Opinion The Mahatma Reduced to a Ritual Remembrance
Has
the country of his birth reduced the memory of Mahatma Gandhi to mere
tokenism … something to be ritually observed on the 2nd of October (Gandhi
Jayanti) and forgotten the rest of the year?
This certainly seems to be the case in the state of Gandhi’s birth,
Gujarat, which is now facing the danger of turning into Modi’s Gujarat,
accompanied by the propaganda that befits a rabble-rouser like him. The
Times of India has reported on the contents of the new social studies
textbooks that have been prepared by the Gujarat State Board of School
Text Books. These books, now in circulation, find fault with the freedom
movement to the extent that a Class VIII student is taught the negative
aspects of Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movement … a movement that
gained fame across the world and provided inspiration to many, like Dr.
Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, and gave India a special status in
the world.
The new stars in the Gujarat firmament are Fascism and Nazism with Hitler,
its founder, being given pride of place in school textbooks. Fascism and
Nazism, with their stress on national pride and the supremacy of the
German race, are described in glowing terms, while the pogroms against the
Jews and other weaker sections of the people have hardly been touched
upon. There has been a lot of writing, rewriting and re-rewriting of
history in India since the past few years, but nothing as shocking as
Hitler being glorified and Gandhiji being put down in his home state. The
irony is that when the Jews and European nations felt threatened by
Nazism, it was the Mahatma who advised Winston Churchill and the other
leaders to adopt non-violent means.
Gandhi was the antithesis of Hitler in every way, but most so when it came
to the matter of non-violence. He took the concept of ahimsa from
Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions and fashioned it into a weapon, but
not one of mass destruction. Gandhi claimed that Muslim and Sikh
traditions revealed a place for non-violence and also saw its consonance
with Christianity. Gandhi argued that it was a delusion and a folly
to wage a war like the Mahabharata, which ended with only a handful of
survivors. He felt that ahimsa was integral to Hinduism and the
Indian soil, and was not a sign of weakness for it was more a devilish
will than physical strength that made it possible for a person to press a
trigger to shoot another.
Gandhi used ahimsa effectively to wage a non-violent war; in the
form of satyagrahas against the South African and British
governments, protests against caste and religious divisions and when the
need arose, as a means to actively speak on behalf of the weak, the
maimed, the suppressed and sick, by displaying unconditional love for
these factions.
It is more than half a century since Gandhi’s death, and his beloved
country seems to be moving further and further away from his ideals.
Thanks to a virulent brand of Hindutva, the country is being increasingly
divided across religious lines. When self-appointed upholders of the
majority religion display fissiparous tendencies, it has its impact on the
minority religions whose leaders feel that they have to jump into the
bandwagon of preaching differences. So, one sees the likes of what
happened in Godhra followed by the retaliatory carnage in Gujarat,
courtesy the Modi brand of Hindutva. Gandhi believed that violence would
beget more of itself, as much as love would beget more love. His words are
prophetic not only with regard to what is happening in India but also
across the world, with Iraq being the most glaring example.
Gandhi’s advice to leaders was to think of the last man down the line when
taking any decision. Present-day leaders have moved far away from Gandhian
ideals, as their decisions seem to benefit only the rich and the powerful
while in 21st century India, there are still people dying from hunger and
poverty; often resorting to suicide to be freed from their living hells.
So instead of the ritualistic offerings of floral and verbal tributes on
Gandhi Jayanti and the customary screening of Richard Attenborough’s
celluloid tribute to Gandhi on the national channel, our leaders would be
well advised to applying the ideals of a saint of whom Albert Einstein
said: Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a
one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth.
Boloji.com is owned and managed by
Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Has
the country of his birth reduced the memory of Mahatma Gandhi to mere
tokenism … something to be ritually observed on the 2nd of October (Gandhi
Jayanti) and forgotten the rest of the year?