Some of the important sources that are used by historians/scholars to understand Gandhi as an individual, his principles/ideologies and the mass movement initiated and undertaken during Gandhian era include the following:
1. Public Voice and Private Scripts of Eminent Personalities:
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Public voice includes the writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries, including both his associates and his political adversaries.
Public writing includes opinion expressed by individuals in journals/press/media/speeches.
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2. Official Records and Writings of British Officials:
The important events and developments in India were reported to the Home Government by the British administration in India on regular intervals.
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It basically constituted two kinds of reports. One was regarding general administration and activities. This was public document.
Another type of document constituted secret reports. All such reports are now open to study and scholars usually form opinion and analyze facts about the period after taking into consideration the official version of any important event.
Trials, tribulation, orders of the government and judements of the courts etc., helps us in understanding Mahatma.
3. Newspapers/Magazines/Printed Material:
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Mahatma Gandhi finds adequate attention in the writings of both national and international media of the period.
4. Autobiographies and Biographies:
They help us in understanding the personality of Mahatma. His Autobiography ‘My Experiments with Truth’ helps us in knowing about his early life.
5. Other Sources:
Folklore and popular stories of freedom fighters constitutes another source of information. Many aspects about the life of Mahatma are known through them.