Ram Puniyani 
In an interview to ABP on May 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated: “In the last 75 years, wasn’t it our responsibility to make Mahatma Gandhi known across the world? Forgive me, but nobody knew Mahatma Gandhi,” till the film on him was released in 1982.
When he was saying this the ABP persons interviewing him had stony expressions. They did not react to this elementary falsehood being dished out by the PM. The aim of this statement towards the fag end of the prolonged campaign for general elections is not hard to guess.
Severe criticism of his 10-year regime on issues of employment, rising prices, plight of farmers, paper leaks, the Agniveer scheme, etc. was getting traction. How to divert the attention from these core issues of people was his major concern. This outpouring on Mahatma Gandhi served another function apart from distracting attention from people’s issues; it targeted Jawaharlal Nehru and earlier Congress regimes for purportedly ignoring the popularisation of Gandhi on the global arena.
More than criticism of Nehru-Congress regimes, it shows Modi’s ignorance about the life and works of Gandhi, his international prestige and his role in being the lighthouse for major figures of the world. It shows Modi’s ignorance about Gandhi’s influence on global politics from the decade of 1930s itself, much before Richard Attenborough came out with this biopic on him, based on the biography written by Luis Fisher.
With Gandhi’s struggles in South Africa he came to be recognised as a major leader against apartheid. With his coming to India and leading the Champaran movement for farmers, his friend Charlie Andrews spread to the world the unique nature of Champaran Satyagrah. His unique tool of Satyagrah based on truth and non violence began to draw the attention of the world towards the problems of the weak and exploited.
Also read: The Hindu Right Is Unreconciled to History – and Gandhi
Later other movements launched by him – civil disobedience and the salt march – were widely covered in the global media. The attention paid to him was mainly a source of inspiration for the struggle for justice and the involvement of people around the concerns of the society. His lifework and messages spread with lightning speed on the global scale. On one hand, the British rulers intensified the repression in India and on the other those respecting peace, justice and non violence started noticing Gandhi’s contribution to principles of humanism at global level.
While Modi may not know the real contribution of Gandhi and his great popularity since that time, he needs to know that the English newspaper, The Burlington Hawk-Eye, on September 20, 1931, carried a full page feature on him, titled “Most Talked about man in the World”. The renowned American magazine, TIME, carried him on the cover as ‘man of the year’ in 1931, and on two other occasions he was on the cover of this magazine. TIME’s companion magazine Life also carried a feature on him.
The global personalities contributing to the process of peace and justice through their works and ideas started getting attracted to him.
The scientist Albert Einstein wrote in 1939, “I believe that Gandhi’s views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in anything you believe is evil.” He said of Gandhi: “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”
Charles Chaplin, inspired by Gandhi’s movement, ensured a meeting with him and the reflection of Gandhi’s values is very much there in his films, Modern Times and The Great Dictator. In the latter, Chaplin contrasts Gandhi with Hitler. Similarly French dramatist Roman Rollain in the French edition of Young India wrote, “”If (Jesus) Christ was the Prince of Peace, Gandhi is no less worthy of this noble title.”
Two of the major activists of the 20th century, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela drew the inspiration and direction for the path of their struggle from Gandhi. In an article for Hindustan Times in 1959, King wrote, “I came to see at a very early stage that a synthesis of Gandhi’s method of non-violence and the Christian ethic of love is the best weapon available to Negroes for this struggle for freedom and human dignity.”
And finally the massive and prolonged struggles of Nelson Mandela had the underlying values derived from Gandhi’s life and teachings. He lauded “Mahatma Gandhi combined ethics and morality with a steely resolve that refused to compromise with the oppressor, the British Empire.”
Also read: The World Knew Mahatma Gandhi Years Before the 1982 Film. PM Modi’s Claim Is False.
Modi should just know that today there are a large number of universities in the world where Gandhian studies are a part of their curricula. There are many schools trying to teach his values. Nearly 80 global cities have Gandhi streets and Gandhi statues installed in their prominent places.
As far as films are concerned our own Films Division had come out with a documentary film, made by Vithalbhai Jhaveri much before Attenborough. As a matter of fact, Attenborough saw this film twice and advised the lead actor of his film, Ben Kingsley, to watch it to understand Gandhi’s mannerisms.
As for Modi allegation’s that the previous regimes did not do anything to popularise Gandhi in the world, even in the making of the Attenborough film, the Indian government through the National Films Development Corporation contributed a major sum. The Attenborough film is dedicated, amongst others, to Nehru also. It was Nehru who advised him not to present Gandhi as a superhuman being, but as the one with all his weaknesses and strengths, as he led the nation. Gandhi’s international reputation is not due to films but films have been made due to his fame and reputation. The number of books written on and about him is an astounding number.
As the election campaign has come to a halt, on the pretext of this diversionary statement on Gandhi, we can revisit the father of the nation, whose teachings on harmony and peace are far more relevant today than when he preached and practiced those.
Ram Puniyani is president of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.