An archive of priceless documents discovered from the Carmel Mountain in Haifa has, for the first time, revealed the role a Jewish architect in creating the phenomenon called Mahatma Gandhi.
Researcher Shimon Lev from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who has extensively studied the archive, is all set to reveal to the world the story of a deep friendship between India's father of the nation and his "soulmate" Hermann Kallenbach.
In an exclusive interview to TOI's Kounteya Sinha, Lev says Kallenbach was Gandhi's confidante and partner in spiritual experiments who helped field test Gandhi's world renowned doctrine of non-violence. Lev will tell the world hitherto unknown facts of this intimate friendship when Lithuania unveils the statue of Gandhi and Kallenbach in Rusne on October 2"
Some years back, I wrote a series of articles about a hiking trail across Israel. During my hike, in a cemetery near the Sea of the Galilee, I went to see the neglected grave of Hermann Kallenbach where his ashes were buried. I published a few lines about Kallenbach. Surprisingly this resulted in an invitation by Mrs Isa Sarid - the niece of Kallenbach, to "have a look" at Kallenbach's Archive.
The archive was located in a tiny room in a small apartment up on the Carmel Mountain in Haifa. On the shelves there were numerous files carrying the name of Gandhi. One of the less known and missing chapters of Gandhi's early biography was waiting for a researcher to pick up the challenge. Finding an archive like this might be the fantasy of any historian. It was over a year later that I was trusted enough and was given the permission to copy documents from the archive. It took five years more to complete my research.
Researcher Shimon Lev from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who has extensively studied the archive, is all set to reveal to the world the story of a deep friendship between India's father of the nation and his "soulmate" Hermann Kallenbach.
In an exclusive interview to TOI's Kounteya Sinha, Lev says Kallenbach was Gandhi's confidante and partner in spiritual experiments who helped field test Gandhi's world renowned doctrine of non-violence. Lev will tell the world hitherto unknown facts of this intimate friendship when Lithuania unveils the statue of Gandhi and Kallenbach in Rusne on October 2"
Some years back, I wrote a series of articles about a hiking trail across Israel. During my hike, in a cemetery near the Sea of the Galilee, I went to see the neglected grave of Hermann Kallenbach where his ashes were buried. I published a few lines about Kallenbach. Surprisingly this resulted in an invitation by Mrs Isa Sarid - the niece of Kallenbach, to "have a look" at Kallenbach's Archive.
The archive was located in a tiny room in a small apartment up on the Carmel Mountain in Haifa. On the shelves there were numerous files carrying the name of Gandhi. One of the less known and missing chapters of Gandhi's early biography was waiting for a researcher to pick up the challenge. Finding an archive like this might be the fantasy of any historian. It was over a year later that I was trusted enough and was given the permission to copy documents from the archive. It took five years more to complete my research.
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