Gandhi’s ideal of Ahimsa is more than just physical non-violence. It is the objective of attaining peace, love, harmony, and search for truth. The Gandhian notion of a nation, according to Economic and Political Weekly, “entails within it the normative conception of the nation based on peace, and of a nation that draws its essence from democratic values such as freedom.” There is no better time to answer the question of whether our nation is truly practising ahimsa than today, when ‘We The People Of India’ are actively seeking truth and not allowing anyone or anything to gain prominence above the universal concern for democracy, freedom, rights and universal harmony.
It is easy to argue, with increased polarisation and hate politics around us, that Ahimsa is an ideal far removed from our reality. However, as long as the country’s consciousness remains alive, we will tread on the path of Ahimsa, i.e., the search for convergence of truth and harmony. And as long as truth remains, no attempt to dilute the universal truth of ‘democratic citizenship and nationalism’ can succeed.
Featured image is representational.