I read “The Story of My Experiments with Truth,” the autobiography of Gandhi ji, a long time ago. Those were the times when I was of an impressionable age, and I was looking to be awed, especially since I had read about many towering personalities citing the book as their inspiration. I believed that reading a book could change one’s life, a belief that, to a somewhat lesser extent, I carry to this day.
Reading the book, however, was a bit of a disappointment. It felt like Gandhi ji was not being honest, but was trying to build an image that he wanted to impress on the reader’s mind. To cut a long story short, I did not become a fan. But that did not stop me from trying a few things that he had suggested in the book, especially those I felt could help me in becoming a better version of myself.
Of late, however, I see a lot of hate floating around the social media against Gandhi ji. It seems like you can either hate him or you can love him. There is no middle ground. I am sure it has something to do with the fact that a particular political party has chosen to anoint the members of a family that has adopted the Gandhi name, as their de facto leaders.
This, however, is not a political post, so we are not going to go down that rabbit hole.
What I am going to say is that people who believe that Gandhi ji had nothing to do with India’s Independence movement are just as naïve as those who believe that he single-handedly orchestrated the Independence movement. History is often made by people who happen to be at the right place at the right time or at the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s the job of historians to create an aura of divinity, or otherwise, for the people who were there when momentous events took place.
In all other aspects, these heroes or villains are like most of us. They are human, susceptible to all the weaknesses that afflict us. Gandhi ji must have been no different, I am sure. When a person dies-even a near and dear one -he ceases to become an individual, and becomes an idea, or a collection of ideas, that he shaped his life around. He is remembered by people for the best or the worst qualities he had.
Gandhi ji was no different. He had his strengths and his weaknesses. He just happened to be alive at a moment when India, that is Bharat, was going through a churning that would have resulted in India’s independence anyway. Living in those tumultuous times, he was able to infuse the principles of truth and non-violence into the lives of millions of Indians. That is no mean feat, especially considering the standard of living of people during those times.
I am sure that even today no one can find anything wrong with these principles. A simple look at our society today makes me feel that these principles are even more relevant today than they were during the 1940s.
So, today as we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti, we should neither hate Gandhi ji nor love him, but remember to incorporate the two principles of truth and non-violence as our guiding lights in life.
And before someone accuses me of forgetting Lal Bahadur Shastri ji, I would take this opportunity to wish everyone on his birth anniversary as well. He was also a follower of the principles of truth and non-violence and was known to be a man of peace, something that our world needs badly today!
What do you think?