Gandhism A Way of Life

Gandhism A Way of Life

On 2^nd October 2019, the 150^th Birthday Anniversary of Mahathma Gandhi, was celebrated across the country with great enthusiasm. There were a lot of programmes to highlight the goodness of Gandhi’s life and as usual there were also many controversial posts about Gandhi in social media.

I was invited as a special guest to a college function, to honour the winners of a speech contest on “Significance of Gandhi’s principles in today’s world”. While addressing the audience, A asked the students, “Why do we celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi in such a grand manner?” There were a number of answers like, “He got freedom from our country”, “He is the father of the nation” and few more. I told them, we celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi, because it marks the birth of a person who lived a life to attain the stature of Mahatma. Just like how we celebrate Krishna Jayanti, Christmas, Mahavir Jayanti or Buddha Poornima to celebrate the birthdays of souls who have transformed from being ordinary humans to enlightened beings. This transformation from an Atma to Mahathma is what makes him special.

I have been more than impressed by the life of Gandhi. More than calling him my role model, I can call him my aspiration. I have read his book “My experiments with truth” in which he narrates all the important incidents in his life that has shaped him to be what he eventually became. But more than what I read, it is my visit to some of the significant places, where Gandhi lived, that had a deeper impact in me.

I have visited the Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad. It is a well maintained place, which will align our mind to Gandhian principles. The exhibits, the pictures with wording, the place he lived, his minimalistic lifestyle and everything there says a lot more about him, than we could read from a book.

While Gandhi, is appreciated for so many things, two of his precious principles stand out Truth & Non-Violence Satya and Ahimsa. In one of the writings there, he mentions that he learned the quality of Truthfulness (Satya) from his mother and the quality of Non-Violence (Ahimsa) from his wife, Kasturba, giving credits to two most important women in his life.

I was pondering on the difference between peace and non-violence. I realized that while Peace is the absence of war, non-violence was a strategy of war without the use of violent methods, such as non co-operation. It is a unique strategy he adopted against the mighty British, with whom we didn’t have a chance to win through any physical combat.

During my visit to Pune, I saw the Aga Khan Palace, where Gandhi was imprisoned along with his wife for 2 years. Kasturba Gandhi breathed her last in the lap of Mahatma Gandhi in this place and her memorial is there. This place gives a feel of how Kasturba was whole heartedly involved and supported Gandhi’s freedom struggle initiative.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Johannesburg, South Africa where I saw the small room, in which he lived and court area, where his law office is located. Gandhi spent a significant 21 years of his youth life in South Africa. In a fitting manner, we get to see a statue of a younger version of Barrister Gandhi, there. As we all know, it was the train incident that happened there, that sowed the seeds of freedom struggle in his mind, which made him to come back to India.

Every place I visited vibrates the feeling of his presence. Undoubtedly, this simpleton who was mocked by the British as a half naked fakir, has left a powerful impact in this world, making him the “Man of the Millennium”. His timeless principles resonated, as it has been emulated by future leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela.

If religion is just a way of life, then Gandhism is definitely a religion too. The principles of Gandhism have good substance worth aspiring for, even if we cannot rigorously follow them.

I love his many quotes, which are timeless treasures of wisdom, from which we can draw immense inspiration, any time. And this quote of his is the icing in the cake – “My life is my message”. He lived his life as a true role model for everyone to follow.

Love Gandhi! Live Gandhi!

 D. Senthil Kannan,

  Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

  Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

  Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com