The Kodaikanal Gandhi Prize 2021: Second Prize - Sara Daniel

The Kodaikanal Gandhi Prize 2021

Second Prize 

(shared)

Sara Daniel

Delhi Public School, Noida

A Response to: Gandhi viewed non-violence as an active form of resistance. 

Looking at contemporary injustices, does non-violence work?

There are some men and women who defy any labels and transcend any descriptions. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known globally simply as the Mahatma and who is, for Indians, the beloved Father of the Nation, is one such person. Gandhi was the foremost leader of India’s freedom struggle, a lawyer, an anti-colonial nationalist and a political ethicist. He was all of this and so much more! 

MK Gandhi has come to define an entire philosophy, a way of being, not just for individuals, but for nation states. He is respected and held in the highest esteem throughout the world for his philosophy of non-violence, truth, honesty, harmony, self-sacrifice and resistance. Even those that Gandhi opposed with all his might admired him! Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India before India attained freedom said of Gandhi, “Mahatma Gandhi will go down in history on par with Buddha and Jesus Christ.” 

There have been leaders, thinkers and saints, for instance, Buddha, Kabir, Sufi saints and Guru Nanak in India alone, who have preached non-violence, peace, love and compassion as a way of living. Mahatma Gandhi’s unique genius, however, lies in articulating and crafting the theory of non-violence into an instrument of action and political awakening in the modern world. At a time when the world was reeling under the devastating impact of the two World Wars, , the rise and eventual defeat of Hitler, the catastrophic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, Gandhiji adopted non-violence not just as an ideal way of life, but as a powerful movement that mobilized an entire generation of Indians and brought the mighty British Empire, the imperialist power for whom it was said “The Sun never sets on it”, to its knees. 

It is for good reason that Gandhi is called the Father of Non-violence. He strongly disliked the term “passive resistance” as he felt it propounded passivity and acquiescence for what was actually an active form of civil protest. Gandhi’s Ahimsa is, in fact, inextricably linked to direct action. It is a strategic position masterfully crafted to disarm the strongest opponent and render them ineffective. As the author and political leader Shashi Tharoor said for Gandhi, “Don't ever forget, that we were not led by a saint with his head in clouds, but by a master tactician with his feet on the ground.” 

The core of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Ahimsa lies in the search for Truth. He believed that they were fighting for truth and hence devised the term “Satyagraha” derived from the words “Satya” meaning Truth and “Graha” meaning seizing or taking hold of. He said that a Satyagrahi must rid his mind of fear and refuse to be a slave to anyone and that Satyagraha was an attitude of mind and any person following it would be victorious and blessed by God. These words of his helped give his followers great confidence and belief in his methods and vision. 

Mahatma Gandhi had once said, “In its positive form, Ahimsa means the largest love, the greatest charity. If I am a follower of Ahimsa, I must love my enemy. It is no non-violence if we merely love those who love us. It is non-violence only when we love those that hate us. I know how difficult it is to follow this grand Law of Love. But are not all great and good things difficult to do? Love of the hater is the most difficult of all. But by the grace of God, even this most difficult thing becomes easy to accomplish”. (Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi).

Non-violence is the greatest force in possession of humankind using which it is possible to defy the whole might of an unjust and partisan forces. Hence, Gandhi characterised it as a “soul force”. He argued that non-violence is “the law of our species” and love and non- violence is the bond that unites human beings, not hatred or violence. He wanted people to accept non-violence as an article of faith and adopt it as a way of life. He demonstrated the potency of non-violence by making it the foundation of his personal day-to-day life and his public life as in the struggle for India’s independence. 

To commemorate Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of non-violence and truth, The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2nd October, his birthday. 

Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and peaceful resistance, that developed in the crucible of the British Empire in the early 20th century, has stood the test of time. It is remarkable that one man emphasised nonviolent resistance in his campaign for Indian independence almost a century ago and, through the sheer moral weight of his steadfast commitment to this, he remains, till date, an iconic figure for people standing up against injustice and seeking change across the world. He has inspired leaders, thinkers and activists around the world. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights leader who is often called the American Mahatma and is counted amongst Gandhi’s worthiest disciples, devoted his life to fighting against racial injustice. He has been quoted saying "If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, acted and inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony." Barak Obama, former president of the United States also looks up to Gandhi and kept a portrait of him in his White House office. He had said, "In my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things." 

