Throw light on the significance of Mahatma Gandhi in present times
Answers
Looking at the present state of affairs in India, the birthplace of Gandhi, one would probably surmise that Gandhism, whatever the term may mean, cannot have any relevance in this twenty-first century. Gandhi is rightly called the Father of the Nation because he single handedly stood up against the mighty British Empire, without any arms, and brought her independence. However, today, just after 60 years of his assassination by a fellow Indian, Gandhi is mostly forgotten and his relevance questioned even by his ardent devotees. Today Gandhi is remembered in India mostly on his birthday which is celebrated as a national holiday rather as a ritual.
As a matter of fact, India is not following any of Gandhi's teachings which are mostly confined to text books. As a military super power in Asia, India is definitely not following the teachings of Ahimsa (non-violence) in dealing with its neighbors, be it Pakistan, Bangladesh (East Pakistan) or China; nor it is practicing non-violence in dealings with its numerous insurgencies be it in Kashmir, Punjab, central India or in the North Eastern states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland or Mizoram. In fact, since independence, the country has witnessed many violent communal riots in this multi communal country. Two of countries prime ministers, two more Gandhis, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi (not related to Mahatma Gandhi) were assassinated by countrymen in broad daylights. Gandhi's message of ‘swabalambi’, self-sufficiency with home spun ‘khadi’ cloth is not used now a days even as a social slogan. Statistics show that the country is definitely not following ‘sarvodaya’, a broad Gandhian term meaning 'universal upliftment' or ‘progress of all’ reaching the masses and the downtrodden. On the contrary, India today has the unique distinction of being the only country in the world which has the richest man in the world while at the same time more than 30 per cent of its population lives in dire poverty where films like ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ shows the embarrassing reality of other India. To say the least, Gandhism is under severe test in India if not already dead. If one takes a survey, most Indians would probably say that Gandhism is a flop ideology just like communism and it is, at best, not practical in this twenty-first century India.