Question

ESSAY 400 WORDS ON (GANDHI WEAPON NON-VIOLENCE

Answer 1

Explanation:

For using Gandhian Political Technologies (GPTs), the operation of the power process of Gandhian non-violence should be understood in a comprehensive manner.

The power-process of non-violence consists of four stages or forms:

1. Spiritual Power or Soul-force (SP):

When a person realizes soul, God, Truth, Brahma etc., he, as proclaimed by the Shastras, attains real spiritual power. Gandhi aspired to have that power. This power enables one to change the heart of his adversary even without self-suffering. But the satyagrahi, as part of Universal Spirit through self-suffering invokes the souls or spirits of all human beings, including the adversary, and gains sympathy for his cause.

As the people believe in the goals and values of their leader gather together on his call, they feel that the leader has the power of non-violence of the brave. In fact, it is the organisation and number of followers gathered around him that makes him look powerful.

Spiritual or soul-force alone cannot be considered as power in the sense of interpersonal influence. Soul-force remains confined to the ‘person’ of the individual concerned. It attains attributes (not real) when that individual considers himself to be in possession of that mystic, abstruse or enigmatic power, or the people alike him or those who are under his influence, credu­lously believe that he holds power of non-violence in his person. In this manner, he becomes the source of power. This power is lost when followers leave him alone.

2. Initial Formative Power (IFP):

Soul-force, whatever be the number of admirers or followers, remains confined to the leader. When the latter attracts and gathers a large number of people for a purpose on the basis of faith in some ‘common moral values/principles’, power begins to generate. This moral power has no political goal. Common values initiate or generate ‘corporate’ power. It can be named as Initial Formative Power, which resides in that spiritual or saintly person and also his followers.

When that person takes up some public or political cause, and organises a large number of people, his Initial Formative Power (IFP) is converted into ‘direct physical power’. Issues of morality and conscience are converted into concrete ‘formative’ power. Both soul-force and formative power of moral principles take shape around some issue, demand or claim of a large number of people.

3. Actual Physical Power of the People (APPP):

The man-of-religion or a leader like Gandhi employs various tools and techniques like hartal, picketing, demonstration etc. The followers usually remain peaceful till they remain behind their non-violent leader. But under the leadership of a man of non-violence, they are expected to be peaceful.

In his absence, they may be organised or un-organised, violent or non-violent and constitutional or unconstitutional. Direct or actual physical power appears in the form of a large number of people organised by the leader making a claim or demand.

It is this concrete reality which stands before the adversary or the government. In this way, Initial Formative Power (IFP) is translated into Actual Physical Power of the People (APPP). It is actual operating power of the agitating people. The number of agitators increases when the leader is put under greater and greater suffering like beating, imprisonment, confiscation of property, fast unto death, and other threats to life.

4. Probable Potential Power of the People (PPPP):

This power rests with the people who do not take part in the movement. They live in the countryside, away from the scene of the struggle, and may remain apathetic, dormant and inactive. This dormant power does not operate in accordance with the wishes or directives of the non-violent leader.

Their power is probable but irresistible. When it is active, it can compel the adversary to relent and concede the demands. Every large group, community or organisation invariably possesses probable potential power even without displaying its actual physical power. It is a condition precedent of all sorts of power including assumed or actual power.

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