Amrit Mahotsav without Gandhi

As India celebrates its 75th anniversary, the most precious of its legacies are at risk of falling prey to the politics of the moment

We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of India’s independence as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Looking at the different themes that will be covered through various activities planned through the year, I scrolled through the commemorating activities under the theme, Freedom Struggle. It had no mention of the role played by Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom movement nor of Jawaharlal Nehru and some other important leaders. It seeks to “bring alive stories of unsung heroes whose sacrifices have made freedom a reality for us.” This is unexceptionable, but the only “unsung heroes” mentioned are Birsa Munda, the tribal leader, and Subhas Chandra Bose. Is it really possible to ignore the role played by Mahatma Gandhi even if Nehru has now become an object of derision?

If the objective is “commemorating milestones” in the history of our country’s freedom struggle, is this possible if the towering figure of Mahatma Gandhi, the power of his ideas of “satyagraha and ahimsa” and the vision of a free India that he bequeathed to the country, are diminished in our memories? It is true that in the years following Independence, Gandhi’s precepts were rarely followed. The ideals he set before the nation were overlaid by more cynical pursuits of power and privilege. But he continued to serve as a lodestar, as a constant reminder of our failings as a society and as a polity. The invocation of his name continues to have the power to move India’s millions because those millions have through these 75 years come to identify him as one of their own, a figure of humility, of compassion and above all sincerity. He was a leader because he articulated ideas that gripped the imagination of his people. Most leaders share this quality. The difference lies in whether they appeal to what is most noble in our hearts or, contrariwise, to what is most narrow and prejudiced embedded within us.

Gandhi was more than aware of the demons that lurked under the surface among India’s incredibly diverse multitudes; of fires that could be ignited through the easy sale of hate. That markers of distinctiveness could become the instruments of division. Which is why he was so passionate about Hindu-Muslim unity, the emancipation of the lowest, most oppressed castes and communities of India and the embrace of a more inclusive and egalitarian pattern of economic development. He was a devout Hindu but was convinced that an overarching Hindu unity could not be constructed on the basis of a Hindu-Muslim binary. The relentless othering of the Muslim, which we witness in our country today, would have been a moral anathema for him. It would also have represented a politics that could only bring harm and misfortune to his beloved country. He had been opposed to India’s partition, which he saw as a “vivisection” of India, as a mortal wound that would fester for years to come. And so it has.

The Sarvodaya Foundation, which is an initiative of Ambassador Alan Nazareth, has been a most important instrument for disseminating the ideas of Gandhi both in India and abroad. Recently, Ambassador Nazareth organised an interaction on the subject of the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in this 75th year of India’s independence. Several distinguished scholars and public figures spoke on the importance of revisiting the many seminal ideas that Gandhi had put forward during his long years of service to the people of India. These ideas were deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of the people of India, but looked to a future that would be ecologically sustainable and inclusive. The touchstone in terms of policy choices before a democratically elected government would be the following quote from Gandhi: “Think of the poorest person you have ever seen, and ask if your next act will be of any use to him.”

To me one of the neglected elements of Gandhi’s philosophy relates to ecological sustainability. During the time Gandhi lived, Climate Change was not a matter of concern but it is now clear that Climate Change is really a symptom of the much larger ecological emergency that our world is confronting today. And Gandhi foresaw with a prescience that is truly astonishing, the ecological crisis that is upon us.

Illustration: Binay Sinha

On India’s development choices he said, “It took Britain half the resources of the planet to achieve prosperity. How many planets will a country like India require?”

And again, “God forbid that India should ever take to industrialisation after the manner of the West. The economic imperialism of a single kingdom is today keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 million (note: which was India’s population then) took to similar exploitation, it would strip the world like locusts.”

Indian culture has always looked upon nature as a Mother, a source of nurture, and you must not take from her more than what allows her to regenerate and renew herself. This is what Gandhi tried to put across to the people of India who were already bedazzled by the affluence of the West: “We may utilize the gifts of Nature as we choose but in her books, the debits are always equal to the credits”.

Gandhi’s message is both relevant and compelling today. While celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Gandhi’s ideas have a deep contemporary significance and can guide the country as it embarks on the next part of its journey as an independent, vibrant and a plural democracy. The key messages are the acceptance of plurality among our people, the accommodation of differing viewpoints, the pursuit of an egalitarian and inclusive democracy and adoption of an economic strategy that ensures ecological sustainability. One hopes that in refashioning the history of India’s freedom struggle, this most precious of its legacies does not fall prey to the politics of the moment.

The writer is a former foreign secretary and a senior fellow, CPR