Today, we live in a conflict-ridden world where everyone has differing opinions and viewpoints that often clash. There is growing hate, polarisation and divisiveness. But, as peaceful protest movements in various parts of the world have demonstrated, never before has Gandhi been more relevant than he is today.

Satyagraha remains a potent force to drive change globally. Shaped by Mahatma Gandhi and honed under his leadership during India’s independence movement, Satyagraha has turned into a global instrument of non-violent protests and dissent against tyranny and authoritarianism and a tool of the powerless against the powerful. 

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan had already invoked non-violence during Gandhi’s lifetime and was known as the “Frontier Gandhi”. Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Benigno Aquino Jr are some of the many famous followers of Gandhi in the 20th century who successfully launched their own Satyagraha against injustices and conducted peaceful struggles for human rights. 

It is only fitting that in the apartheid-ridden South Africa, which was the land of the origin of the idea of Satyagraha following Gandhi’s experiences with racism and injustice during the two decades he lived there, this philosophy made a big contribution to bringing about a peaceful transformation and the end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela, who spent 28 long years in prison fighting against white supremacist rule before leading South Africa to a multi-racial democracy as the country’s first Black President in 1994, said that Gandhi’s non- violent and peaceful approach which won India freedom from British colonial rule was an inspiration to him. Mandela, who was born 3 years after Gandhi left South Africa and who never met each other, said, “Gandhiji influenced the activities of liberation movements, civil rights movements and religious organizations in all five continents of the world. He impacted on men and women who have achieved significant historical changes in their countries not least amongst whom are Martin Luther King.” 

Desmond Tutu, another towering leader of the anti-apartheid movement and a human rights activist said, “Gandhi was to influence greatly Martin Luther King Jr., the leading light in the American Civil Rights Movement, as well as the South African National Congress of Nelson Mandela. So many people expected our country to go up in flames, enveloped by a catastrophe, a racial bloodbath. It never happened. Because in the struggle against an evil of injustice, ultimately it did not take recourse to violence and because you and so many others in the international community supported the struggle.” 

In recent years too there have been many non-violent protests against contemporary injustices around the world that have drawn inspiration from the Gandhian methods of non- violent resistance. 

The murder of George Floyd was a seminal moment in contemporary America that triggered outrage and lead to the most definitive movement of our times for racial equality and justice called Black Lives Matter. Yet, despite the pent-up rage, hurt and fury amongst Black Americans, the movement drew from Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent protests. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) analysed thousands of Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations in all the states of the USA between May 26 and August 22 2020 and found that more than 93% of those protests had been peaceful. The protestors demonstrated using peaceful methods such as internet and social media, candlelight marches, rallies, books, articles, films, magazines, painting murals, etc. and no violent methods were used. 

Taking the knee is another iconic symbol of peaceful protest around the world that is clearly inspired by the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence. Started by the American football player Colin Kaepernick in 2016, in protest against the lack of attention given to the issues of racial inequality and police brutality in the United States and against the unfair treatment of Black Americans, it has now become a globalised symbol of steely resolve and silent resistance. The simple act of kneeling, of defiance without uttering a word, has become a  cornerstone of the global movement against racial oppression. As we saw during the recently concluded Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games or Euro 2020 Championship earlier in the year, many sportspeople kneel and take the knee before their respective matches to make a statement and express solidarity with the movement for racial equality. 

Closer home, Gandhi’s mantra of non-violence, that won India freedom from the British, continues to inspire generations of Indians and form the bedrock of most major protest movements to drive social and political change in independent India. 

