When we go through the pages of Indian history the name nobody can ignore Mohandas Gandhi’s reputation as the Indian spiritual and political leader who coordinated and led a victorious national struggle for independence against British royal rule on the strength of a non-violent movement surviving largely intact. So it is clear that Mahatma Gandhi brought a revolution in Indian history but at the same time a question comes up “Was Mahatma Gandhi a revolutionist”? Let’s go through different prospects which will help us to get the answer of this question in a better way.
A very well known proverb by Mahatma Gandhi is ‘an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’. This means that if every person will look up for revenge from the opponent and that too in the same manner than the world will no longer be left as a better place to live. If we go through one of the more sayings of this personality “Non violence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed”. So every of his sayings and beliefs focuses on the non violence and preaches to shut the path of violence.
Mahatma Gandhi is known as the “Father of the India.” He truthfully believed in peace and harmony. His main ambition was to see everyone to live together in peace. Many times, the British put Gandhi and others in prison. Many times they tortured and beat the people of India. Still Gandhi did not want to fight. Instead, he organized marches and strikes. He convinced people all over India to stop working. Gandhi asked the people again and again to be peaceful and not violent. Instead of fighting the British, Gandhi told everyone that they should use “passive resistance.” In other words, he wanted to fight with words instead of bullets.
The two things around which the life of Mahatma Gandhi revolved were faith in truth, and non-violence. According to him violence was a bitter lie. His whole life was dedicated to passive resistance and non-violence, physically, mentally and spiritually. When we think more deeply then we can say that his simplicity was also a reflection of his non-violence, for the reason that he felt that if he used anything more than was absolutely necessary, he would be robbing it from the person who needs it more than him.
So after going to all the aspects whether it is completely fair to call Gandhi a revolutionary. He didn’t lead an armed rebellion, like most revolutionaries. He was never willing to kill a person to take revenge. And the term ‘revolutionary’ does tend to connote the violent, rather than the peaceful overthrow of the old order. But yes Mahatma Gandhi was revolutionist. He brought revolution in Indian history not with any arms or leading any force. He brought revolution with his ideas with his principles. Gandhi held on to his words of no violence till it won India her independence. So he was a Non-violent revolutionary and that’s the reason he is alive in every Indian’s heart.
