Gandhi at 138

As India marked the 138th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi yesterday, it was striking to realize that his thoughts and ideas, though very much alive in some forms (one of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters of recent times took a modern look at Gandhian philosophy), are getting further diluted from today’s mainstream political agenda rampant with corruption and scams. As the nation continues to debate on the relevance of Gandhian principles, I am struck by some of the insights I’m reading in Gandhi’s autobiography, quotes such as:

• “The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.”
• “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
• “What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?”
• “Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.”

It might be worth capturing a small episode in Gandhi’s life while he was studying law in England. He had, prior to his departure from India, made a solemn vow to his mother to remain a vegetarian while living abroad. He found sticking to a strictly vegetarian diet very tough, and some of his friends tried their best to persuade him to try various other forms of food (including fish and eggs, which could be interpreted as vegetarian), deeming it a necessity to survive the harsh English cold. Gandhi’s stand here is truly an eye-opener. He says:

“Interpretation of pledges has been a fruitful source of strife all the world over. No matter how explicit the pledge, people will turn and twist the text to suit their own purposes. They are to be met with among all classes of society, from the rich down to the poor, from the prince down to the peasant. Selfishness turns them blind, and by a use of the ambiguous middle they deceive themselves and seek to deceive the world and God. One golden rule is to accept the interpretation honestly put on the pledge by the party administering it. Another is to accept the interpretation of the weaker party, where there are two interpretations possible. Rejection of these two rules gives rise to strife and iniquity, which are rooted in untruthfulness. He who seeks truth alone easily follows the golden rule. He need not seek learned advice for interpretation. My mother’s interpretation of meat was, according to the golden rule, the only true one for me, and not the one my wider experience or my pride of better knowledge might have taught me.”

To me, this provides a reflection of his honesty and the depth of his understanding of human nature. His commitment to stick to a vow once made, for however small and simple a matter it may be, and not to attempt to find a way (or an interpretation) to wriggle out, served as the foundation to his steely resolve with which he undertook many an important struggle in times to come. There is something for all of us to learn from his simple message and his life – to pursue one’s mission with unfailing commitment, past highs and lows. Again, to quote Gandhi, “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”