Gandhi: The Apostle of Non-Violent Revolution
In the pages of Indian history and that of reform movements, one revolutionary that shines bright among all is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi. Armed with strict discipline and non violent vision, he shone as one of the harbingers of peace, heralding freedom from ruling forces. Gandhi built his principles on the belief that the end result of any violence is always violent and retrogressive.
Satyagraha
The major principle on which Gandhi led the reform movements was Satyagraha. This principle was an extension to the concepts of love and ahimsa. His philosophy preached conviction and firm stand on one’s ideologies, but with no hatred. In the days to follow, Satyagraha took shape into civil disobedience and non cooperation.
Civil disobedience took the form of breaking the law that Indians could not make salt. The Dandi march in 1930 bears an important mark in the face of history. The law was broken by making salt from the sea water. Non cooperation took form in later years. Mahatma Gandhi’s principles fixated on the sole fundamentals of perseverance without any ill thoughts or acts.
The Draconian rule set up by the British faced the ferocity of non violence. Such nonchalant responses shook the roots of the oppressive rule of the foreigners. Gandhi held on to his words of no violence till it won India her independence.
Inspiring Quotes
In the publication “the story of my experiments with truth”, there is a quote that states ‘an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’. Such was his vision. He reiterated the fact that if every individual seeks for revenge in the same manner, the world will no longer be a place for harmonic coexistence. What would remain are only crippled souls who look for more revenge and will eventually be ripped off their existential morality.
In a defence trial held in 1922, his opening words were “Non violence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed”. Such was his firmness in non violent measures that he stresses upon it being the ambition of every soul. Time and again, he put forth the thesis that a good achievement of violence is transitory and the evil that results is capable of permanent damage.
He preached shunning the path of violence. He could foresee the fact that violence would lead to massive anarchy. Violence could never be a solution, even if hurled in the name of seeking justice. The mantra of ahimsa did not constrict only to physical harm. It included not brewing any ill feelings for anyone, and shunning hatred too.
