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C. Rajagopalachari, the first Governor of independent India, was the "conscience keeper" of Gandhi. He shared nearly his deep thoughts with Gandhi for thirty years of colleagueship, hardships, and friendship. The letters of these men of letters and writers of masterpieces offer a rare glimpse into the lives of two intellectual celebrities and tallest Indians of our age. A sense of critically divergent opinions on the existential problems is a healthy respect for granting freedom to other person to agree to differ, but never to let him down or part with him.
CR surrendered his heart to his "Master', but never fully his critical mind and his choice of method of common struggle of freedom of India from the British rule. Gandhi sharply differed on many issues with CR, but never wanted to part with him. He was open-minded and he often agreed to differ with him for seeking truth (see, 227-28). Truth for him was the higher value than personal relations. Though Gandhi differed with Bhagat Singh's revolutionary approach, yet he tried to get him exonerated: "The 'truce' with Irwin goes through many vicissitudes, including the downward slide caused by the Viceroy's refusal to heed Gandhi's urgings on behalf of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, sentenced to death for Sanders’ murder`85"(p.132). Seven annexures shed light on Gandhi's fundamental doctrines (like on-violence). Recently, Gandhi's rare letters had gone under the hammer. These were offered for sale by Mullock's Auctioneers at Ludlow in the UK. The unique letters written by Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari have archival significance for research scholars engaged with Gandhian thought.
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CR's 88-year-old,
largely unpublished letters from the pen of a statesman (C.
Rajagopalachari) to his national leader, M. K. Gandhi, and to his
grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, are preserved in the family archives,
public and public repositories. The letters span from 1920 to 1955.
These letters reflect the struggle and endeavour made in the public
arena, besides the inner world of friends of home and hearth.
"There was a scarce a day when he (Gandhi) did not write a letter
(p.1)".