Gandhi is one leader who is misunderstood the most. The reason for this is because he was not a theoretician. He did not codify his ideas and ideals about the society. His life was his message.
One of the most misunderstood facts about Gandhi is his views on religion and politics. He made a crucial distinction between what he called Religion which he defined as a moral code of a social order, and specific religions (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc.) as different sets of belief systems and rituals, He called Religion (with a capital R) the tree and religions as different branches of the same tree. In 1946, he advised that “There are many religions but Religion is only one”. Whereas he supported politics being based on Religion, i.e., a moral order, he was against denominational religions entering politics. He said: “Religion is a personal matter which should have no place in politics. It must not be mixed up with politics or national affairs.”
Satyagraha is another important concept which is either completely misunderstood or deliberately distorted. He defined his Satyagraha as an ethical weapon to apply moral pressure on his adversary in order to force him to be a part of a common pursuit for truth. For Gandhi, Satyagraha was a search for the ‘correct option’ which was to be pursued by both the sides. It was not a blackmail to force the opponent and bend him to one’s own will. His Satyagraha was not a weapon meant to score a victory over the opponent. It was a moral instrument meant to carve out a common space with the adversary in the pursuit of larger social good. He said: “A true Satyagrahi should always be ready for the highest form of settlement.” Also, Satyagraha was not meant to be a routine everyday activity. It was to be resorted to only after the other options had been exhausted. As Gandhi explained: “…a Satyagrahi exhausts all other means before he resorts to Satyagraha. He will, therefore, constantly and continually approach the constituted authority, he will appeal to public opinion, educate public opinion, state his case calmly and coolly before everybody who wants to listen to him; and only after he has exhausted all these avenues will he resort to Satyagraha.” Gandhi called it a “science of Satyagraha”. “A soldier of an army does not know the whole of military science; so also does a Satyagrahi not know the whole science of Satyagraha.”
Why is Gandhi relevant today? For a whole range of reasons. Gandhi has been used much more creatively and innovatively outside India than within India. In particular, two important leaders, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, have utilised Gandhian techniques of struggle very effectively. While we have only tried to follow him, others have creatively utilised Gandhi as a resource.
Gandhi is indispensable today, because only he provides a framework, a way out, for the innumerable conflicts — actual and potential — that have enveloped the modern world. Twentieth century has been the century of empowerment. State systems, people, groups and communities — all have become immensely more powerful than ever before. As a result, the possibilities of conflicts have increased manifold. Conflicts between a State and its people, between State and State, and between different ethnic groups, are rampant today. Moreover, modern conflicts can be much more destructive, given the fact that highly developed technologies of destruction are available. The world as a whole is never too far away from total annihilation. It is here that Gandhian techniques of protest, non-violence and conflict management are needed more than ever before. Under modern conditions of all-round and well-diffused empowerment, the notions of victory and defeat have lost their meaning. The choice is only between collective survival and collective suicide. Only Gandhi has a framework that offers the way out of the impasse.
( Based on the article in Deccan Herald dated 2.10.2011 by Salil Misra of Ambedkar University, Delhi)
No comments:
Post a Comment