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Gandhi 150: “Absorb Whatever Appears Good in My Life”

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Gandhi 150: “Absorb Whatever Appears Good in My Life” Mainstream Weekly Mainstream, VOL LVI No 41 New Delhi September 29, 2018 Gandhi 150: “Absorb whatever appears good in my life” Saturday 29 September 2018 by D.M. Diwakar I. Introduction The stage is all set to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with great fanfare on October 2, 2019. It is a pleasant moment for a proud nation to pay sincere gratitude and tributes to the Father of the Nation. This is also an occasion to remember his ideals, vision, philosophy, programmes and actions, a moment for an introspection to review critically the journey that we have made so far and pledge ourselves with commitments and determination to fine-tune, customise, and adapt those elements and values as our future destinations and course of actions to work for the reconstruction of a non-violent order in society, nation and the world that should be free from structural violence. This exercise is intended to flag some issues through Gandhi’s lens, based on a brief recapitulation of his writings about what he was observing on his birthday in his lifetime. The question arises: Can we find any insight from those observations during the lifetime of Mahatma Gandhi for today? An attempt is made here to focus on the issues that he had been flagging. Is there any message from those documents for today? In other words, if Gandhi would have been with us today what would have been his way of observing his birthday? I will rely mainly on the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) for this purpose. However, I shall be using other necessary and relevant materials also to put forward my arguments. This exercise is divided into three sections besides the introduction. Section one deals with a brief account of his writings on some occasions during his lifetime. Section two is an attempt to reflect on issues in the light of some glaring facts and analyse them in the present context, underlining as to why Second October is important for us even today. And section three will be an endeavour to draw the imperatives as to what is to be done on the occasion of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. In other words, if Gandhi would have been alive and very much with us, what should have been his reactions today? How should it (Gandhi Jayanti) be observed throughout the year? Let us begin with the recapitulation, as to how Second October was observed during the lifetime of Mahatma Gandhi. II. Observing Second October Second October has been a historic day in Indian history as it marks the birthday of two great and matchless leaders of this country: Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri. This date assumed unprecedented significance since Gandhi got prominence in the freedom struggle against the British colonial rule and has been observed during the lifetime of Mahatma Gandhi and thereafter. In order to mark its respect, the grateful nation has been paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi every year on October 2, of course, amidst mixed reactions to the contra-dictory policies, programmes and actions, debatable at length whether these are in the interest of the country if at all when the nation considers to build substantive democracy to which Gandhi dedicated himself and for which he made the sacrifice of his life and blood. The country observed Gandhi centenary in 1969 with lots of activities and action pro-grammes, including prayers for communal harmony, public lectures, seminars, discussions, policy-reflections and publications. (Radha-krishnan, 1994) Just twentyfive years ago also, we commemorated the one-and-a-quarter century of Gandhi’s birth that he might have lived, as he wished to live that much span of life, to complete some of the important unfinished tasks in his lifetime, if he would not have been assassinated on January 30, 1948 by the elements of ungrateful hatred and reactionary forces and ideology. The nation observed many rituals, but we hardly introspected and made an assessment of our journey so far and our worthiness. (Diwakar, 1994) Later, the centenary of the Hind Swaraj (CWMG, Vol. 10: 6-68), a monumental blueprint of his vision for the reconstruction of the Indian nation, was also reduced to merely a few rituals and academic exercises confined to reprinting and publishing a few documents. The centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha was remembered by highlighting a few resistances and now the one-and-a-half century year of his birth is to begin from October 2, 2018 for the next one year. III. Second October during the Lifetime of Mahatma Gandhi Going through the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) we may locate as early as 1919 when the Bhagini Samaj observed his 