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Have Indians abandoned
Gandhi?
by Yoko Higuchi
Looking at the stamps from India, you will
notice that Mahatma Gandhi, the father of independence is used for the
1 Rupee stamp. Many Indians are proud of this historical figure even now.
Throughout history, most national heroes were worriers who fought for
their countries over battles. Gandhi, however, tried to overcome British
rule without using any means of violence. What was it that made him so
memorable and a great political and historical figure until now?
These days, however, few people stop to consider
Gandhi’s personality and philosophy ,which dictated non-violent ideas
as a means of peaceful reconciliation. In today’s India, his achievement
doesn’t seem to work. While his non-violent resistance was used to
protest nuclear testing by France, India has implemented its own testing
recently. It’s ironic that the country which produced such an influential
person to the world made a fuss for its anti peaceful conduct. Has India
forgot Gandhi’s policy? Now isn’t it time for India to reconsider
what this historical man advocated over 50 years ago?
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869
in Porbandar, near Bombay. His family belonged to the second highest cast
Vaisya in Hindu. He got married only at the age of 13. Traditionally many
Indian got married at an early age. When he was 19, he went to England
to study law at University College in London. While his colleagues gave
him cold treatment because of his nationality, he kept studying philosophy
by himself. As he kept reading, he discovered the concept of nonviolence
enunciated in Henry David Thoreau’s "Civil Disobedience". Also, he
was influenced by John Ruskin’s notion to give up industrialism and
have simple life working on a farm, which was close to Hindu way of life.
So later he preferred the pencil to typewriter, the loincloth to the business
suit, opposing industrial modernity. After coming back to India, he went
to South Africa in 1893. There again he saw the unreasonable treatment
of Indian laborers which he had seen in India and England. In 1894, he
established the Natal Indian Congress to protect Indian rights.
In 1906, Gandhi began his revolution. He claimed
he’d rather be ready to go to jail or die than to obey the anti-Asian
law. In 1919, when the notorious massacre in Amritsar broke out, Gandhi
began his nationwide resistance. As Indians tried to fight against the
British with violence, he fasted in protest. When the British imposed
a salt tax on Indians, he began a march to demonstrate their demand to
make their own salt, leading thousands of the nation. He was imprisoned
several times.
Gandhi had advocated a united India with coexistence
of all religions, especially Muslims and Hindus. In 1947, India became
independent and the country was divided into India and Pakistan. However,
the conflict between Hindus and Muslims hasn’t ceased and the bloodshed
of the riots became worse. Disappointed by their deeds, he began fasting
again to stop them. Twelve years later, he was shot to death by one of
the Hindu fanatics who opposed his idea of tolerance for all religions.
Gandhi persisted to live according to what
is right. He dedicated himself to live his life with tolerance and forgiveness.
When faced with injustice in India under the control of the British Empire,
he considered how people could fight against injustice without losing
the dignity and morality of people. He referred to Thoreau’s non-violence
and introduced this idea to the public. He proved that non-violent resistance
was possible by showing it in practice.
Gandhi made more of people’s behavior
than what they achieve and he himself practiced his theory. Without doubt,
as a human being, he did have a temper and sexual desires, as a young
man. However, gradually he turned all these weakness into strengths which
later became his consistent character. He overcame all his weaknesses.
He showed that even your shortcomings can be an advantage, which is encouraging
to all of us.
Once, the great theologian Albert Einstein
said, "Generations to come...will scarce believe that such a one as this
ever walked upon this earth." Einstein was not the only one who admired
his achievements. Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama followed his
notion. Since Gandhi died, India and the world hasn’t produced a
spiritual leader with his way of thinking. His greatness impressed many
people and his philosophy is applied in many different ways. A popular
example of Gandhi’s policy is the fight against nuclear energy or
weapons. People opposed French nuclear testing by demonstrating without
violence.
Today’s India, committed to modernization
and industrialization, was not the country of his dreams. He opposed the
idea of modernization, let alone, any means of violent arms such as nuclear
weapons. If he lived in our times, he would have felt ashamed of nuclear
testing committed by his own country and fasted to show resistance just
as he did over 50 years ago. People’s policy seems to have totally
changed from the one in those days.
Is there any possibility for India to reconsider
his achievements and change the policy against its nuclear testing? Have
Indians forgot what their father of independence wished of the country?
Copyright, sources and comments the
Gandi Text Collection |
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This page was updated March/21/2004 [diese Seite in deutsch] |