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Mahatma Gandhi:: Mahatma Ghandhi - A Lesson For Contemporary Society

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Mahatma Gandhi:

Mahatma Ghandhi –a lesson for contemporary society

As the contemporary society delves on the meaning of life amidst the plethora of
complex problems it has to negotiate in their daily lives, the life and philosophy of
Mahatma Gandhi offer a powerful avenue to discern on what path to tread.
Developing understanding of the multi-dimensional thoughts and philosophy of
Mahatma Gandhi offers great opportunities to negotiate the challenges of modern
day society.

In the backdrop of the materialistic culture that dominates our world, Gandhi’s idea
of simple living and strong faith in the power of truth and nonviolence can be the
guiding light for a generation which more often seems to getting diverted from the
road of values and ethics.

Mahatma Gandhi’s five pillars of nonviolence: respect, understanding, acceptance,


appreciation and compassion are basic to our existence. These are simple habits and
if we all start trying to nurture these, we could make a difference in the world. By
inculcating these habits we can not only be happy ourselves but also make others
happy. The Mahatma’s faith in the power of nonviolence can be reflected by this
quote of his, “Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of
my creed.”

For the contemporary society, following the ideals of truthfulness is another


important challenge. Here again the Mahatma’s prescriptions on the power of
truthfulness gives us the direction of what path to follow. On the essence of truth,
Gandhi had said, “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied
propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even
if there be no public support. It is self sustained.” This is an apt reminder for all of
us to stand by truth by all means.

One of the greatest lessons we learn from Mahatma Gandhi was his deep faith in the
goodness of every individual and his unflinching belief that humanity is proceeding
towards well-being. His strong belief on humanity is reflected as, “You must not
lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,
the ocean does not become dirty.”

As the world is grappling the challenges of nature and climate change, it is time to
revisit Gandhi’s cosmocentric approach to human beings. For Gandhi, we human
beings are interconnected to all facets of the universe and cannot live in isolation.
He stressed that all lives were sacred and gave immense importance to limit one’s
greed. He had rightly said, “The earth, the air, the land and the water are not an
inheritance from our fore fathers but on loan from our children. So we have to
handover to them at least as it was handed over to us.” Deep understanding of the
Mahatma’s cosmocentric approach to human beings are needed more than ever
before to ensure contemporary society is able to find sustainable solutions to the
ever increasing problem of biodiversity conservation and greed.

Mahatma Ghandhi – Life

It has been seventy years since Mahatma Gandhi departed from our midst. But his
life and soul continue to animate humanity transcending national and international
boundaries. His contribution to human development is far too great and varied to
have been forgotten or to be overlooked. The world today recognizes him as a far
more compelling social innovator than humanity ever realized.

The life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is a story of heroic effort to establish the
values of Truth and Non-violence in human life. In pursuing this objective Gandhiji
became a Mahatma from a mere ‘Monya’. He became a messenger, for the people of
the world surrounded by fire of violence in the twentieth century. He also became
‘The Father of The Nation’. He saved India and Britain from mutual hate and
revenge by resorting to the experiment of Truth and Non -violence in India’s
struggle for freedom. This created an atmosphere which made it possible for other
countries of Asia and Africa to free themselves without bloodshed from the hold of
the European countries which had subdued them in the nineteenth century.

Being born in a middle class Vaishnava family and brought up in that atmosphere
till he joined school and received instruction according to the system then
prevailing, he lived, dressed and dined in the way all children of that class did.
Later, he went to England for studies and changed his dress to suit the conditions of
that country. But in food and certain other matters, he remained true to the lesson
he had learnt early in life. On his return to India after being called to the Bar, he
passed through difficult times as all beginners in the profession of the law have to
do and it was as a lawyer that he went to South Africa to help a client. He had,
however, to spend many years there as the condition of Indians and the treatment
they received demanded that he should serve them rather than return to India. His
struggle with the authorities brought about a considerable change in his life and by
the time he returned to India, he had already become a Mahatma. His dress in India
on his return was different from what he used to wear when he was practicing as a
Barrister and conformed to the old Kathiawadi type.

If in South Africa it was the Railway Ticket Collector who paved the way for the
birth of a Satyagrahi, in India it was a poor peasant from Champaran, Rajkumar
Shukla, who provided him a platform to test the power of Satyagraha on the Indian
soil. His campaign in favour of the non-co-operation movement brought about
another change which identified his outward appearance with that of the humblest
and lowliest of the land and he stuck to the loin cloth till he departed with the name
of God on his lips.

Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned several times in his pursuit of non -cooperation
and undertook many ‘fasts’ to protest against the oppression of the down trodden in
India.

He invented the techniques of mass –civil disobedience in South Africa which were
later emulated in India and across the world.
On January 30th, 1948, the assassin’s bullet ended the physical existence of
Mahatma Gandhi and made him immortal who left an i ndelible legacy to the
mankind –‘My life is my Message’.

