The Kodaikanal Gandhi Prize 2021: Third Prize - Deeksha Pasupulati

The Kodaikanal Gandhi Prize 2021

Third Prize 

(shared)

Deeksha Pasupulati

Kodaikanal International School

Non-violent Resistance is the new catalyst for change in the Modern Age

The topic explored in this essay is Gandhi viewed non-violence as an active form of resistance. Looking at contemporary injustices, does non-violence work? As violence is a human construct, it is prone to manipulation. For example, a modern day man might find aboriginal rituals brutal because they involve battle, but to an aboriginal man, it is tradition and culture. Its definition depends on the media and the government as it creates a sense of power and superiority. Violence could be defined as a wide array of actions, situations, phenomena and so on. It is dependent on the person describing the situation. For example, the Taliban would describe the situation in Afghanistan as a way of Allah doing his work and bringing order and peace to Afghanistan. But an Afghan could describe the situation as extremely violent and bloody. According to Gandhi’s philosophy, humans do not possess the ability to solve conflicts nonviolently (“Brief Outline of Gandhi's Philosophy”; Murphy). However, it is not impossible. Gandhi believes a major difference between man and animal is that man can fight the biological urges that he has in common with animals, therefore making him superior to the act of selfishness and violence the brute possesses. He states that “non-violence is the law of our species as violence the law of the brute. The spirit lies dormant in the brute and he knows no law but that of physical might. The dignity of man requires obedience to the strength of the spirit.” (“The Gospel of Non-Violence”). Non-violent methods of fighting have been successful in the past, however, the methods and applications of non-violence have changed in today’s world. 

Gandhi states “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills” (“Brief Outline of Gandhi's Philosophy”; Murphy). He believed that as long there is truth and nonviolence in the motive of the movement, it will succeed. Although Gandhi’s philosophy is hard to decipher, the basic idea of it is simple to execute. Gandhi’s philosophy is based on Satyagraha, which he adopted to resist all physical and psychological forces in a nonviolent approach. The idea of Satyagraha includes ideas and concepts like ahimsa or nonviolence, truth, celibacy or Brahmacharya, non-possession of materialistic items, non-stealing, asvada or the control of the palate, high tolerance levels, swadeshi and so on. The concept of Satyagraha roots from social, cultural, political, economic and psychological aspects of life. He [Gandhi] strongly believed that love and nonviolence governs all. The sole purpose of nonviolent methods of resistance while upholding principles of truth is to assert one’s freedom of oneself over mind and body. 

Gandhi fought warfare without weapons; he accepted the differences in power and took [used] this to his advantage. He fought violence and hatred with Ahimsa or nonviolence and love. He utilised soul-force in opposition to brute force. Although Gandhi applied this technique in several situations, he really never executed it in an international war scenario. But, Gandhi’s execution of Satyagraha during 1946 and 1947 all led to successes. Some of the examples include the times he took on fasting in Delhi and Calcutta for peace. As Gandhi states, “MY RELIGION teaches me that, whenever there is distress which one cannot remove, one must fast and pray” (“My Fasts”). A classic example of Satyagraha would be the civil disobedience movement that took place in 1930. The Dandi Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India movements used Satyagraha as a weapon of soul force. 

Moreover, non-violent movements have been favoured over violent movements to approach disputes worldwide in the 21st century. However, their effectiveness has been lost due to the pandemic and changes in structure and capabilities of the movements themselves. For instance, between the period 1900 - 2019, analysts have established a total of 628 maximalist mass movements that aimed to gain territorial independence through expulsion of colonial power. Liberation movements are often depicted as movements involving rebels with guns, but less than half of these campaigns (303) involved armed resistance. The other 325 greatly relied on nonviolent resistance. The graph below shows the increase in engagement of nonviolent movements when faced with dire circumstances in recent years. See figure 1 

 

(Chenoweth 70)

In addition, people seeking political change o ften tend to participate in civil resistance. This may be because of the universal acceptance of nonviolent resistance being a legitimate and successful method in addressing change. Although nonviolent resistance is not fully understood or accepted, the preference for nonviolent methods of resistance has increased (Chenoweth 71). Technological advancements have made it easier to learn about events that formerly went unreported or unnoticed. As access to the internet expands, more outlets like newspapers, social media platforms, etc. reach people easily. People can learn about Iceland, the world’s most peaceful country, and get inspired to do the same. As nonviolent resistance is becoming an increasingly favourable form of movement, it may be drawing more attention from scholars and news outlets, creating a catalyst for change. 