The Chipko Movement of the 1970s was a non-violent protest against deforestation and its leaders called themselves Gandhians. Sundarlal Bahuguna who started this movement along with scores of women activists employed the tools of non-violence and the most Gandhian of all values, love, as they hugged trees to prevent their felling. It was a unique environmental protest, long before such movements became mainstream, that gained worldwide recognition and respect for Indian environmentalism. 

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), a social movement to save river Narmada from large dams as well as to represent the displaced people, led by Medha Patkar is perhaps amongst the longest running non-violent protest in the world. The NBA has adopted and repurposed Gandhian methods and tools, and protested through peaceful rallies, sit-ins, hunger strikes, silent protests and, in a reinterpretation of Satyagraha, Jal Satyagraha where activists have stood in water up to their faces for long hours to register their protest. 

The times have changed and India, like the rest of the world, of the twenty-first century is a very different place from the India of the last century. Technology has pervaded all aspects of life and we cannot imagine our lives without social media and our smartphones. Yet it is a tribute to the eternal significance of Gandhi’s philosophy and values that these continue to drive protest movements with the tools adapted to the contemporary times. 

The anti-CAA protests of December 2019 – Jan 2020 that started with a sit in at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi and sparked numerous such sit-ins across the country is a shining example of 

the Mahatma’s values continuing to inspire new generations of Indians. The Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced that triggered widespread protests across the country. The Shaheen Bagh sit-in was the most enduring symbol of all the anti-CAA protests that took place. Hundreds of people took part in this sit-in that was led by the brave women of Delhi. They protested peacefully for 101 days and art, creativity and ahimsa, or non-violence, were the languages of opposition and resistance. With their reading of the Constitution of India, the multi-faith prayers, the inspirational poetry, the makeshift libraries, the feeling of brotherhood, harmony and hope that they generated and the love, support and solidarity that poured in from all over the world, this movement quickly became an exemplar of the power of peaceful resistance by ordinary citizens. 

The Farmers protest, that has been going on for almost one year now across India, is another notable example. The protesting farmers are Gandhian in their stamina, spirit and persistence. The government has legislated Farm Laws that, according to the government, would raise the standard of productivity of the agricultural sector and bolster private investment. However, the farmers are sceptical and hold that these reforms were brought about without adequate consultations with the farming communities of the country and have been passed without any debate or discussion. Regardless of the merits or the shortcomings of the laws, what is of significance is that today the world is witnessing one of the largest organised protests in human history with millions of farmers participating in it. The protesting farmers are demanding a repeal of these agricultural reform laws that they believe are detrimental to their interests. It is a testament to the Gandhian values that Indians have imbibed that the vast majority of these protests have been peaceful and characterised by peaceful sit-ins and road and railway blockades. 

In democracies, dissent and dialogue continue simultaneously and in a peaceful manner. Peaceful protests, non-violent resistance and voicing dissent are the fundamental rights of every citizen in a democratic country. All the above-mentioned movements are prime examples of how peaceful and non-violent protests and demonstrations have a substantial impact on society and succeed in ways that violence can’t. 

We see that Gandhian values and philosophy of non-violence is not just alive and active in the modern world, Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of truth and non-violence continues to inspire leaders, activists and people all over the world. Gandhian non-violence has been key in protests against oppressive and authoritarian injustices for decades. Organised civic pressure and a commitment to not be violent has been instrumental in fighting many human rights injustices and social ills such as foreign occupation, repression of women and minorities, racial inequality, caste oppression and even environmental degradation. 

It will remain one of the world’s greatest ironies that Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace, brotherhood, unity and non-violence, met a violent death at the hands of a religious fanatic. Yet, seventy-three years since his tragic assassination, the tools of transformational change through peaceful means that he devised continue to resonate 

around the world. It may be hard to get a true measure of his global impact but there can be no denying that it has been formidable. Gandhi’s worldview and his unique model of driving positive and lasting change through peaceful means have informed thinking and movements everywhere. 

Mahatma Gandhi is amongst the pantheon of the greatest leaders this world has ever known who has and will continue to inspire many. To conclude with the famous words of renowned scientist Albert Einstein on Mahatma Gandhi, “Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked Earth”. 

Edited by the Out of Print team