‘Gandhi’s message more relevant today than ever’
Youth in India and expats remember the legend of non-violence
Gulf News Report
At a time when the world is seeing a surge in violence and sectarian fighting, Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of communal harmony and tolerance remain relevant and required today more than ever, a cross section of youth in India and millennial expats in the UAE have said.
India and the world begin celebrating Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary today with a host of events. But does Gandhi’s practise of non-violence and political tolerance resonate in modern India and wider humanity? UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres certainly thinks so: “I believe it is crucial that Gandhi’s legacy is preserved, and that nations around the world continue to cherish and celebrate their ethnic and religious diversity,” he said as he started a visit to India. “Gandhi professed the path of truth and non-violence, and his legacy is alive and vibrant today. Those who say he is irrelevant do not know the depth of his genius,” Neha Jain, a Delhi-based student, told Gulf News. But Rameez Gul, also from Delhi, disagreed: “There is a global nonviolent awakening and awareness after Gandhi. But in India people have largely forgotten his teachings,” he said.
Even as celebrations of 150th birth anniversary of India’s Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi have commenced in India and abroad, his relevance is questioned today primarily because of his theory and practice of non-violence and defence of political tolerance and religious pluralism.
While some feel that Gandhi represented a figure of unique integrity, consistency and humanity, others insist his ideology has lost relevance in the modern world. Let’s look into how modern youth view Gandhi and his thoughts.
Adil Khan, 24, law student, Delhi University, New Delhi:
“Mahatma Gandhi is rightly called the Father of the Indian Nation because he singlehandedly stood up against the mighty British Empire, without any arms, and brought independence to the country. However, today, Gandhi is mostly forgotten. He is remembered mostly on his birthday which is celebrated as a national holiday rather as a ritual. I won’t say he has lost respect but he definitely has lost relevance.”
Neha Jain, engineering student, 21, Delhi University, New Delhi:
“Gandhiji is still relevant. He professed the path of truth and non-violence. He sacrificed his own life for the sake of his country. The name of Mahatma Gandhi transcends the bounds of race, religion and nation-states, and has emerged as the dynamic voice of the 21st century. His legacy is very much alive and vibrant. Those who say he is irrelevant do not know the depth of his genius.”
Rameez Gul, sportsman, 25, New Delhi:
“Gandhi lost relevance long ago, at least in India. Like Buddhism, which is mostly prevalent now-a-days outside India, the country of its birth, Gandhism today is alive and active only outside India. In fact, today there is hardly any country in the world where some activities are not going on along Gandhian lines. There is a global non-violent awakening and awareness after Gandhi. But in India people have largely forgotten his teachings. No one bothers to learn about his life and teachings, let alone practise his thoughts. ”
Ravi Malik, software engineer, 25, New Delhi:
“Mahatma Gandhi does not seem to be relevant in today’s times. India is not following any of Gandhi’s teachings which are mostly confined to textbooks. In fact, since independence, the country has witnessed many violent communal riots in this multicommunal country. Gandhi never taught all this. He only talked about truth and non-violence. Who in India is following Gandhi’s thoughts these days? His theory of non-violence seems outdated. He said, ‘if someone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other.’ Do you think it makes sense? If we follow what Gandhi said and show the other cheek to the person who slapped us, he will slap us on that too.”
Sonali Sharma, management student, 22, Delhi University, New Delhi:
“Gandhi can never lose relevance. Today, Gandhi is remembered for his passionate adherence to the practice of non-violence and his supreme humanism, in every corner of the world. So many movements for justice are taking place across the world in the name of Gandhi and his ideology. You think it is a small thing. His thoughts are logical and time tested.”