Gandhi in Amrit Kaal
Context:
- On January 30, 1937, an assassin shot and assassinated Mahatma Gandhi as he was on his way to the daily prayer meeting at Birla House. This year marks the 75th anniversary of that occurrence.
- It is important to learn from Gandhi’s life and teachings during this time of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration. Gandhi dedicated his life to the cause of world peace and solidarity as well as India’s struggle for independence.
The Goals of Gandhi for India:
- Gandhi’s goals for India went well beyond only gaining political freedom from British rule.
- He believed that the people of India could not be truly free without social liberation, economic empowerment, and, most crucially, a shared sense of solidarity and empathy that cut beyond differences of language, religion, and cultural traditions.
- The Indian Constitution, which continues to serve as the cornerstone of Indian democracy, is permeated with his vision.
Gandhi’s teachings are the cornerstone of Indian democracy:
- Many different types of world leaders, both male and female, have emerged throughout history. Some conquerors have used the power of their swords to do the talking. Others provided access to the elusive power of the spirit for their followers.
- These eminent spiritual and religious leaders have the power to both unite and divide people all across the world.
- Some people gained power by appealing to our baser instincts. Others moved sizable crowds by emphasising the noblest and best qualities of people. One kind of leader incites animosity. Another is by displaying love and compassion.
- Gandhi’s leadership style was obvious to see. Thanks to him, even the most destitute and poor Indian felt like he was a part of something greater than himself.
- It is argued that acts of violence against the colonial authorities helped India win its independence and that those responsible for these crimes need to be honoured.
- The connection between Gandhi’s legacy of nonviolence and India’s democracy remains unaffected by this.
- Gandhi left behind the politically and socially nonviolent reforms that are so crucial to democracy.
- While paying homage to revolutionary heroes who used violence as a weapon to overcome colonial tyranny, one should reject the nagging impulse to glorify violence as an acceptable instrument to achieve political goals generally.
- However, it must also be made abundantly clear that violence has no place at all in a sovereign, democratic state. It is plausible to argue that the violence employed during the revolutions to destroy colonial power was justifiable and should be honoured.
- Gandhi promoted nonviolent resistance even when battling colonial rule because he was well aware that once violence is released, it rarely stays directed.
Gandhi made several important contributions to the freedom movement that are still relevant today:
- Gandhi is credited with transforming the concept of Indian independence from a small English-speaking elite group to a mainstream, populist movement.
- He infused the liberation struggle with a particular flavour based on the development of Indian civilization. From personal experience, he knew how easy it was to lose touch with the mass of Indians and merge into a privileged elite.
- After India gained its independence in 1947, he worried that the Congress would cease to exist as a political party but carry on as a large-scale movement dedicated to the social and economic advancement of the Indian people.
- Gandhi was able to use these societal pillars to forge a complete sense of national identity since he was aware of them having travelled the length and breadth of India.
- He was aware of the risk of major fault lines, however, exploding and swallowing the entire effort. Social fault lines include the deplorable untouchability practise and the caste system, for example. They could be based on ethnicity or religion, as in the case of the Hindu-Muslim divide. Gandhi was adamant in his criticism of untouchability and his rejection of inequities based on caste, creed, and religion.
Gandhi’s recommendation for a path toward religious unity, Vasudev Kutumbakam:
- All Indians, whether they were Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Christians, were committed adherents of their respective religions, according to Gandhi, a devout Hindu.
- He believed that India could be nothing else than a secular society in which all faiths coexisted amicably and with mutual respect. He considered the Partition of India to be a personal failure and it was an excruciatingly sad event for him.
- Ironically, he was assassinated for allegedly tolerating India’s religious separation when there was nothing more tragic and unpleasant for him.
- He leveraged his enormous popularity and respect among the populace up until the very last to put an end to riots and indiscriminate killing.
- It is even more vital that we take Gandhi’s legacy into account now that racial tensions are resurfacing.
Conclusion:
- As we commemorate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, let us also remember how Gandhi’s principles of non-violence, inclusivity, and communal peace helped India create a distinct democracy that achieved enormous economic and social progress by using the ballot box rather than a gun.
