During childhood, people frequently asked if they know what Mahatma Gandhi’s full name is. This usually happens after exhausting the generic questions like “what’s your name?”, “what class do you study in?” etc.
Those days, I felt very curious and wanted to know more about this person. My curiosity further peaked when I heard about him at school’s programs like Gandhi Jayanti, Independence Day or Republic Day celebrations. Our teachers taught us that he fought against the British with the means of non-violence. “Was he a warrior who fought for the goodwill against the evils like Shaktimaan?” I wondered.
After a while, I found out that Mahatma Gandhi was a great freedom fighter who spent his whole life in the struggle for the independence of India. He was born to an Indian Hindu family on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. He lived his whole life as a leader of the Indian people. His life story is a great inspiration for us. He is called ‘Bapu’ or ‘Rashtrapita’ (father of the nation), as he spent his life fighting against the British rule for our freedom. To fight against the British, he took the help of weapons like non-violence and satyagraha movements to gain freedom.
He continues to inspire millions of peoples throughout this world today. This is not only because he fought for Indian independence, but because of the way he achieved his goals. The Gandhian philosophy and the concept of non-violence seem more relevant today than in Gandhi’s era. The world around us is turning into a war zone, and every individual is tired of the cycle of violence. There are three major elements of Gandhian philosophy that I believe can help the world correct its path before it’s too late. They are:
1) Satyagraha: Which inspires us to always fight for the truth and rights by a peaceful means.
2) Ahimsa: Being non-violent when we fight for goodwill.
3) Sarvodaya: Upliftment of all the class, community, religion or the group of people as a whole by delimiting their problems to fulfil the necessary needs.
Nowadays, these all are very relevant. Now the major question is – will the Gandhian philosophy be able to solve all the problems of the world? The answer is maybe ‘no’ – but his ideas or the principles that inspire people can. A peaceful protest can bring about change. In this context, it is always better to be a non-violent, peace-loving fighter. It will also help you in gathering the support of the world for your cause, and the goal can be achieved without bloodshed. Today, in a world still challenged by violent conflict, wars and terrorism, many look to Gandhi’s vision as the prototype to solve these challenges.
The minds of people today have become aggressive. They often adopt violent means to get there things done. If we look at recent incidents in the country, then we can feel how the nation is suffering from evils like hatred and violence.
It’s not that non-violence is the only way to solve the problem, but it’s the way to make the people tolerant and peaceful. Our approach to the problems should depend on the nature of the problem. Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon to reduce the problem, and it can minimize the problem instead of spreading hate and violence. It is a sword that heals.
If we read through the pages of Indian freedom struggle, we will realize the power of non-violence. I will make sure that Gandhiji is missed for his ethics of non-violence, honesty and gandhigiri. I hope everyone realizes this and learns about his ideas and thoughts to understand the power of non-violence.