51st birthday in which he was offered a purse with undisclosed funds that he assured would be utilised for amelioration of the condition of Indian women. (CWMG, Vol. 16 : 202) Expressing his gratitude, Gandhi said: “The best way to celebrate my birthday is to absorb whatever appears good in my life.” (CWMG, Vol. 91: 196) However, he did not like any idolatory (that is, pooja or aarti) that were performed on this occasion. (CWMG, Vol. 95: 214) After five years, in 1921 he changed his attire to loin-cloth to identify himself with the millions of agricul-turists by discarding foreign clothes and promoting swadeshi. (CWMG, Vol. 21: 226) On his birthday he also wrote a message to women that the first task of this country was to educate women to safeguard their honour through swadeshi and they should spin to win swaraj. (Ibid., p. 227) Another evidence could be traced back in 1924, when Tagore and Gandhi signed a message (request petition) to the International Opium Conference to be held a month later in Geneva, against growing addiction to narcotic drugs “poisoning of the human race, which can be overcome only by co-operation among nations”. (CWMG, Vol. 25: 220) It is altogether different that India is yet to think of prohibition of intoxicants. Partly it was done in a few States including Gujarat and Bihar, but it is yet to be delivered through effective governance and awareness of the people. Needless to say that it is better than silence but it is yet to become a model to be emulated. I wonder whether India can show its political will and courage to ban intoxicants. On October 2, 1926 he wrote four routine letters from Sabarmati Ashram, out of which one was to Wai Goraksha Mandal enquiring about the requirement of cotton and level of skills of spinners and their purchasing power. Another letter was addressed to Motibehn Choksi, in which he mentioned that it was Mani’s birthday, when she “took three vows in my presence, not to tell untruth, not to do mischief and to get up at four in the morning. I will watch how long the child can keep her vows.” (CWMG, Vol. 31: 470) Interestingly, he did not mention about his birthday. On another occasion on October 2 in 1928, Gandhi wrote six routine letters to coworkers and friends from the Satyagraha Ashram, Sabarmati. Gandhi advised Nanakchand to rigorously abandon all luxuries of life before joining the Ashram. (CWMG, Vol. 37: 322-24) There was only one letter on October 2 in 1929 to Chhaganlal advising him to maintain accounts and transparency giving the example of Mr Ireland, a friend of Mr Andrews. (CWMG, Vol. 41: 492-93) On October 2 in 1930, Gandhi was in prison at Yeravda. He wrote six letters: one letter was to Major Martin to allow him to meet a few of his friends for his service without breaking the discipline of prison. Another letter was addressed to Premabehn Kantak, condemning her “action as smacking of idolatry”, yet another letter to Gangabehn Vaidya advising her to serve without attachment and a letter to Balvir Singh telling him that spinning was as important as taking meals. (CWMG, Vol. 44: 191-95) Though these letters were quite personal, he articulated about his ways of life if someone likes to draw inferences. On October 2, 1931 Gandhi was in London, where he gave an interview to the Jews Chronicle. One must appreciate his courageous expressions on both the occasions. He was critical of Christianity and urged all to “learn the virtue of toleration and charity” while advising “Jews to rid themselves of the causes for such reproach”. (CWMG, Vol. 48: 105-06) In yet another interview to Henry Carter he advocated prohibition of liquor: “The future all-India Legislature would certainly regard it as essential to prohibit the importation, manufacture, or sale of all alcoholic beverages, subject to an exemption which would permit the supply of alcohol for medicinal, scientific and industrial uses... Prohibition must apply equally to distillation in India and to imports of liquor from overseas... National prohibition of opium for use in India is requisite, except insofar as opium is required strictly for medicinal and scientific purposes.” (CWMG, Vol. 48: 106-07) This was perhaps the first birthday of Gandhi which was organised with a luncheon in London by the Independent Labour Party, the Indian National Congress League, and the Gandhi Society at the Westminster Palace rooms. Gandhi reiterated Tilak’s proposition: “Swaraj is our birth right.” He further emphasised: “We do not want the freedom of India, if it is to be bought through the sacrifice of the lives of others—if it is to be bought by spilling the blood of the rulers. But if any sacrifice can be made by the nation, by ourselves, to win that freedom, you will find that we will not hesitate to give a Gangesful of blood to flow in India in order to vindicate the freedom that has been so long delayed ...” (CWMG, Vol.
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