Mahadev Desai (january 1, 1892 - August 15, 1942) was an Indian freedom fighter, a nationalist writer and most famously known for being the personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Early Life

Mahadev Desai was born on January 1st, 1892 at Saras, a village in Olpad Taluka of Surat district of the Indian state of Gujarat, where his father Haribhai Desai was a school teacher. The family originally hailed from Dihen in the same district. He lost his mother Jamnaben when he was only seven years old. Gujarat was also the birthplace and home of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the most prominent leaders in the Indian Independence Movement.

The freedom struggle

Desai was a young lawyer in Ahmedabad when he

Mahadev Desai was arrested with Gandhi during all the nationalist revolts. The chief period of interest is the time Gandhi was incarcerated in the Yeravda Jail near Pune, Maharashtra from 1931 to 1934. Desai wrote most of his important works on Gandhi during this period. When arrested during the Quit India movement and sent to the Aga Khan Palace for imprisonment, he died on August 15th, 1942.

Gandhi was devastated by Desai's death at a young age. Both Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi had seen him as their son, and his death was mourned by Gandhi's supporters across the country.

He wrote several books on the non-violent struggles led by Gandhi in India, and a diary called Day to Day with Gandhi in 9 volumes.

His son

Bibliography

• A Righteous Struggle
• With Gandhi in Ceylon, 1928.
• The Story of Bardoli, 1929
• Swadeshi-True and False, 1929.
• Unworthy of Wardha, 1929.
• Eclipse of Faith, 1929.
• The Nation?s Voice, 1932.
• The Epic of Travanancore, 1937.
• Gandhi Seva Sangh, 1940.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, 1940.
• Kheti ni Jamin, Gujarati, 1942.
• The Geeta according to Gandhi, 1942.
• Day to Day with Gandhi, post-mortem.