''Thy Hand, Great Anarch!'' is a 1987

autobiographical 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 ...

sequel to Indian essayist Nirad C. Chaudhuri's ''

The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian ''The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian'' is the 1951 autobiography of Indian writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri. Written when he was around 50, it records his life from his birth in 1897 in Kishoreganj, a small town in present-day Bangladesh. The book ...

''. Its title was inspired from the concluding couplet of

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

's ''

The Dunciad ''The Dunciad'' () is a landmark, mock-heroic, narrative poem by Alexander Pope published in three different versions at different times from 1728 to 1743. The poem celebrates a goddess, Dulness, and the progress of her chosen agents as they ...

'' which runs thus:
Written when Chaudhuri was in his 80s, this book provides a perspective to the Indian political scene from the 1920s to

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

. The book covers the writer's working life in India, first as a clerk in the Military Accounts Department, then as an editor, writer and publicist. While as a clerk, he came across

Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia U ...

's '' Scholar Gypsy'' which inspired him to leave his secure government job and become a writer, which he thought was his calling. Although always a severe critic of

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 ...

, Chaudhuri shows a remarkable respect for the Mahatma when the latter led the masses in the

Civil Disobedience Movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

References

1988 non-fiction books Gandhism Indian autobiographies {{lit-bio-book-stub