Gandhi – The Mahatma
On October 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was shot in the chest by a man named Nathuram Godse. Even at a time when Gandhi was responsible for bringing India into the light of independence, there was a group of people who disagreed with him to the extreme of fanaticism. Today, if I am going to stand in front of you and tell you about Mahatma Gandhi, I feel the need to show you exactly why we call that man a Mahatma. Once convinced, only all of us will be able to fully appreciate your ideas and thoughts.
Mahatma Gandhi set foot in India at a time when British rule was at its peak. He resolved to drive the British out of India, when he witnessed the British treating themselves above the law of their own land. Gandhi did not retaliate against the brute force, oppressive violence and incessant torture of the English rule, with violence. He matched every stone thrown and every bullet fired at him with resistance. At a time when the colonial government was recruiting soldiers and importing battle equipment in droves, here was a man who didn’t even lift a stick in self-defense, but managed to drive them out of India. For Gandhi, the ends achieved were only as good as the means used to achieve them. A country born of violence would not have a solid enough foundation to overcome the initial problems that they had to face later. The purpose of satyagrah as he put it “was not to prove someone wrong, but to make the other person realize their mistake”.
Satyagrah, the truth, non-violence can seem instruments for those who lack the physical capacity to protect themselves from violence. But strength does not come from physical ability, it comes from indomitable will. Forgiveness is a weapon of the strong, the weak cannot forgive. All of Mahatma Gandhi’s methods were related to the common man. He precipitated the cause of satyagrah, at the grassroots level, incorporating it into the daily fight against British rule. “It is hard to believe that such a man of flesh and blood has ever walked the face of the earth.” However, in a country where he is revered as the Father of the Nation, I stand before you to demonstrate his greatness. Gandhi’s satyagrah was not a utopian idea of independence, which is why it was so effective.
Gandhi did not give any particular message during his lifetime. Your life is your message. We have to take pieces of his life out of him and adopt him in our life and improve it. When Gandhi spoke of equality, he lived in equality. He adopted lepers from the streets across the country and brought them to his ashrams. He took care of them and their ill health, when the whole society rejected them. He broke all traditions and barriers when it came to following the chosen path. Mahatma Gandhi gave a strong message and set an example by harboring these unfortunate people. Through his actions, he pleaded with us to follow him and not deprive lepers of the basic rights of society. For him, equal rights transcends all boundaries of caste, creed, color, gender, and even disease. Just a little pigmentation on the skin couldn’t dissuade him from granting equality.
This was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom Rabindranath Tagore gave the title of Mahatma for his contribution to society in the above ways and many more. We can close off your ideas and thoughts at the end of this program, or sit back and reflect on them. If we want, we can revive the Mahatma, he cannot be wiped from the ground with just 3 bullets. Or maybe it can be, it’s our choice.
