Opinion
Gandhi in us
In these troubled times, Gandhi’s words are more relevant than everRecently, I met a close friend of mine for luncheon, who told me, “You sound like Gandhiji.” Her remark made me grin and then ponder on it. One week later, I realised that we all have a ‘little Gandhi’ in us only if we are willing to deflate our egos become less narcissist.
World affairs
Let’s have a look at recent news from the US: the Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson bashed the Muslims when hundreds and thousands of refugees had been fleeing from the conflict in the Middle East. Though the US might have decided to take in additional 30,000 refugees per year by 2017, many are opposed to it and arguing that “the US is providing a recruiting pool for radicals”. Indeed, this is a dishonour not only for those Muslim refugees who are entitled to be granted asylum in some European countries but also for those who are living in the US as honorable citizens.
Likewise, Nepal has been criticised by India for its failure to address the Madhesi demands in the new constitution. Some senior Madhesi leaders claim that Nepal’s new constitution defines the Hindu majority nation as a secular republic divided into seven federal provinces, thereby marginalising ethnic groups from the southern lowlands. As a result, violent protests claimed the lives of over 40 people in various Tarai districts.
Meanwhile, the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Francis, recently addressed the US congress. “Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples,” he told the joint meeting of the Congress in his speech which cited American icons like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. “We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.”
Gandhi’s ethos
Gandhi advocated the concept of ‘Swaraj’ decades ago. It means freedom not only for oneself, but also for one’s neighbour because men and women aspiring to be free cannot think of enslaving others. His definition of Swaraj as a social state is that where everybody—including all minorities and also the poorest—shall feel that they are part of the country where people from all creeds, castes and races live in perfect harmony. He has also stated that women should enjoy equal rights as men. No doubt, his vision of Swaraj corroborates to an ideal democracy in today’s world. The spirit of service and sacrifice was Gandhi’s key to leadership. Non-violence was his key principle to counter injustice and exploitation. In Gandhi’s view, true economics stands for social justice and good governance.
His views intrigue me even after having read his autobiography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’ three times. The first time I saw this book in one of the kiosks at the Gorakhpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh, India while I was travelling to Varanasi with my parents. I was a seventh grader at that time. I persuaded my father to buy that book for me. I vividly remember reading it on the moving train. But I could hardly understand understood any Gandhi’s messages then. I was in college when I read the book for the second time.
It was only while reading the book for the third time in 2006 while I was travelling to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and to Gandhi’s birth place, Porbandar, a coastal city in Gujarat that I fully understood what Bapu wanted to say. October always reminds of the book because October 2 is the celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti and the International Day of Non-Violence.
The essence of Pope Francis’ recent address to the US congress is very similar to what Gandhi said a long time back. Perhaps we have difficulty in practising it as we refuse to let go of our inflated egos and pride. The ethos is quite simple; we need to be humane by respecting the diversity around us. This is why we all have a little bit of Gandhi in us. But only if we are open to accepting humility as one of the greatest virtues.
Upadhyay is a development practitioner (@bhawy)