Today, October 2, is Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
It is impossible to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
What invariably flits through the mind on October 2 is the assassin Nathuram Godse, whose bullets closed one of the greatest chapters of human existence, and the countless assassins who butcher his ideas every day.
But Gandhi refuses to die. Wherever we see hatred, untruth, violence and disharmony, the need for a Gandhi sprouts. The need to speak up for truth, for justice, for peaceful coexistence is born. The reason for Gandhism is born. We can join the army of his assassins by remaining silent. That illegitimate option is always available in an authoritarian set-up, also in democracy.
Gandhi, however, doesn’t offer that option of remaining silent. If anything defined Gandhi apart from truth and non-violence, it is fearlessness. He valued individual freedom and democratic dissent more than anything else. His governance doctrine – Swaraj – was essentially based on the concept of self-rule, which originates from individual freedom. It was his instinct of revolting against injustice that prepared him for the larger battle against the coercive state power. The critical importance of the ‘individual’ in his politics was manifested in his compulsive readiness to sacrifice himself for a cause. His ‘satyagraha’ epitomises that personal commitment.
On his birth anniversary 76 years after he was brutally killed by a ‘Hindutva’ zealot, the question that could trouble any sensible Indian is – what would Gandhi be doing today if he was alive?
While experts of Gandhian studies can discuss the finer points, even a layman understands the first and foremost task he would have undertaken is to explain to the nation the difference between the religion Hinduism and the political project of Hindutva. Gandhi, who called himself religious, neither went to temples nor believed in rituals and ceremonies.
Also read: In Photos: The Life, Work and Death of Mahatma Gandhi
He would have clearly explained to every gullible citizen what it means to be a good Hindu and what the deity Ram stood for. When the bullets fired by Godse, who believed Gandhi should be killed because he emasculated the Hindu community and weakened the Hindu cause by stressing on equality, snuffed life out of his frail body, the last words that came of his mouth were: ‘Hey Ram!’ It was Gandhi’s unflinching belief in Ram’s ideals that drove him to establish a relationship between politics and morality. His obsession with ethical practices, self-purification and personal sacrifice symbolised his religiosity. He showed spirituality cannot be devoid of morality. This approach turned Hindu fundamentalists whose politics was rooted in racial supremacy and Ram’s valour, rather than his values, against him. The same approach would have compelled Gandhi to rise against communal forces today.
It was primarily because of Gandhi’s leadership that the nature of Indian society and the character of the citizen dominated the political discourse along with the quest for freedom. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had a different vision about the nation and the society, creating a conflict between the two ideologies that persists even today. While there are people who threaten to send anybody talking about equality and secularism to Pakistan even now, Godse argued that he killed Gandhi because of his soft corner for Muslims and Pakistan.
Though the RSS and the BJP now claim they worship Gandhi, the ecosystem that supports Narendra Modi has been running “Godse Zindabad” campaign on social media on every October 2. The hypocrisy and compulsion of idolising Gandhi can be understood through the farce of global leaders – who are either supporting or are silent on the genocidal assault of Israel on the Palestinian people – praying at Rajghat when they were in India for the G-20 summit. Gandhi is a motivating factor only for the oppressed and the downtrodden seeking to register their protest against injustice. One clear reflection of Gandhian philosophy was seen in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra where he talked about justice, love and harmony in the political context.
Also read: Mahatma Gandhi and the Story of Two Temples
Gandhi did not want any ‘ism’ associated with his thinking but his views have proven to be immortal, emerging as the sole instrument of global peace. He wrote in 1940:
“An ‘ism’ deserves to be destroyed. It is a useless thing. The real thing is non-violence. It is immortal. It is enough for me if it remains alive. I am eager to see Gandhism wiped out at an earlier date. You should not give yourselves over to sectarianism. I did not belong to any sect. I have never dreamt of establishing any sect. If any sect is established in my name after my death, my soul would cry out in anguish.”
Irony is that Gandhi’s soul must have cried out in anguish every now and then, but for different reasons. The current rulers believe in doctrine of force, discarding non-violence as a bogus concept. The prime minister proudly says the world knows now, “Bharat ghar mein ghus ke maarta hai (India enters the home and strikes)”. The Supreme Court is forced to intervene in bulldozer barbarism. Extra-judicial killings, known as encounters, have become fashionable.
The question genuinely arises – what would Gandhi do if he was alive today? What would he do hearing of lynching on the streets? What would he do when innocent citizens are framed in false charges? What would he do when investigation agencies selectively targets opponents of the government? What would he do when lies and falsehood dominate political communication? What would he do when citizens are put under illegal surveillance? What would he do when countless cases of wrongdoing through electoral bonds are not investigated? What would he do when crony capitalism becomes the bedrock of policy-making? What would he do when nails and barbed wires are planted on the road to prevent farmers from entering the nation’s capital? What would he do when criminals, rioters and rapists get political patronage? What would he do when a period of conflict and distress is hawked as Amrit Kaal?
It would be wrong to isolate one party because the entire political class has undermined Gandhian values. It is Gandhi’s example that negates the popular saying about politics being the refuge of scoundrels. Gandhi is the solution to most of the ills that afflict the world today. Gandhi’s penchant for applying morality to social, political and economic issues is what humanity is crying for. Be it a Stalin or a Hitler, a Netanyahu or Trump, Gandhi is the anti-dote. Hope Narendra Modi, who has conspired to reduce Gandhi to cleanliness by ignoring his key principles of truth and non-violence, and the RSS which is pursuing a hateful Hindutva agenda, do some serious introspection and truly adopt Gandhi as the political panacea. Another option is readily available – persist with hate and lies… and join the gang of Gandhi’s assassins.
Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.
