Gandhigiri A timeless lesson

Imbibe Gandhiji’s philosophy fully

After seven decades of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, his teachings and preachings are still as relevant as they were in the first half of the 20th century. His life’s philosophy can be broadly divided into two categories — how to live life and how to fight injustice. Injustice in those days related to oppression of the poor and caste-based social fabric. We are still fighting the same demons in different forms.

Generation Z is a liberated lot. They have global connection as compared to the limited  reach of kids a few decades earlier. They have the advantage of communication aids and quick dissemination of information. But in spite of living in a highly connected world the relevance of Gandhi’s philosophy is lost. Many from the present generation remember Gandhi more from currency notes than the values that he fought for.

Gandhi’s advocacy of speaking the truth can never be overemphasised. This quality forms the very basis of personality of a person and ethics of a society. Speaking truth takes out more than half the evil out of a person. It makes a person courageous to express his views and own a truth. And that courage can have many positive ramifications at personal as well as national level. A nation that boasts of being truthful, can never lag in progress.

Gandhi also preached the importance of simple living. This has become more relevant today with more and more materialistic allurements seeping into everyday life. Worldly pleasures are driving the economy in many sectors whereas basic essentials are suffering. Economic chasm is widening by the day. It is for the Generation Z to realise this bitter truth and find a way to address basic needs of every person before indulging in extravagant lifestyle.

Non-violence was the key theme of Gandhi’s living. He showed the world how the ends could be achieved without indulging in violence. He won many a battle by peaceful protests. Maybe his triumphs are more narratable than those achieved by the bullet. Society today has become more intolerant and violent. We have cases of murder, terrorism, physical violations by the hour. Religious groups have become more fanatic and are fighting for supremacy. Such violent behaviour of population is pushing the world back towards dark times. Arms race is gaining momentum every passing day. It is the need of the hour for Generation Z to don the mantle of reforms and guide the world to a peaceful coexistence. Demons of times of Gandhi are here in different forms now. We could not abolish racism all over the world. Famous Gandhian leaders like Nelson Mandela sacrificed their lives and were able to bring a sea change in perception about people of colour. Still we have George Floyd episodes and still people are being forced to come out  in the streets with placards declaring that lives of colored people matter.

It might take generations to make changes in widely spread ailments, let Generation Z be the torch-bearer. We need to learn and imbibe what Gandhi stood for. Let us start making the change, Now!

He taught to fight without weapons

MK Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who adopted non-violent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from the British rule and in turn inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Gandhi has been often called the prophet of the 21st century— and rightly so as many of the problems being faced today can be effectively dealt with if his teachings are put in practice in letter and in spirit. In today’s modernised world, our problems are not just limited to internal conflicts and matters. Issues ranging from border management to nuclear issues are emerging around the world and pose a threat to peaceful existence of humankind. We know that a war brings ruin and destruction to both sides. That means war is not the right option to resolve any problem of the world.

The truth is that the Gandhian philosophy has become even more valuable in the 21st century. He has proved that there is always an alternative way to resolve conflicts to ensure peace in the long run.

Gandhiji always supported the modern concept of alternative dispute resolution. He advocated the importance of adopting non-violent methods like Satyagraha and Ahimsa (non-violence). The first step of Satyagraha is to confront the aggressors and convince them that they are wrong in their violent actions. The second step is to deal with the armed attack in a way that the peace is not disturbed. Gandhi aimed at weakening the moral defence of the opponent. The third stage is to involve methods like non-cooperation and civil disobedience to weaken the opponents. This would involve refusal to take part in the administrative functions and silently yet firmly opposing, thus creating a sense of insecurity in the oppressors. By this method, we could solve many types of international conflicts without harming the security and safety of innocent people of the country.

Gandhi believed that demonising one’s enemy is an act of dehumanising him which subsequently leads to dehumanising yourself. Before demonising others, try to know your limitations by self-introspection. So it needs a dialogue between you and your opponent in which you have to open yourself with patience to understand each other’s problems, and incorporating each other’s views and in the process realising that the enemy is also a human with some negative thoughts and actions. He suggests that the retaliatory action “an eye for an eye which would make the whole world blind” must be shunned. Gandhi was not against revolution, heroism and sacrifice. But heroism and sacrifice if glorified in a wrong way affecting the interest of mankind are not at all good; it is nothing, but the exhaustion of our vigorous energy. “Self-sacrifice of an innocent man is a million times more significant than the sacrifice of millions who die in the act of killing others”. He says that “Non-violence is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction, devised by the ingenuity of man”.