Ram Narayan Dube and Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

E-mail- [e-mail];

[e-mail]

Mailing Address- C- 29, Swaraj Nagar, Panki, Kanpur- 208020, Uttar Pradesh, India

 

 

Ram Narayan Dube and Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

 

Ram Narayan was a practitioner of Nature Cure. He practiced on it in guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He had taken freedom movement of India, especially in Uttar Pradesh. He had done a lot of experiment on nature cure and wrote to Mahatma Gandhi about its results. He wrote a book on nature cure. Mahatma Gandhi read it and asked question, which was arose in his mind. It is all right that you are sending your book but please give up the thought of dedicating it to me. If the book has power, that itself will be true dedication. I cannot say that I shall be able to read your book carefully. Maybe it will arouse my interest when I glance through it. As for meeting me, you can think of it when I have settled down at Sevagram. 1

I shall try to read the book. What do you do? Where did you learn nature cure? Is what you write in the book based on your own experience or culled from other books? Who runs the nature-cure clinic? Please tell me all about Parmahansa Pandit Bhavanishankar Maharaj. I mean that it would be better if I learnt a few things from you before I can safely recommend to anybody the treatment advocated in your book since the reading of it is likely to take some time. A number of books on sale are found to be practically worthless. The price of the book is indeed very high, which arouses suspicion. Do not worry about my massage. It is being done regularly. I shall read about the shatavari1 oil. 2  I read your book on nature cure. It is packed with information but there is much exaggeration. There is a “must” with every instruction. I passed on the book to a well-known vaidya to read the chapter on herbal science. He says that your claim cannot be proved. If it is so, the book needs to be drastically revised.

 

References:

 

1. LETTER TO RAMNARAYAN DUBE, November 2, 1945
2. LETTER TO RAMNARAYAN DUBE, May 28, 1946
3. LETTER TO RAM NARAYAN DUBE, October 24, 1946