The project
of compilation and publication of Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG)
was initiated in 1956 and the publication of its English version was completed
in 1994 with the publication of the last volume of the 100-volume series.
The volumes can be categorized as under:
- Collected
Works in chronological order (Volume Nos.1-90)
- Supplementary
volumes (Volume Nos.91-97)
- Subject
Index (Volume No.98)
- Name
Index (Volume No.99)
- Prefaces
9Volume No.100)
To facilitate the compilation of the works, the
Government had appointed an Advisory Board in 1956 itself. The following were its members during 1994
at the time of the publication of the Volume No.100:
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Late Shri Morarji Desai
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Chairman
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Shri Ramlal Parikh
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Member
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Shri Jitendra Desai
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Member
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Joint Secretary in the Ministry in-charge of Publications
Division
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Member
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Director, Publications Division
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Member
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Chief Editor, CWMG
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Member
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In the earlier years, eminent
persons like Kaka Saheb Kalelkar, Devdas Gandhi, Pyarelal, Maghanbhai P. Desari
etc. had been its members.
On the 2nd October 1999, the Publications Division
released a CD on Mahatma Gandhi, which contained more than 50000 pages of the
CWMG arranged in a chronological order.
Simultaneously, the Division brought out a Revised Version of CWMG.
A number of
complaints were received from Gandhian institutions and eminent individuals
including Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya, Prasthan Ashram,
Gandhi Peace foundation, Sabarmati Ashram Preservation amd Memorial Trust,
Servants of Peoples Society, Navajivan Trust, Registrar of Gujarat Vidyapith,
Shri Tridip Suhrud, Shri La Su Rengarajan, Shri Chunibhai Vaidya, Dr. Thomas
Webber (LA Trobe University, Australia) and Gene Sharp (The Albert Einstein
Institution, USA), about innumerable errors and misleading deletions. Several questions were also raised in
Parliament. Taking note of such
concerns, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took a decision to
constitute a Committee consisting of:
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Shri Narayan Desai
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Chairman
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Shri B.R. Nanda
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Member
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Shri Enugu Srinivasulu Reddy
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Member
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Shri J.P. Uniyal
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Member
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Shri Anupam Mishra
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Member
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Shri P.K. Tripathi, JS(P&A), Ministry of I&B
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Member Secretary
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The Committee held a number of meetings at Ahmedabad and
Delhi. Apart from discussions among
members, the Committee also went into various representations received in the
Ministry. The Committee also had the
opportunity to hear out from some Gandhian scholars, who volunteered to appear
before it. After thoroughly examining
the issues, the Committee submitted their report.
Based on the recommendations of
the Committee and other material on record, the Ministry has taken the
following decisions:
(i) To stop the
sale of the revised edition and reversion to the original edition.
(ii) The
original edition will be treated as the official edition.
(iii) CD-ROM will
be revised and will contain the facsimile of the original edition.
(iv) To help and
guide those who have already purchased the revised edition, a Concordance Table
already prepared will be made available.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India
New Delhi; Jyaistha 27, 1927, June 17, 2005
NSD/AS
(Release ID :9754)