''Scrap Book'', formally published as ''Govardhanrám Madhavrám Tripáthi's Scrap Book'', is a diary written by Indian writer Govardhanram Tripathi from 1885 to 1906. It is a repository of the author's wide-ranging thoughts, including on moral and spiritual conflicts. It provides many details about Govardhanram's life and family.

Background

Govardhanram obtained his

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree in 1883 after repeated failures, and moved to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

in 1884 to practice as a

pleader A special pleader was a historical legal occupation. The practitioner, or "special pleader" in English law specialised in drafting "pleadings", in modern terminology statements of case. History Up to the 19th century, there were many rules, tech ...

at high court. In January 1885, when he was 30, he started writing ''Scrap Book''. He noted in it important points and quotations from books that he read. He wrote in the diary till 3 November 1906, a few months before his death. It is believed that Govardhanram maintained a personal diary also, but this has not been found. Originally spanning seven notebooks, it was edited by (whose name is romanized as Kantilal Pandya), Sanmukhlal Pandya, and Ramprasad Bakshi and published in three volumes from 1957 to 1959. Bakshi published an abridged version in Gujarati titled ''Govardhanram Ni Manannondh''.

The subjects of the ''Scrap Book'' can be divided in three sections: (1) Govardhanram's speculations and comments on Hindu religio-philosophical texts and concepts; (2) his views on contemporary socio-political issues, issues, institutions and leaders; and (3) problems, resentments and pain in his personal life as the head of

Hindu joint family A Hindu joint family or Hindu undivided family is an extended family arrangement prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly in India, consisting of many generations living in the same household, all bound by the common relations ...

. The notes in the ''Scrap Book'' include Govardhanram's personal comments on a wide range of subjects including his personal problems, his nature, emotions, ideals, the problem of his retiring from the active life, Sannyas and Yoga, family life and its problems, perception on the soul, God, life after death, virtue, immorality, bliss, astrology, his own writings, and contemporary events.

Reception

In Tridip Suhrud's assessment, ''Scrap Book'' was outstanding among Indian self-focused compositions that elaborate on the themes and the quest of the medieval Bhakti tradition, giving, perhaps for the first time, a vernacular version of the idea that the

self In philosophy, the self is an individual's own being, knowledge, and values, and the relationship between these attributes. The first-person perspective distinguishes selfhood from personal identity. Whereas "identity" is (literally) same ...

is an experimental locus, where what is recorded, the outer and inner worlds, while fusing in the self can simultaneously be disentangled to create separate dimensions. The most exemplary modern expression of the paradox was, he added,

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

. Scholars including Uttamlal Trivedi and Balwantray Thakore have extensively used these observations while writing on Govardhanram.

References

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Background

Contents

Reception

References

External links