Mary’s High School, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram. The workers of Poornodaya and all others associated with the inaugural function were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the students, 850 of whom obtained their copies of An Autobiography on the spot.

    The Malayalam translation of The Story Of My Life, an abridged version of the autobiography is also very popular with the students. Published in 1999, thirty thousand copies of the book have so far been sold.

    The selfless work done by a social worker-cum-politician for the propagation of Gandhiji’s ideals among the youngsters also merits special mention here. Shri K.A. Chandran, a member of Kerala Legislative Assembly, representing Kollangode in Palakkad district has supplied copies of An Autobiography to all high school students in his constituency, subsidizing it with funds from his own pocket.