Gandhiji was jailed in 1922 for writing articles campaigning for non-cooperation and civil disobedience. His colleague Shankerlal Banker, also jailed with him, had seen the Mahatma starting the day at 4 am, and not wasting a single minute till late in the night. From spinning and weaving for six hours a day, to studying the scriptures, he was constantly occupied. Banker enthusiastically joined in, and Gandhiji drafted a timetable for him too. When he was released early, Banker told Gandhiji that he had learned a new way of life. Gandhiji asked him to tell others about his lessons.
Gandhiji then asked him if he had any idea of how people would react. Banker had no clue. “I can tell you what people would say. They’d say, ‘He is a Mahatma and he can lead such a life. We can’t’,” Gandhiji said. Then Gandhiji asked him to tell them that he was not born a Mahatma. “I too had many faults and I carefully and relentlessly worked to remove them. Now people call me Mahatma, though I am far from that. But this is the way open to all, and every individual can walk on it if he or she thinks through it and make progress in that direction with confidence and commitment.”
As we celebrate Gandhiji’s 151st birth anniversary, I think of his advice. It is humbling and empowering in equal measure. He himself never claimed to be a great soul — indeed, he went out of his way to tell the world about his vulnerabilities. Yet, he is the best example of realising the maximum human potential. If anything, his achievements seem superhuman to us. What Albert Einstein said in his tribute to the Mahatma is true, and the present generation has a hard time believing that a frail old man with a toothy smile could have made it possible to win freedom without taking up arms.
As Gandhiji himself tells us, he was an average child with weaknesses. The difference was that he diligently worked on his moral foundations. In his youth, he was shy and diffident, but he was consolidating his ethical outlook. This constant effort to be a better human being and to be more sensitive towards those around him made him a Mahatma. This path was, of course, extremely difficult. There were many failures along the way. But he continued doggedly, one step at a time.
In his autobiography, he writes that what he had been “striving and pining to achieve” was “self-realisation, to see God face to face, to attain moksha”. His striving was then unique in that he did not renounce the world, but sacrificed his whole life for the upliftment of the downtrodden, and for the empowerment of fellow Indians. He was more concerned about his duties than his rights, and took up cudgels on behalf of others — Dalits, peasants, labourers, women and others. In the process, he evolved a new kind of compassionate politics that has answers to all the contemporary world’s pressing questions. Gandhiji shows, in great detail, what needs to be done — by individuals, organisations and nations — to achieve peaceful coexistence, sustainable development, economic and social equality.
Moreover, he accomplished so much while remaining utterly humble. His colleagues and followers saw him not as a father figure, but as a mother figure. George Orwell rightly speaks of a “clean smell” he managed to leave behind. I realised what the English author meant when I visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad three years ago. The ground still remains hallowed, and the place still vibrates with the serenity he brought about there. I have felt similar peaceful vibrations whenever I have visited his samadhi at Raj Ghat in Delhi.
In a world riven by strife, Gandhiji’s teachings have universal resonance. In my visits abroad, I have found his busts in many countries. In some places, I have unveiled them myself. Such a life is but rare, and thus, it is our duty to nurture and build on his legacy. From Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela to living legends such as Zambia’s first President, Kenneth Kaunda, and former United States President, Barack Obama, they all unequivocally repose faith in Gandhiji’s teachings.
The year-long celebrations of his 150th birth anniversary that culminate today have been an apt occasion to rejuvenate his memories and reorient the moral and ethical foundations of public life. Many young people, in India and abroad, must have discovered Gandhiji’s timeless message during this past year.
Gandhiji has so much more to offer to us if we take lessons from his life, particularly when we are facing a pandemic. During the outbreak of a deadly plague, he flung himself into health care and sanitation duties that exemplified his selfless service.
As he put it in a speech in Alappuzha (Alleppey) in January, 1934, “I have that implicit faith in my mission that, if it succeeds — as it will succeed, it is bound to succeed — history will record it as a movement designed to knit all people in the world together, not as hostile to one another but as parts of one whole.” By invoking that faith and attitude, I am confident, we will be able to imagine and build a better world. The 151st anniversary is a good occasion to think through our priorities in the light of Gandhiji’s life and thought, and prepare ourselves again to hear his voice in our hearts.
