The Light of Asia

<p><i>The Light of Asia</i>&#160is an epic poem by Sir Edwin Arnold that was first published in 1879. It is a narrative of the life and message of the Buddha. It quickly became a huge sensation and has continued to resonate powerfully across the world over the last century and a half. The poem captivated an Indian monk who remains an iconic personality&#8212Swami Vivekananda. At about the same time it deeply moved a young man in Colombo who has become famous in history as Anagarika Dharmapala. It caught the attention of an aspiring Indian lawyer in London in 1889. This man later became immortal as Mahatma Gandhi. A few years hence it impacted a teenager in Allahabad who would in 1947 become the first Prime Minister of India&#8212Jawaharlal Nehru. Two copies of the book adorned the bookshelves of B.R. Ambedkar the prime architect of the Indian constitution.</p><p>Weaving together literary cultural political and social history Jairam Ramesh uncovers and narrates the fascinating story of this deeply consequential and compelling poem that has shaped our thinking of an ancient sage and his teachings.</p><p>Jairam Ramesh brings into this unusual narrative the life of the multi-faceted poet himself who among other things was steeped in Sanskrit literature. Sir Edwin Arnold&#8217s English rendering of the Bhagavad Gita was one of Mahatma Gandhi&#8217s abiding favourites. Sir Edwin was also in many ways the man who shaped Bodh Gaya as we know it today.</p> About the Author Jairam Ramesh a Rajya Sabha MP was Union minister between 2006 and 2014 holding several key portfolios including environment and forests. He is the author of several well-known books includingIndira Gandhi A Life in Nature andIntertwined Lives P.N. Haksar and Indira Gandhi. His last bookA Chequered Brilliance The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon won the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2020.