Moreover, in the postwar era, a substantial segment of society has come to value equality and fairness, protection of basic human rights and avoidance of unnecessary violence. The terrors of war have become much more visible than they were in the past, making nonviolent forms of resistance more effective and within reach. The growth of International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs) such as the Albert Einstein Institute, Nonviolence International and so on, aim to promote nonviolent forms of resistance and its theory. 

Over the past decade, a large number of democratic governments have faltered and returned to authoritarianism. In recent years, the erosion of democracy has evoked mass protest movements in both democratic countries such as the United States, Poland and Brazil, as well as in authoritarian countries such as Hungary, Turkey and Egypt (Chenoweth 72). The sudden growth of civil resistance movements around the world has been both successful and unsuccessful. It has been successful in the way that many people have come to realise that injustices can be confronted with strategic nonviolent methods. However, not all civil resistances address injustices effectively, which doesn’t lead to complete eradication of the injustices being faced. For instance, in Syria in 2011, dictator Bashar-al-Assad unleashed military force and chemical weapons against the civilian population’s nonviolent resistance. This resulted in the conflict in Syria being continued for almost 10 years now, and becoming the most brutal civil war the country has ever faced. 

Furthermore, in cases of government repression, the probability of nonviolent resistance being successful is significantly higher than violent resistance succeeding. This is because nonviolent resistance movements tend to take place on a larger scale which makes them more politically representative. This opens up several opportunities for the public to target the regime’s pillars of support. An example of this was when security forces refused to shoot at demonstrations in Serbia in 2000 leading to Otpor, a civic protest group, successfully overthrowing Milošević controlled authorities. 

Movements in the 21st century are quite different from ones in the past due to a lack of strength and knowledge. To elaborate, firstly, the strength in terms of participation is smaller on average as compared with movements in the past. Although there have been recent impressive mass movements such as the protests led by millions of people against the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in 2017 and 2019, they were small compared to successful movements led in the late 1980s and 1990s. In the 1980s,  the average recorded nonviolent campaign involved around 2 percent of the population of any given country. In the 1990s, the average recorded campaign involved around 2.7 percent of any given country’s population. However, since 2010, this average has decreased to 1.3 percent. Although a mass uprising would be more likely to succeed with a larger proportion of the country, Gandhi believed not in the size of the movement but the perseverance and motive the movement was driven by. 

Secondly, contemporary movements o ften tend to rely on mass demonstrations while ignoring other techniques such as mass civil disobedience or general strikes since they forcefully disrupt a regime’s general stability. Since mass demonstrations and protests are what a majority of the population associate with civil resistance, the lack of knowledge leads to lack of results. Satyagraha states that non-cooperation, fasting or voluntary self-suffering in the name of protest is a form of nonviolent resistance. A majority of protestors are willing to get angry and step up to have their voices heard but aren’t willing to suffer for change. We need look no further for an example than the protests due to the US elections that took place in 2020. Protesters were willing to express their anger but were not ready to face violent consequences and casualties. 

Mass demonstrations are unsuccessful in terms of effectiveness since they don’t put much pressure on the elite, especially when they are short term. However, general strikes, and stay-at-home strikes are more effective because of their instant disruptiveness of economic life which can lead to immediate concessions. It takes planning and organization to enable movements that are long term, and to coordinate and sequence unique tactics to build participation, power and influence. Movements with a leader possess the capacity to develop and grow easily. For instance, the Fridays-For-Future movement led by Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old, is a nonviolent movement for the climate crisis organized by teenagers from all over the world. This movement involves great use of technology for advertisement and funding, making it a fast growing movement. 

Technology can be utilised as a method to promote and better nonviolent movements. For instance, the widespread antiracism protests that took place in the United States because of the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police officers required a lot of community relief funds and other donations. Social media was a great factor in making sure the nonviolent protest continued. Although online methods of protests do not make up for the eye-catching media content in the way mass movements do, they represent a new method of tactical innovation. Movements have developed the ability to be self-sufficient using tools like social media to gain power and leverage. The use of technology also increases opportunities for the public to participate in different ways. For instance, elderly people and people who are not present for the strike can make donations to support a cause. Gandhi referred to this as a “constructive program” and considered it a part of Satyagraha. 

Nonviolent movements like Fridays-For-Future, the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion can still work towards combating climate change on an online platform. Technology gives movements the power to take place in different ways and this is extremely crucial considering the present situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of the pandemic, 2020 and 2021 have seen some great nonviolent protests, which displays the flexibility of Satyagraha and Ahimsa. 

