“How relevant are the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi today? “

This is the question that is uppermost in the minds of all thinking people who have learnt to set great store by the revolutionary ideas of Gandhi and this is the question that “How relevant are the ideals of mahatma Gandhi today? “ tries to explore, objectively and from  many points of view.

The study of Gandhi is not merely the study of his life, work and ideas; it is also the daily evolving application of those ideas to new challenges and situations. If the burden of the article is that Gandhi is intensely relevant to our times, it makes this assertion not dogmatically but with the humility of scientific exploration.

Gandhi is certainly as relevant if not more for the country today. His vision for the country and his dreams for the community as a whole still hold good for India. He taught us that irrespective of obstacles you encounter, you should pursue the goals you have set. He got the community to assimilate and reflect true values of humanity and to participate in tasks that would promote the greater good of society at large. These issues are still relevant to what free India is and represents.

Gandhi’s ideas are still very relevant, but I really don’t know if people in this day and age see a way of translating it into today’s context. True, what he promoted and the causes he espoused were so long back and so long distanced from today, but I feel that his ideals just need re-interpretation to the India we live in now. Though not much is spoken about Gandhi as it was said about two decades ago, there is still a lot of truth and substance in what he stood for and who he is.
While our senior citizens still uphold Gandhian principles, the younger generation does not adhere to most of these values. I feel that his relevance is not so strong now as a citizen of the nation have failed to pass on Gandhian values to the youth and have also failed to make Gandhi’s ideals pertinent to the India of today. How can we say that any of his visions are being upheld today?

Till few years ago no one could have even dreamed of asking the question suggested in the title to this article. How can Gandhi be the subject of a debate! His achievements are so obvious. But after two decades of reforms, India is a different country. Indians, as a people have changed; our aspirations and our ambitions have changed. Now we are ready to take a new look at our historical past and perhaps glean new perspectives from it. Imbued with a new iconoclastic streak, we are no longer ready to accept leaders at their face value; now we yearn for a healthy debate over their contribution to our society.

Though Gandhi died within few months of independence, it is his philosophy that guided the young nation during its formative years. His philosophy of non-violence, temperance and simple living may not have led us on the path of being a superpower, but it did help us survive those tumultuous years. Amongst many nations that became independent during the 1940s, 50s and 60s, only India remained a democracy, where reasonably free and fair elections get held on a regular basis. Most other nations in Asia and Africa succumbed to the lure of communist or military dictatorship.

Indian democracy survived and became stronger over the years, only because we had something that other nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh and China didn’t. We had Mahatma Gandhi and his message – “that the answer to violence does not lie in violence; that hatred should not be countered by hatred; that the moral imperative must prevail; that right ends can be obtained only by right means; that eradication of poverty and service of the poor through education and effective empowerment ought to be the priority goals of economic policy; that there is no clash of civilizations but only a pressing need for the celebration of diversity, pluralism and mutual tolerance.” The name of Mahatma Gandhi, today, transcends the bounds of race, religion, and nation- states, and has emerged as the Prophetic Voice of the twenty-first century Gandhi is remembered for his passionate adherence to the practice of Nonviolence and his supreme humanism After the Great Buddha and Jesus, he once again demonstrated that Non-violence could also be an effective instrument of social change.

Gandhi successfully demonstrated to a World, weary with wars and continuing destruction that adherence to Truth and Non-violence is not meant for individual behavior alone but can be applied in global affairs too.

The unshackling of the majestic personality of Black Power, destroying the enslaving apparatus of Apartheid in South Africa, was the culmination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s non-violent fight against racial discrimination that he had launched on the cold wintry night, on the isolated railway platform of Petermaritzburg in faraway South Africa on June 7, 1893.

Had Gandhi been alive today he would have been the least surprised, at the new turn of events in South Africa, for this is only an affirmation of the implicit faith he had in his mission.

Gandhi had relentless and unshakable optimism He remained an optimist till his last Gandhi would often say, “My optimism rests on my belief in the infinite possibilities of the individual to develop non-violence”.

“Good” said Gandhi, “travels at a snail’s pace” On another occasion, he wrote, “Non-violence is a plant of slow growth It grows imperceptibly but surely” The sheer power of these words and the impression they leave on our hearts, derives from the fact that they are the quiet expression of the credo of a man, whose beliefs and actions were in complete accord. Gandhi would have us work ceaselessly for the realization of what the sociologists call “common human” values, for the triumph of the common human way of life.

