Siddharth Dubey
Gandhiji’s Satyagrahas implies adhering to truth. One should be truthful under all circumstances. According to Gandhi Satyagraha means non-violent resistance to political authority, non co-operation with evil and fasting constitutes essential part of it, but they do not exhaust its full import. There should be non-violence in Satyagraha. Violence is untruth and non-violence is truth. The purpose of Satyagraha is to fight against injustice and tyranny. A Satyagrahi cannot injure others; rather he makes them understand by means of reason. Satyagrahi should have moral force. There is no place for physical force. According to this philosophy, Satyagrahis-practitioners of Satyagraha-achieve correct insight into the real nature of an evil situation by observing a nonviolence of the mind, by seeking truth in a spirit of peace and love, and by undergoing a rigorous process of self-scrutiny.
Gandhi first conceived Satyagraha in 1906 in response to a law discriminating against Asians that was passed by the British Colonial Government of the Transvaal in South Africa. In 1917 the first Satyagraha campaign in India was mounted in the indigo-growing district of Champaran. During the following years, fasting and economic boycotts were employed as methods of Satyagraha in India, until the British left the country in 1947.
Critics of satyagraha, both in Gandhi’s time and subsequently, have argued that it is unrealistic and incapable of universal success, since it relies upon a high standard of ethical conduct in the opponent, the representative of evil, and demands an unrealistically strong level of commitment from those struggling for social amelioration. Nonetheless, Satyagraha played a significant role in the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr., in the United States and has spawned a continuing legacy in South Asia itself. Gandhiji followed the principle of decentralisation in his democracy. Power should not be concentrated in a single authority. Gandhijis democracy shall be free from exploitation and oppression. There shall be no scope for exploitation by one class to another class. It is based on the rule of majority. According to him, the nearest approach to the purest anarchy would be democracy based on Non-violence. In such a state everyone is his own ruler. However, Gandhi was highly critical of the parliamentary democracy and in his monumental book Hind Swaraj (Self Rule or Home Rule, he has called the British Parliament as a sterile women), though for him?good Government is no substitute for Self-Government.There is contradiction in the statement of Gandhi about parliamentary democracy but while diving deep into the democratic ideals, he has said, Democracy, disciplined and enlightened is the finest things in the world.
Once again nation-wide anti corruption movement launched by the Gandhian of our time Anna Hazare undoubtly proved the relevance of Gandhism. The Government had to bow down with his demand of introduction of Jana Lokpal Bill, following his 12 days fasting at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi. There was no any evidence of violent act in the movement though lakhs of people gathered daily in Ramlila Maidan and crores of other agitated in every nook and corner of the nation. In Assam, Akhil Gogoi, under the banner of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has been agitating against the Government and Multi National Corporations (MNCs) on the issues like big dam, rights of the son of soil, corruption and so on, on the principle of Gandhian philosophy. These are only the few examples of several other instances going on in different parts of the nation. These development must be inspire others for applying Gandhian way in future.
What is needed at the hour is to implement his deeds, actions and thoughts into practice and thus, his relevance in different fields is unquestionable and unchallengeable. For the very survival of human being, it is imperative on our part to act upon his advice because only on his relevance, we shall survive together or if we fail in our venture, we are bound to perish together.
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