Nonviolent forms of resistance have transformed over time, however, their motive at heart has been the same – to overthrow injustice and end violations of human rights. Modern day society is driven by the idea of instant gratification, which seeks instant results. Mass demonstrations performed in the modern day are significantly shorter compared to those that took place in the past, but this has not affected their effectiveness. As Gandhi states, “there is no time-limit for a Satyagrahi nor is there a limit to his capacity for suffering. Hence there is no such thing as defeat in Satyagraha” (“Power of Satyagraha”). Mass movements are dispersed and solved faster in today’s world because of increased media attention and the strength the public hold against any regime. The prevalence of now near-endless resources for acquiring knowledge on non-violent resistance has increased significantly amongst the public ever since 1990, which makes movements more efficient and effective. As an example, Gene Sharp, also known as the father of strategic nonviolence and the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution has formulated a paper with 198 methods of nonviolent action, which has toppled dictators on four different continents. 

Satyagraha is a fluid concept with endless possibilities for interpretation and execution. Gandhi made sure this concept has no limitations like race, religion, or nationality. As an example of how Satyagraha is not limited by race, Martin Luther King Jr, o ften also labelled as “American Gandhi” was successfully able to replicate Gandhi’s theory of Satyagraha. King perceived Satyagraha as a process, never an achievement (Jahanbegloo). Although King was deeply influenced by factors like his religion and nationality, his two main tactics for non-violent resistance were civil disobedience and non-cooperation – which were influenced by Gandhi’s ideas on Satyagraha. This example represents the power of nonviolent resistance and how successful it can be if used right. 

In the same light, Nelson Mandela carried out a nonviolent movement against injustice and repression from 1948 to the 1990s in South Africa while embodying Gandhian values. Mandela states, “there is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountain top of desires” (Jahanbegloo). Mandela exceptionally symbolized the values and methods of Satyagraha as his movement went beyond colour, creed, and class. When Mandela was elected president in 1994, South Africa began to overlook their own problems like humiliation and violence to heal the country from the national and racial divide. It was essential to utilise effective nonviolent methods to defeat the brutal and racist apartheid and construct a legitimate, democratic government. Mandela wanted to establish harmony in South Africa through practising nonviolence. But in order to achieve this, he knew Africa had to look back at its brutal past and heal. 

Mandela said, “to make peace with an enemy, one must work with that enemy, and that enemy becomes your partner” (Jahanbegloo). This quote, models Mandela’s approach to Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. It took a while for communities in Africa to understand and execute Mandela’s vision of nonviolence as a process of nation building. However, Mandela’s execution of Gandhi’s philosophy has become a catalyst for the acceptance of nonviolent forms of action across the world in the 21st century. Mandela strengthened Gandhism by engaging in movements directed towards civic participation and democracy. 

In conclusion, Satyagraha is a way of human understanding rather than a political tool. It is driven by a pure sense for justice and love. Although its ways of execution have transformed over time, the main idea still remains the same. The development of technology has improved the means of execution for change and has made it more accessible to the public. Gandhi’s philosophy was written in a way that it could be relevant regardless of the time frame. Nonviolence is an effective tool for solving contemporary injustices effectively. Since Satyagraha possesses qualities that do not have any boundaries regarding race, nationality or age, it makes it easy for anyone to execute in the modern world. 

Works Cited 

“Brief Outline of Gandhi's Philosophy.” Brief Outline of Gandhi's Philosophy | Articles on and by Mahatma Gandhi, www.mkgandhi.org/articles/murphy.htm. 

“The Gospel of Non-Violence.” The Gospel of Non-Violence | Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap21.htm#:~:text=Non%2Dviolence%20is%20the%20l aw,but%20that%20of%20physical%20might. 

Murphy, Stephen. 'Why Gandhi Is Relevant in Modern India: A WESTERN Gandhian's Personal Discovery', Gandhi Peace Foundation, 1991. 

“My Fasts.” My Fasts | Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap06.htm. 

Chenoweth, Erica. “The Future of Nonviolent Resistance.” Journal of Democracy, vol. 31, no. 3, July 2020, pp. 69–84., doi:10.1353/jod.2020.0046. 

“Power of Satyagraha.” Power of Satyagraha | Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap34.htm. 

Jahanbegloo, Ramin. “How Satyagraha Still Drives Change Globally.” Mint, 16 Oct. 2018, www.livemint.com/Politics/AeKzn7TXUJNXKSoLF6wpVN/How-Satyagraha-still-drives-c hange-globally.html. 

Edited by the Out of Print team