Today, on the occasion of the 152nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, I would like to draw some light upon the two major philosophies of Gandhi that have influenced me to a great extent: persistence of truth and non-violence.
The globe was engulfed in hatred and violence, and when the military had arrogated all into refusing to listen to the other side that further engulfed the whole world into two catastrophic world wars. Our world, our fellow human beings, suffered the pain and agony of losing their loved ones and the dilemma of waiting for their companion with broken hearts till their last breath.
Those two wars devoured millions of people including men, women and children. On the other side of the world, when state oppression, racism, violence and dominance over others was a norm, a simple bald man showed the world a unique way, a way that may be familiar to the rest but was unknown to the world of the arsenal. This way was that of Truth and Non-Violence.
The new generation of the millennium who has rarely invested their time in studying Gandhi would come and say “I don’t agree with Gandhi Ji’s principle of non-violence that if someone slaps you on one side of your cheek, you show them the other side as well, ‘How stupid!’ Nor do I think Gandhiji had made any major contributions in the Indian freedom struggle.” Today, we shall talk about this, and I shall try to chronologically answer some of the doubts regarding truth and non-violence.
No dictionary imbues truth with the depth of meaning that Gandhiji gave it. His truth emerged from his conviction: it means not only what was accurate, but also what was just and therefore right. Truth could not be obtained by “untruthful” or unjust means, which include inflicting violence upon one’s opponent. To describe his method, Gandhi coined the expression satyagraha: literal meaning “holding on truth”, or as he used to describe in different terms, truth-force or soul force.
In an article written by him in 1920, The doctrine of the Sword, he said, “I do believe that if the choice is only between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. But I believe non-violence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment.” Further, he emphasised, “Forgiveness adorns a soldier, but abstinence is forgiveness only when there is power to punish and I do not believe myself to be a helpless creature.”
He made this more clear when he said, “Let me not be misunderstood, strength doesn’t come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will.” So, again, the question arises: does non-violence mean meek submission to the will of evil-doer? The answer is ‘NO’, but it means putting one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant.
I do not deny the contribution of all the freedom strugglers who chose the contrary path, the path of violence. But I doubt whether India would have been able to sustain her freedom in the long run because in the path of violence, people would be convinced to resort to violence against the government even for their minor dissatisfaction. We have seen what happened in African and other colonies that won their independence through violence but within a few years experienced unimaginable civil wars or military coups.
Gandhi’s non-violence, in my opinion, was not just about fighting against the British but also about awakening the morality and consciousness of Indians for their homeland and fellow citizens who were serving the British. It was Gandhi who awakened and mobilised the whole nation’s conscience against the tyrannical rule of the British. Gandhi presented the matter of liberation to the masses as a simple question of right and wrong, and taught them a technique that the British could not counter.
I believe in non-violence not because I am weak, but because it is something that makes us different from other animals. As we might have seen, whenever animals have any dissatisfaction, they resort to violence. But we humans are more catastrophic than any other animals because we possess both the qualities: the qualities of an angel as well as the devil.
Now here, we have to decide which quality we want to embrace. Gandhi, in his book Hind Swaraj, articulated non-violence as not actually a weapon of the weak; rather, it requires great courage and strength to change the mind of your oppressor by sheer peace and truth. Non-violence believes in the human spirit of mutual love. As an individual, you may disagree with him on certain issues and opinions, but today, Gandhi is no more limited to being a human, but it has become an idea that needs to be cherished and respected because Gandhi stands for peace and peace deserves to be given a chance.
kaho ki aaj bhī ham sab agar ḳhamosh rahe
to is damakte hue ḳhāk-dāñ kī ḳhair nahīñ
junūñ kī Dhālī huī atomī balāoñ se
zamīñ kī ḳhair nahīñ āsmāñ kī ḳhair nahīñ
guzishta jang meñ ghar hī jale magar is baar
ajab nahīñ ki ye tanhā.iyāñ bhī jal jaa.eñ
guzishta jañg meñ paikar jale magar is baar
ajab nahīñ ki ye parchhā.iyāñ bhī jal jaa.eñ
– Parchhaiyan, Sahir Ludhianvi