Mahatma held up before all mankind the image of what every human being could be; he held up before us all a mirror reflecting the spiritual heights all of us could reach The world in which Gandhi was born, lived, worked and died, was beset by a number of problems, some peculiar to his age others recurrent in every age He worked for universal human values His life is a sure guide to a meaningful existence He embodied the Eternal Indian concept of the superior  being-of the Mahatma Anyone can become a Mahatma if one makes a vocation of living the meaningful life- putting principle above expediency, duty above pleasure-service above self, as reflected in  the life of the Buddha or several of our epic heroes. Gandhi had a dream for India Realizing this dream has become a nightmare Today, we are living in a constant adjustment to changing conditions, which require a different kind of discipline. Now it rests on our shoulders, yours and mine to see that the democratic values in our country remains intact and that social justice, equity, gender equality is achieved for all Rights should follow duties If we are able to achieve this, we shall be helping to reinstate Mahatma Gandhi’s dream, I firmly believe it can be done. Gandhi’s unfinished task is the biggest challenge before the youth After all it is their future It is their world Does not look like it Does it? But it is Gandhi had great faith in the ultimate success of his mission, because he had infinite faith in the individual’s capacity to change He firmly held that the human nature is capable of radical reorientation; all one needs is a will to explore his own true self This explains why Gandhi, all through his life was striving to take humanity on to the path of spiritual and moral growth The progress of civilization, as it has evolved through the ages, id proof that human nature is a developing entity, capable of change for the better.

Remember that the contemporary crisis demands not only a careful analysis of the roots of current social disorder and strategies of transition away from the current violent system but also demands a total rejection of some of our present narrow cherished beliefs, images, creeds , and above all, a drastic reorientation of our life style and restructuring our political, social and economic institutions on radical moral lines.

Can we face the challenge of Gandhi’s ideals and ideas? They have not yet been fully utilized The Revolutionary Gandhi, who was far ahead of his times, has not been fully understood by the younger generation Gandhi’s thoughts need to be disseminated amongst our youth It is the ideas, which have a stupendous role in taking the human society forward; towards the desired pacifist goal. It is said that it is not the conquerors but the long line of men and women of thought, individually powerless, who are ultimately the rulers of the world Mahatma Gandhi certainly belongs to this August Hall of Fame- His Life’s message will lead a new humanity on to a new path of Universal love and Harmony. Today, Gandhi is the sign at the World’s crossroads. Is it too late to retrace the steps and follow the non-violent path of recovery shown by Mahatma Gandhi? But is there a future for us at all, if we don’t- is the moot question.

What a clichéd question! It has been asked a countless times and will continue to be asked a countless times. While it’s always answered as yes or no, some basic elements of the principle that’s being popularized today as “Gandhigiri” are missed out.

The context is so important. For a plant to grow, it’s not enough that the seed is of good quality. It should also be planted in fertile soil, and further it has to be nurtured well for it to yield good fruit.

Let us not be overawed by Gandhi and the path he took. He was a human being like anyone of us, but the big difference was, he was an extraordinary man. He was a genius; he was one in a million. No one could rally around a disparate mass of people like he did. He devised a plan, worked selflessly for it to succeed. The British as rulers of the world had simply no answers to Gandhiji’s posers. An empire, where the sun never set, was humbled. Never before had one single man brought an empire down without spilling blood.

But, there is another side which reminds us that Gandhi was not a God. He was not a Saint. He was a politician. He was a strategist, only that the world hadn’t seen a politician like him. Gandhism had its limitations.

Ultimately, India won its Independence with so much blood spilt. It must have pained Gandhiji so much. His writings reflect his awareness of the limitations of his philosophy. It’s not a philosophy that guarantees absolute success. It doesn’t work everywhere with everyone all the time. How we apply his principles and on whom, how, when and where are equally important.

We didn’t spill blood fighting the British. It’s also important that the British, being what they are, respected Gandhiji, and didn’t allow blood to be split. But we spilt blood fighting among ourselves. We spilt blood, not while driving the British out, but while winning the freedom for ourselves. Gandhian principles worked with the British, but did it work with our own people? Blood continues to be spilt.

Everyone talks only of truth and non-violence; but very few of “spirit of sacrifice”. That, I think, embodies Gandhian ideals the best. Not surprisingly, that’s also the least practiced. Probably that’s what is needed for non-principle to succeed, that’s what is needed to ensure that blood is not spilt.

