The thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, are proving their mettle across the world today. People are unknotting their problems in the sea of his thoughts. The trust of the world that is getting entangled in the arms race is now becoming more deep-rooted in Gandhism. People are now forced to understand that wars are not the solution to any problem.
Violent revolutions around the world have not led anywhere. Time has revealed that Satyagraha and non-violence are the best paths to adopt. Be it, individuals, institutions or countries, it is now believed that there is a better alternative and a human way to express dissent and to register a protest.
The relevance of Gandhiji’s ideas is increasing with time. The issue of environmental protection in the world is fast becoming the priority of society these days. Intellectuals and environmental activists have taken to the streets due to the worsening environmental situation. Gandhi had also made a discourse on the environment. Although the term environment was not in vogue during Bapu’s lifetime, the vision of Gandhiji was so far-sighted that he began to worry and ponder over the future much ahead of his time.
Gandhiji believed that “there is enough on earth for everybody’s need but not enough for everybody’s greed”. In his article ‘Swasthya ki Kunji’, he expressed his views on clean air, saying there are three types of natural ingredients needed – air, water and food, but clean air being the most important.
Gandhiji also inspired Indians to spin a yarn with charkha and wear hand-woven clothes. The objective behind this was not only to arouse the Swadeshi feeling but also to reduce general waste and waste coming out of textile mills.
Gandhiji was a great advocate of rural development. Advocating the upliftment of villages, Gandhiji wrote in HarijanSevak in 1946, “There should be the development of such art and workmanship in the countryside, that their products are valued outside of villages too”. On one hand, Gandhiji was fighting for the non-violent struggle for freedom, on the other, he was trying to save the fragmented fabric of Indian society through his creative programs.
Gandhiji considered education to be the major contributor to building a better society. He established the first basic school at Barharwara Lakhansen during the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917. In the context of the importance of education, on 8 May 1937, he writes in Harijan that Man is neither entirely intellect, nor a gross body, neither only a heart or a soul. A proper and consistent combination of all these is needed to create a complete human being. This is the true purpose of education.
Opinion: Gandhi’s morality wasn’t denial of politics. His idealism was completed by realism
Only through Swadeshi will India become a self-sufficient and strong country. Today, there is an increasing move towards Swadeshi in India. This gives an opportunity for small industries to flourish. Rural people from far-flung areas now get a chance to become financially self-reliant. We have moved in that direction after a long time which has started yielding positive results. Today there is an awakening among the people for Swadeshi, it is a heartening trend.
Another of Gandhiji’s missions was towards cleanliness. Villages should be healthy and clean. In this direction, the government has started a mass movement. The subject of village cleanliness is an inseparable part of the life of the people. This is necessary but difficult to achieve. Gandhiji was equally concerned about the dirt in cities. In this context, he said that one thing we can learn from the West, and we must learn, is the sacredness attached to cleanliness in cities. We are yet to imbibe this thought of Gandhiji.
Gandhiji’s thoughts are eternal. The biggest reason for this is that he tested his ideas on the ground. His relevance remains across the span of time. Today, the world sees Gandhi’s path as the best and most enduring.
Source: Indian Express