EMANCIPATER—

To adequately appreciate Gandhi's incredible achievement as a non violent


revolutionary, the global and national scenario in which he struggled needs to be
recalled, This is best done in the words of Gene Sharpe, who in his book "The
Politics of Non Violent Action" writes "Gandhi was the contemporary of Tsar
Nicholas, Lenin and Stalin, Kaiser Wilhelm and Adolph Hitler, Woodrow Wilson
and Franklin Roosevelt, of the last Emperor of China, Sun Vat Sen, Chiang Kai
Sheik and Mao Tse Tung. He bridged the span between the time when wars were
fought by armies with rifles to the time when they were fought with atom bombs ...
Racism ran rampant, women, untouchables and many others were denied digni ty
and opportunities. These were among the social and political evils for which Gandhi
sought solutions".'

In India, nationalists exulted over Japan's defeat of Russia in 1905 and throbbed
with strong revolutionary fervour. Their father figure was Bankim Chandra
Chatterjee, the Bengali novelist, whose popular novel Anandamath' was the
handbook of secret societies and its hero Satyanand, the model for
"revolutionaries." It contained the rousing hymn Bande Mataram, dedicated to
Mother India. The 1904 British decision to divide Bengal on Hindu-Muslim lines
had outraged Indian nationalists.

In India, nationalists exulted over Japan's defeat of Russia in 1905 and throbbed
with strong revolutionary fervour. Their father figure was Bankim Chandra
Chatterjee, the Bengali novelist, whose popular novel Anandamath' was the
handbook of secret societies and its hero Satyanand, the model for
"revolutionaries." It contained the rousing hymn Bande Mataram, dedicated to
Mother India. The 1904 British decision to divide Bengal on Hindu-Muslim lines
had outraged Indian nationalists. Cambridge educated Aurobindo Ghosh, selected
for the coveted Indian Civil Service, gave it up to join the radical nationalists and
wrote Thabhani Mandir It was a stirring call to India's youth to s acrifice
themselves, in Goddess Kali's name, for Mother India's unity and dignity. Rartaman
Rananiti', (`Modem Art of War') published in 1907 propagated Bakunin's idea that
in creating an equitable society destruction was inescapable. Several British
officials were assassinated, in India and England, between 1905 and 1915. Viceroy
Lord Hardinge, attacked while on a ceremonial procession in Delhi in December
1912, narrowly escaped assassination.

At the 1919 Amritsar Congress when Gandhi spoke about Truth and Nonviolence,
senior nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak brusquely retorted "My friend, Truth has no
place in politics". Two decades later, another important leader, Subhas Chandra
Bose, Congress President in 1938, openly disagreed with Gandhi's non -violent
strategy, and secretly left India for Germany and Japan. With the latter's
collaboration he set up the 'Indian National Army' with British Indian troops
captured by the Japanese in South East Asia, and marched in their train towards
India. His battle cry was "Give me blood and I promise you freedom".

Gandhi succeeded in getting the Indian National Congress, and the Indian people, to
adopt his non-violent strategy for national liberation only because of his total
identification with the poverty stricken Indian people, his high moral stature,
innovative communication, management and strategizing skills and the impressive
results his non violent strategy produced 1920 onwards.

Gandhi evolved his Satyagraha'(firmly adhering to Truth) strategy in South Africa


and formally launched it soon after the historic meeting in Empire Theatre,
Johannesberg, on September 11, 1906. It is rooted in the firm belief that humans,
having been created "in the image of God" and imbued with the "Divine Spark"
have to be led by Truth and love, not by fear and hate. One has to live, and if
necessary to die, for Truth, but never to hurt anyone. In his words "Satyagraha
connotes the living Law of Life. The law will work, just as the law of gravitation
will work, whether we accept it or not. And just as a scientist will work wonders
out of various applications of the laws of nature, even so a man who applies the law
of love with scientific precision can work even greater wonders". For him, "A
nonviolent revolution is not a programme for seizure of power. It is a programme
for transformation of relationships ending in a peaceful transfer of power."

Gandhism is a body of ideas that describes the inspiration, vision and the life work
of Mohandas Gandhi. It is particularly associated with his cont ributions to the idea
of nonviolent resistance, sometimes also called civil resistance. The two pillars of
Gandhism are truth and non-violence.
“Gandhi is just as relevant today as he was when leading
thousands of people in nonviolent marches and protests against
British imperialism
As long as there is injustice — which is to say, as long as there is
human society — there will be a need for nonviolent resistance.
Gandhi and his student Martin Luther King Jr. will go down in
history as two of the most important leaders of the 20th century
because they invented, or at least nearly perfected, a new form
of political power: nonviolent people power.”

It is a great honour for me to address the 74th Session of the United Nations
on behalf of 1.3 billion Indians.

It is a very special occasion, also, because this year, the entire world is
celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

His message of truth and non-violence is very relevant for us even today, for
peace, development and progress in the world.

He starts his speech by sharing an anecdote from Mahatma Gandhi's life, when he
was thrown out of a train by a white man. He throws light on how that one incident
shaped the leader's thinking and prompted him to follow non-violence that changed
the course of history.

Ayush also spoke about that tragedy of the fact that people from Gandhi's country
don't know enough about him.

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