Certain significant events which occurred during this period influenced the struggle for freedom in more than one way. One of such events was a book by Ms Mayo styled “Mother India”. 

The book contained highly critical and derisive observations about the Indian culture and ritualistic practices. This caused vehement criticism and a lot of sensational vibrations in the country. 

The general feeling was that it was the British who gave encouragement to Ms Mayo to write the book. And it was interpreted as an attempt to block any progressive measure in the administrative reforms in India the British Government was planning.

Newspapers in India vehemently attacked Ms Mayo for her book and people burned hundreds of copies of it. Gandhi snubbed the book as the report of a drainage inspector. He told his friends in Britain and America that Mayo’s book is a bundle of falsehoods.

But he asked his countrymen to read the books and see if the allegations in the book contained any basis and if it did, how to remove it by way of correction.  For months the book continued to be in center-stage as a subject of heated arguments and criticism.