From what I have understood after reading about Gandhiji, is that he is one person who made full use of the “one-step-back-two-steps-forward” principle. He never hesitated to withdraw or retreat, when he was sure he could then rebound much stronger, which would then take him much farther. That was a crucial element of his strategizing. And it worked.

The word sacrifice has an aura around it. There’s no need for it. The little pleasures that we give up in our daily lives, the little adjustments that we all make in our daily lives with people around us, are also small sacrifices that make our lives much simpler, happier and worthwhile. Probably, this world can do with a little more of such sacrifices.

I guess, it’s here that we need to understand Gandhiji’s strategies, learn them and apply them in our everyday lives, wherever appropriate. We may or may not be able to change the entire world. But definitely we can, in our own small way, make a small change to the small world around us. The synergy of it works; only that we need to exploit this synergy much more.

2nd October Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. It is also the International Day of Nonviolence – a day to contemplate not just Gandhi’s effect on world politics, but to actively think about how his concepts of peace, nonviolence and civil disobedience can be applied to redress the injustice that characterizes our world today.

Gandhi’s contribution to the Indian freedom struggle was revolutionary because it brought the British government to its knees without resorting to violence. But more importantly, it gave the world a vision of alternative politics – that it was possible to counter violence with nonviolence. Additionally, Gandhi called upon those pitted against hegemony to draw upon their inner strength and courage of conviction more than logistics. The relevance of this thought is not lost in a world where the oppressed have very little to use in their fight against violent states and oppressor groups.

Gandhian thought looks hopelessly outdated in a world where violence is the preferred option rather than the last resort – irrefutable proof of which is emerging from Myanmar. But the politics Gandhi advocated offers no shortcuts to the world’s problems. It begins with those who intend to bring reforms, encouraging them to undergo an intense process of moral contemplation before they are ready to fight injustice.

Another important Gandhian philosophy is the belief in the morality inherent in all individuals, including the oppressors. So, the oppressed are not to indulge in violence but embrace its opposite until the oppressor comes face-to-face with his own violence and its dehumanizing effect on himself and the oppressed.

While Gandhi did diverge from Karl Marx, who saw social structures of oppression as having a life of their own (unlike Gandhi, who privileged the individual), the apostle of peace did see the structural basis of the British Empire and what was feeding into it. He advocated an economic nationalism which, more than seeking to replace British goods with Indian ones, radically redefined consumerism that would strike at the roots of capitalism itself. He advocated that no person should have more than he or she needs, so people could live frugally without overburdening the Earth. Gandhi lived this thought, using not more than two pieces of loincloth to clad himself – a practice that earned him the epithet of the “half-naked Fakir” from Winston Churchill.

Interestingly, Gandhi’s thoughts resonate today in most protests built around consumption. Protest groups target the brand image of corporations in an effort to force them give up environmentally unsound practices. As a final resort, consumers are encouraged to boycott products from unethical corporations. Though this strategy fulfills the short-term goal of getting the corporations back on track, it leaves the larger question of consumerism intact without targeting its excesses.

Gandhi also made an important contribution to the notion of human rights and, by extension, civil rights. The civil rights movement of the 1960s strongly drew from Gandhian thought with Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledging Gandhi as his hero. Gandhi believed that human rights were inalienable, which also applied to the human rights of the oppressor. He held these rights sacred and believed they should not be violated under any exigency. This explains his abhorrence of violence. Gandhi called off the no cooperation movement after the Chauri Chaura incident in which nationalists torched a police station, killing 22 police officers. Gandhi believed that the nation was not yet ready for mass movements, as morality continued to be an issue.

Gandhi’s uncompromising stand on violence and his propensity to see rightness more often on religion’s terms sits uneasily in a postmodern world. Equally troubling is his idealism that refuses to adapt to the situation. The absolute morality that he practiced often brought him in conflict with many, including his own son Harilal.

Gandhi inspires an alternative vision of politics and resistance at a time when oppression is not only getting more overt and physical but also more insidious. His ideology of nonviolence is a good point to start from when the temptation to answer violence with violence is overpowering. It may not succeed, but it opens a world of possibilities and encourages us to think outside of the box. More importantly, his life illustrates how radical ideas are first dismissed, only to be tested and embraced later.

But the greatest appeal about Gandhi for me is that he always knew he had feet of clay. He strived to achieve a state of moral impeccability by acknowledging his mortality. More importantly, he showed that it is ordinary people who make history.

by

Rohit Sharma

Gyandotcom