Gandhiji, nonviolence and today

Gandhi- The great soul:

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever”

-MK Gandhi

The world knows him as Mahatma. & indeed he did many great tasks which no one can forget. This country owes so many things to Mr. Gandhi which can’t be repaid. The least we can do is on this Gandhi Jayanti, let us remember our Baapu and also let us have a glimpse on his favourite weapon i.e. nonviolence.

It’s generally believed that he lived a stringent life, followed strict vegetarianism and refrained from alcoholic drinks, tobacco and even the milder stimulants like coffee and tea. His preference to simple natural remedies against illness and disease and his radical ideas on education are not so well known to the outside world and, even in India, they have not made much impact. Gandhi deliberately abstained from making these public issues and thereby confusing the people. The only exception was prohibition of intoxicating drinks which became a tool in the armoury of Satyagraha. Therefore it became a plank in the Congress program but it was well known that many an important supporter of Gandhi was privately addicted to drink and the great leader did not take undue notice of it. Even though it got into the Constitution in the form of a Directive Principle, there has been no honesty about prohibition among the Congress Governments and Congressmen in general. Gandhi’s views on language, government and economics played a considerable part in his political movements; and in the program of Khadi and Village Industries included in the Five Year Plans and in the Panchayat Raj which has recently been established, they have been accepted and implemented to some extent. 

If one does take a closer look  to all these ethics & tasks are viewed in isolation, they form an assorted and rather outmoded collection, the importance of which will shrink and fade away with time. It is only when it is realised that Gandhi was fundamentally a moral and social philosopher and that, through these items, he sought to experiment with certain far-reaching fundamental principles, of whose absolute truth he was convinced beyond all doubt, that their true significance becomes clear.

The gospel of Ahimsa:

“I know only one way-the way of nonviolence. The way of violence goes against my grain. I do not want to cultivate the power to inculcate violence.”

-MK Gandhi

The mightiest power of the world by 1950s started losing one colony after another. Where did this strength to decolonize come from? All the strength and power of the British, were no match for the joint will of the people of India. How was this Ahimsa such a powerful tool to unseat the British power from across the face of the world?

What is this Ahimsa?

Himsa, hinsa means “to hurt others wilfully, physically and mentally”. The English word “heinous” seems to have its etymological roots in the word hinsa, himsa. Ahimsa means “to not hurt others wilfully, physically and mentally.”  In other words, Ahimsa is Non Violence in thought and deed.

According to him, unfortunately for us, we are strangers to the nonviolence of the brave on a mass scale. Some even doubt the possibility of the exercise of nonviolence by groups, much less by masses of people. They restrict its exercise to exceptional individuals. Only, mankind can have no use of it if it is always reserved only for individuals. He realized us the power of nonviolence in the real sense.

La situation actuelle:

Though 67 years have been passed since his assassination, Gandhi still lives in our hearts in the forms of his beliefs, ideals, ethics and values.

Gandhi's ideals are not all lost to deaf ears, though. He still serves as a pillar of the nonviolence, living on in leaders such as South Africa's Nelson Mandela. His visions of unity, prosperity for all, and most importantly religious harmony will one day come true. India too, has not grown into a monster of all evils in the last 50 years. It stands as the leader of the computer industry, the sciences, and many other consumer industries. Under the new open markets which have emerged, India is the new dreamland for multinational corporations seeking new endeavours and markets.

The power of Ahimsa thus has had its recurrent effect not just in India, but in different parts of the world repeatedly. The Ahimsa movement which had its effectiveness in the 1930s and 1940s in India, led to the cascading effect of dismantling colonialism the world over. The equal rights for Afro-Americans, that was fought in 1960 in America, under the leadership of Martin Luther King Junior, also had nonviolence as its basic tool to fight the unequal policy of the land then. The non-violent resistance movement of solidarity in Poland following the principle of Mahatma Gandhi started the dismantling process of communism in the 70s and 80s in Eastern Europe. In South Africa, the apartheid, the apartness policy was torn apart by the non-co-operation movement again inspired by Gandhi’s Ahimsa principles.

In nutshell, Gandhiji showcased the strength of being Ahimsak. Additionally, Ahimsa has had its positive impact right through the ages not only in India but across the globe to this day and shall do so in future too whenever the hand of brutality rises. And to do that, let us collectively underpin the nonviolence so that incidents such as Syria attacks, Gaza attacks can be avoided.