Question

Impact of gandhian ideals on the indian society, economy as well as other spheres of public life

Answer 1

A tribute to 'Father of the Nation'

 

Gandhi Jayanti is observed every year as a national holiday to commemorate the birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948). His non-violence or satyagraha continues to influence political leaders and movements till date. The celebration and essence of Gandhi Jayanti is not restricted within India and also observed by the United Nations as the International Day of non-violence that aims to disseminate his philosophy, principle and believe in non-violence through proper education and public awareness. Born in Porbandar, a middle-class Gujarati business family, He studied law in U.K and practiced law in South Africa. But he left his profession and returned to India to join the Indian freedom struggle. Throughout his life he opposed any form of violence, instead using only the highest moral standards.


His philosophy of nonviolence, for which he coined the term satyagraha, has influenced national and international nonviolent resistance movements to this day. From the time he took charge of the freedom struggle in 1918 he was lovingly called as "Mahatma” by millions of Indians. Today, the path and means used by Mahatma Gandhi have become more relevant not just in India, but elsewhere too where people have been suppressed or injustice has been institutionalized. 

 

The essence of his strength came from his belief in Truth which he variously extracted from the collective wisdom of all religions, civilizations, and the concept of humanity that dawned on him. Surely, the barriers of class, color, religion, were meaningless if one was to respect a single concept of humanity. Mahatma Gandhi was a seeker after truth. And, he pursued his seeking within the all-encompassing fold of the timeless discipline, whose life and teachings transcend the constraints of time and space, and remain perpetually relevant for mankind. Today, most countries in the world are facing various kinds of internal and external crises. Due to unprecedented changes in social, political, economic and cultural spheres, various groups of people have become very aware of these issues. Many times, one particular group or groups of people create a problem that becomes so serious that the authorities become helpless.