‘The Light of Asia‘ is 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-Swami 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-Jawaharlal Nehru. Two copies of the book adorned the bookshelves of B.R. Ambedkar the prime architect of the Indian constitution. 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. 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’s English rendering of the Bhagavad Gita was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s abiding favourites. Sir Edwin was also in many ways the man who shaped Bodh Gaya as we know it today.

Isbn No.   9780670094837

Author:   Jairam Ramesh

Publisher:   Penguin Random House India

Binding:   Hardback

Language:   English

Edition:   1st

No. Of Pages :   448

Year Of Publication :   2021