In the book Great Soul, Lelyveld is unafraid to highlight the sometimes flawed and sometimes naive thinking (e.g. when responding to the request of jewish leaders to mediate on the palestine issue) and means adopted by bapu to achieve the very noble goals. also points out the lack of a lasting impact on the big issues of caste and communal harmony. L admires the ability of MG to remain consistent on most issues despite his unceasing articulation and fine-tuning of his position. one wonders whether he would have been more successful if he had been able to evolve an advisory team to grapple with the complexities of a movement that sought to represent a diverse Indian population.

MG quickly became the leader of the movement and inaugurated mass politics in India by identifying with the masses. just as in s Africa subcontinent, he said, the real heroes were the indentured who continued to strike even when he was jailed, so in india the poorest were the ones he sought out for implementing the vision of change he had in mind.

MG not prepared to denounce caste system or bring it down in one big attack. L hints that his not being a brahmin made it difficult for him to dictate terms to the temple custodians. MG is not afraid to negotiate despite being self-contradictory at times e.g. in the well documented encounter with Vaikom priest Nambutiri in latter’s garden.

L says that MG not interested in mobilization outside Congress and then adds that Ambedkar’s “ he would like to uplift untouchables if he can but not by offending the Hindus” sums up essence of their divide and that Ambedkar, like MG, did not (want to) view untouchables as Hindus. He ends by saying that the choice was about what would be better- a segregated minority battling for rights or a tolerated adjunct with recognized rights. That MG might have been responsible in giving ambedkar, as the law minister and constitution maker, the national position he craved but never got till then. Ambedkar scathing in saying that MG failed in his attempt to spiritualise politics and that he had become commercialized by it.