KCG-Portal of Journals Continuous Issue-46 | August– September 2020 Discerning Gandhian thoughts from Media Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiji is not only a name he is an era which has provided direction to subsequent generations through the values he practiced. He is the incarnation of the values Satya and Ahimsa, he lived among poor and depressed class in spite of having choice of living with the richest of Indians, and worked hard for their upliftment. He is the one who had the ability to convince people to fight against injustice without any weapon but nonviolence; the inventor who gifted the world his philosophy of Satyagraha, a fakir who sacrificed his personal comforts and started to live on minimum necessity, he talked about vegetarianism in England, equal human rights in South Africa, upliftment of woman, importance of cleanliness, effective use of technology, added values and ethics to Indian politics, generated employment and worked for developing Indian economy, emphasized on self-reliance and independence, put stress on building character in education, above all his contribution in Indian freedom movement, the strong leadership he provided and the efforts he put for maintaining unity of various religions in India is unforgettable. His constructive positivism is reflected in every field wherever he worked. He said, “ I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” Therefore discussing how Gandhian thoughts can save this world and India in particular is an interesting study. Furthermore, this research article also incorporates a survey on what youngsters think about Gandhian ideology, whether they really know anything about Gandhiji or they want to know about Gandhian thoughts. Addition to this, what treasure Google has about Gandhiji or what kind of information about Gandhiji is available on reliable videos on youtube. Whole of this make an interesting study of the presence of Gandhian thoughts in our day to day life as the values on which Gandhiji walked are not invented by him; those values are cultivated in Indian soil but somehow thrown away by western wind during various small and big storms. Gandhiji, incarnation of truth and nonviolence, In him, we can find ways to live better: his life teaches us to live on simple philosophy. Those are: Finding solution to problems Philosophy of Truth and Nonviolence Service to humanity My reading of My Experiment with Truth substantiate above mentioned statements: Finding solutions to problems: Moulding of gandhiji’s ideology started from his childhood. He had great impression of values cultivated by his mother Putlibai. Secondly, he used to experiment with the set traditions andbeliefs, he was not one who follow the things blindly, he used to analyze the problem and tried to get solutions to it. That habit of his is obvious in almost all the incidents he shared in his autobiography- My Experiment with Truth. For example : 1 | P a g e KCG-Portal of Journals When Gandhi realized his habit of stealing is a misfit, he introspected on his unacceptable gestures and he himself found solution to this by confessing it in front of his father and also showd his willingness to bear adequate punishment for it and closed with it a request to him not to punish himself for his offence and Gandhi pledged never to steal again. When his father read it he started crying, recollecting this moments, Gandhi understood the power of transformation by practicing nonviolence. Later on he found that the reaction of his father to this gesture of his as first lesson of Ahimsa. Second example, when Gandhiji was asked to present before the heads of his caste as a result of his willingness to go to England for further studies - he answered very firmly “I do not think it is all against our religion to go to England. I intend going there for further studies. And I have already solemnly promised to my mother to abstain from three things you fear most. I am sure the vow will keep me safe.” This incident not only shows his ability to find solution but his determination and convincing power too. Third example, When Gandhiji gave the reason of antagonism between Whites and Indians at South Africa. He said that our different ways of living, our simplicity, our contentment with small gains, our indifference to the laws of hygiene and sanitation, our slowness in keeping our surrounding clean and tidy combined with difference in religion contributed to antagonism between the two. The way he dealt during Champaran satyagraha (380) proved his analytical ability, his strategic thinking and his visionary attitude. He respected law and regulation of the government but he was skilled to argue and argue in the best possible manner: His style of argument: ‘I venture to make this statement not in any way in extenuation of the penalty to be awarded against me, but to show that I have disregarded the order served upon me not for want of respect for lawful authority but in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience’ There are number of example which shows that Gandhji always tried to find solution throughout his lifespan, whether is it is personal, professional, social or national. Mr. Anumpam Mishra, celebrated environmentalist and Gandhian, propagated the idea of Gandhiji during his talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq5meyCdX5Y and emphasized on finding keys to the locks. He had wonderfully explained modern life style and Gandhiji. Philosophy of Truth and Nonviolence: Second most important philosophy of Gandhiji revolves round his concept of Truth and Nonviolence. And religion is offshoot of it. Or it can be vis-à-vis. He did not question religion neither he jump into the debate of whether we really need religion to build better society, How all these happens –how far a man is free and how far a creature of circumstances- how far free-will comes into play and where fate enters on the scene—all this is a mystery and will remain a mystery. But still he tried to give meaning to his search of truth. but he read and sincerely tried to understand holy books of major religions like Hindu, Muslims and Christians and he came to the conclusion that the inquiry in to the search of truth which Hinduism allows no other religion does , furthermore he said that essence of religion is morality and truth is s the substance of all morality. That’s Truth became his sole objective. Gandhiji says, “It began to grow in magnitude every day, and my definition of it also has been ever widening. This truth is not only truthfulness in word but truthfulness in thought also and not only relative truth of our conception but the Absolute truth, the Eternal principle that is God.”( 32) he added that the seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. His experiment with truth include experiments with non-violence, celibacy and other principles conduct believed to be distinct from truth. But For me, truth is the sovereign principle which includes numerous other principles. Gandhiji has the ability to reduce himself in to zero when circumstances demands. That can be observed during Indian struggle for freedom. Even during his struggle at south Africa for the rights of Indian labourers , when he was asked to remove his turban in the court, he removed it – he himself said that all 2 | P a g e KCG-Portal of Journals his life through the very insistence on truth has taught him to appreciate the beauty of compromise. During his true practice of law career (tolerance) He learnt to find out the better side of human nature and to enter men’s hearts. Large part of his time during the twenty years of his practice as lawyer was occupied in bringing about private compromises of hundreds of cases. During His journey in the search of truth he experimented a lot and shaped his thoughts as per his purification of heart and thoughts. He said, “Man and his deed are two distinct things. Whereas a good deed should call forth approbation and a wicked deed disapprobation, the doer of the deed, whether good or wicked always deserves respect or pity as the case may be. Hate the sin and not the sinner.” (254) Gandhiji was greatly influenced by this Gujarat Bhajan: Return good for evil became my guiding principle For a bowl of water give a goodly meal; For a kindly greeting bow thou down with zeal; For a simple penny pay thou back with gold; If thy life be rescued, life do not withhold. Thus the words and actions of the wise regard; Every little service tenfold they reward. But the truly noble know all men as one, And return with gladness good for evil done. ( 32) This is how he developed. Love for poor- case of Balasundaram, a tamilian (141) indentured labourers find solace in Gandhiji. It has always been a mystery to him how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow-being. According to Gandhiji essence of religion is morality and moral character can be built by providing proper education. He regarded character building as the proper foundation for their education and, if the foundation was firmly laid, he was sure that the children could learn all the other things themselves or with the assistance of friends. Gandhiji was very particular in the choice of teachers also. He said, “My idea was never to entrust children to commonplace teachers. Their literary qualification was not so essential as their moral fiber. He had always given the first place to the culture of the heart for the building of character, and as I felt confident that moral training could be given to all alike, no matter how different their ages and their upbringing, I decided to live amongst them all the twenty-four hours of the day as their father.