Godse may have killed Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but the Mahatma lives on as while the former was a mortal human being, the latter is an ideology, which is immortal and in fact even more relevant in this world today, which is being torn apart with violence, greed and destruction.
The more we are going away from the era of the Gandhi, the more we are becoming vocal in criticizing him, not knowing what did India passed through, what was demographic, cultural, geo-political situation at that time, how did Gandhiji rose to his stature, what sacrifice he made both in personal and in his flourishing carrier and who gave him the titles of “Mahatma” and “Father of the nation”?
It is astonishing to think how could have united the people of this vast country which was under British rule as well as the local kings, nawabs about hundred years ago when the communications were so poor!
He studied law in England from 1888 to 1891, and in 1893 he took a job with an Indian firm in South Africa. There he became an effective advocate for Indian’s rights.
At that time, Indians in South Africa were treated as slaves and second class citizens to the extent that he himself was thrown out from a first class railway coach by a British ticket collector, despite having a valid ticket, because he was an Indian.
And that great moment gave the birth of Mahatma Gandhi who successfully changed the concept of violence into non-violence.
In 1906, he first put into action satyagraha, his technique of nonviolent resistance. His success in South Africa gave him an international reputation and in 1915, he returned to India and within a few years became the leader of a nationwide struggle for Indian home rule.
By 1920, Gandhi commanded influence hitherto unattained by any political leader in India. Centuries have past but he is still a relevant force and will remain so.
More the world gets steeped into violence his relevancy will be felt more. Very few politicians or activists will remain with such relevance.
Many political scientists thought that Gandhi was combinations of a prophet and a politician of the highest caliber. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, a great admirer and critic of Gandhi, addressed him as the Father of the Nation from Burma, now Mayanmar, for his blessings when he was advancing towards India and Rabindranath Tagore gave the title Mahatma.
Gandhi’s central contribution to modern politics was the invention of Satyagraha. The weapon was universal in a second sense; it could be taken by anyone - women, men, children and peasants.
Gandhi had a profound hold on the complete political situations, political leaders and British rulers since 1914 till he was assassinated in 1948 and even after. None could have had such national and international hold before and after his death as his philosophy than politics was more lasting and all abiding.
Albert Einstein once called Gandhi “a role model for the generations to come” in a letter writing about him. British musician John Lennon referred to Gandhi as an influence on his music. Former US Vice-President and environmentalist, Al Gore, also acknowledges Gandhi’s influence on him.
From American Civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr, former President of South Africa, late Nelson Mandela to the first Afro-American president of the United States - Barack Obama, many were influenced by Gandhi’s political ideology.
It is ironic that while the world recognises the power of Gandhian philosophy, in his own country we tend to demean him and glorify his killer. But that won’t diminish the relevance of his thoughts as they are too strong to get erased by a bunch of radicals.
It is also unfortunate that we tend to pit one freedom fighter against the other and credit him for attaining freedom from British rule, as per political suitability. But the fact remains that Mahatma Gandhi was the banyan tree, under whom all these leaders flourished.
It is the country as whole which has accepted Gandhi as Father of the Nation, and he will remain so.
In present India, we have seen Satyagraha being used as a potent weapon to make the government take notice of people’s grievances.
The clarion call for self-reliance was given much earlier by Gandhi to counter dependence on British goods. In order to free the country from the shackles of hunger, unemployment, poverty, swadeshi is the best path to unshackle these. Make in India is an extension of this philosophy.
The world today is burning. North, South, East and West, in every corner of the world including India a sense of intolerance is dangerously growing. The Gandhian philosophy is highly relevant today.