(I would like to thank Ms. Shagun Chedda for getting me started on this topic)
There is no doubt in my mind and I am sure, in every Indian citizen’s mind that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the man we Indians call the ‘Father of our Nation’, played the biggest role in assimilating the movement of the upper middle class educated barristers under the aegis of Congress, into a mass movement under the aegis of the Indian National Congress.
Following this recognition is the impending question- What would Gandhiji have done if he were alive today? Post this most reach the conclusion that we should adopt his methods and views to straighten everything that’s “wrong” in our country today. Before taking this question up for discussion, I would want to highlight what Gandhism or rather the more popular term ‘Gandhigiri’ means to the Indians in 21st century. ‘Gandhigiri’, a term coined by a Hindi Movie in 2006 has replaced any other term that we may have used to categorize Gandhiji’s ideologies. Passive resistance (possibly the more appropriate term) has now been replaced by Gandhigiri but in doing so Gandhi has been reduced only to his method of Satyagraha that too in the wrong manner.
Satyagraha consists of two words Satya (truth) and Agraha (insistence to hold on to something, in this case insistence to hold on to the fast). It does not mean that one must use this to torment the government, or any institution or any person into giving into their demand. This method was devised by Gandhiji to fight against the repressive rulers for what the majority believed was the truth. Gandhigiri as I see it is one of the Gandhian methods, taken out of context and twisted around to suit those who wish to use it against the people in charge. Whatever happened to arguing and discussing your point out in a democracy!
But coming back to our discussion of Gandhian methods, we must note that Gandhi was a firm believer in Ahimsa; non-violence not only in action but also in terms of thoughts and feelings towards a fellow citizen. Hatred, even for those were “evil” was not acceptable because he always said ‘One must hate the sin and not the one who commits it’. Well, in today’s most famous example of Gandhigiri, The Anna Hazzare Movement, this has been surely forgotten. Satyagraha was carried on but under the aegis of this belief of Ahimsa and against a repressive rule. Applying this method in today’s India, well that’s surely forgetting the context in which it was used. This is one of the biggest problems we face in our country today. The practice or the tradition as we call it lives on but the context in which the practice itself evolved is always forgotten. Do we seriously believe that our never ending conflict with our neighboring country, Pakistan, can be ended using Satyagraha and Ahimsa? Can the Telengana issue be sorted out using passive resistance? The answer, and I trust everyone’s intelligence enough in this case, ought to be an emphatic NO. There has to be debate, discussion, active strategy to resolve issues as the conflict is now amongst ourselves and not a repressive ruler. I urge everyone to please not follow actions blindly, but to think about the context where it was first used and assess then if it’s the valid course of action or no.
Following any path blindly demonstrates our inability to adapt. Though the Gandhian principles have been adopted in our constitution under the section of ‘Directive Principles of State Policy’, should we really follow these to make India better off today?
“To organize village Panchayats”
The acceptance of the partition plan proposed by the British in 1947 relied on the belief of our leaders then that they wanted a nation with a powerful Center. We have witnessed the problems we have the state government spreading regionalism to the very core of Indian politics today. Even now should we believe that decentralization of power in India is the best approach? I am not against having Panchayats and state government. We know that are essential in administering the world’s largest democracy. However Panchayati Raj and its eventual culmination into the Ram Rajya; is this really the ideal for India as a nation today? I know, I wouldn’t trust myself with Ram Rajya for people stay just as long as there is an associated suffering with injustice that they fear. If there is no check, and hence no punishment and suffering, its only human for people to fall into devious lives.
“To promote cottage industries in rural India”
India is today considered to be a potential economic superpower. Everyone today throws around the terms growth rate and GDP very casually. But could concentration on small scale industries and cottage industries have gotten us here? Cottage industries seemed the right choice 60 years ago when in our nascent state of freedom we were trying desperately to be self sufficient. And that’s exactly what the goal of cottage industries in villages is, to make every economic agent self sufficient. But aren’t we beyond the stage where our economic goal is self sufficiency? Don’t we all talk of 10% economic growth on our dinner tables without really knowing what policies have been undertaken to attempt and achieve this?
We have to change and adapt. A policy recommendation made by Gandhiji 65 years ago cannot be relevant today, the same way a policy recommendation made today will become irrelevant within a decade. No one wants only a welfare state today. Economic growth has taken precedent over economic development and welfare in today’s world. And if we set other goals for ourselves, the world will not change for us but yes, we may lose out on the growth opportunities presented to us today. Gandhiji aimed for development and welfare first. We do not have to discard that goal but yes, we have to adapt. Economic development can be derived from further economic growth. And this is what we must do.
Out of context is out of rationale. Changing values, goals and ideologies will help us adapt to our world better. And in this globalised world, we cannot live in isolation, we have to move along with the world for otherwise we stand to be the losers, not anyone else.
