Political Diary
New Delhi,, 4 October 2022
Gandhi, Which Gandhi?
IS HE RELEVANT TODAY?
By
Poonam I Kaushish
“What do you think of Gandhi? You mean Pappu,” dismissed a
25-year old disparagingly. “Not at all he’s ‘hot dude,” shot back a 16-year
old. “Silly, I am not talking of Rahul, but the strange old man we read about
in history and get a chuutti from
school,” giggled an 8-year old. “The one they call the Mahatma, incidentally
what did he do?”
That my fellow countrymen, is what Gen X thinks of Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, aka Mahatma Gandhi
who we reverently address as Father of the Nation. Alas, he has been buried in
the dustbin of history and aired every 2 October, like on Sunday for his annual
‘autumn cleaning’. A ritualistic visit to Rajghat, singing his favourite hymns with
our leaders pledging to follow in his footsteps. Sic. Obeisance paid, duty over
its back to business of democracy and
rule by law.
Questionably, does our polity honestly believe in Gandhi?
Adhere to his values? Forget it. All busy riding the crest of popularity of
coming from Gandhi’s land and his erstwhile Gandhigiri to reap a political
harvest.
Undeniably, we have come a long way from what Gandhi
espoused 75 years ago. Today, he has been reduced to intellectual indulgence
whereby his ideals are forgotten and much of what he stood for remembered
selectively or misunderstood. All busy pontificating on his philosophy ---
peace, non-violence and empowerment. Never
mind if it’s at odds in a criminal-politico era where violence is the rhetoric
of the times.
Look around and see how far removed we are from Bapu’s
vision of India. Many are unaware Gandhi opposed the Westminster model of
Government we follow as it implied existence of two classes, rulers and ruled. The
British Parliament was a “sterile woman” because it could not do anything with
finality. Nor could MPs act on their own but had to obey their Parties whip, reducing
them to rubber stamps. It is unfortunate that post Independence India did not
heed his advice.
He also wanted to disband the Congress party as it consisted
of “selected leaders” who were going to rule over people like the British, and
replace it with Lok Seva Sangh. Primarily as rot was setting into the Party which
would capitalize on the freedom struggle in which the entire nation had
participated. Today, he has been proved right as the Party is a mere caricature
of itself reduced to just 53 of 543 MPs in Lok Sabha.
Depressingly, nowhere does ideology, principles or policies
even rhetorically figure in our netagans’
vocabulary. In the past, leaders used to camouflage their intentions in
ideological garbage. Today, even that fig leaf or verbosity has been discarded.
Instead, we are doled out pious platitudes and inane speeches to paint a halo
round their heads. The fire and zeal of Gandhi’s “do-or-die” slogan died an
early death, replaced by a rent-a-crowd show of strength. Might is right, after
all. What else can one expect from our paper tigers?
“The truth I proclaim is as old as the hills,” said Gandhi.
Alas, he did not visualize hills could be decimated and truth erased, replaced
with one lakshya: “gaddi rakho, paisa pakro”. Power and
money at any cost. The country and its democracy can go to hell. The recent
guard change in Bihar, Maharashtra and earlier Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh
tells all. So much for upholding his tenet of holding offices lightly, not
tightly!
Ironically, we are far removed from his ideas of simple
living and high thinking, sense of right and wrong and value system. Bluntly, a
natural reaction from a politically, socially and morally bankrupt nation as a debased
and pulverized people stand by as mute spectators. If ahimsa
cast a Mahatma’s halo around him universally, himsa has become the universal truth for our society.
India is very angry. Peoples’ angst and frustration has
morphsized into gheraos, road rage, shoe-cides
and slaps directed at leaders. Thanks to the daily aggravation of being bin bijli aur paani, sky rocketing
prices, unemployment, ghooskhori, increasing
polarisation between different castes and creed and in-your-face behavior of
our political mai-baaps.
Whereby, Gandhi’s teachings are reduced to mere straws that
fly in the political wind, courtesy our parochial leaders. Said he, “Ministers
should not live as ‘sahib log’ or use
private work facilities provided by the Government for official duties.”
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Yesterday’s princes have made way for
neo-Maharajas, Ministers and MPs who see themselves as winners, replete with
power trappings that go with it. All in the crippling morass of a jee huzoor feudal mindset. And we call
ourselves a democracy!
All suffering from Acute Orwellian syndrome of “some are
more equal than others”. Their hierarchy of status gauged by gun-totting commandos surrounding them,
jumping traffic lights and causing accidents. Funny isn’t it that they need
protection from their janata they
assiduously swear to represent and serve.
Ironically, even as Modi extols his colleagues to follow
Gandhi, though Deen Dayal Upadhya is the current hot favourite, both their
beliefs converged in giving up conspicuous consumption as “money does not grow
on trees…return to simplicity, efficiency and commitment to national goals hold
the key to self reliance!” His brave words taunt the seven-star mesmerizing
celebrations every anniversary of the BJP-led NDA Government.
Contrast this with the harsh reality of half of India’s 1.3
billion people not having enough to eat with over 700 million living below
poverty line. And nearly one million dying every year due to inadequate
healthcare facilities and one in every five children is malnourished. True,
Modi has shifted his politics and is busy projecting his Government as
pro-poor. But fighting malnutrition is a pre-requisite for building human
capital. Bluntly, ‘broken society’ describes what one sees around.
Besides, with abject paucity around, who has time for
Gandhi. The struggle for roti, kapada aur
makaan is what matters. Besides, it is easy to be complacent than retaliate,
shrugged off as ki pharak painda hai.
The worst thing is nobody seems to care. The middle class
has too many problems of its own to be bothered about the poor, the poor are
getting angrier and desperate, the rich, as always, don’t care as money and rip-off
cultures are all pervasive. It’s all about being successful.
Besides, ‘feel-good’ has been the holy grail of the Establishment.
It’s almost a national conspiracy, let’s ignore the warts and bad things, focus
only on those glitzy speeches and idolise success. Bringing things to such a
ludicrous pass that Gandhi seems an alien from a different planet. Succinctly,
he is revered as a saint and Indians today are more bothered about
survival.
In sum, what should one say of our polity that swears by
Gandhi but doesn’t heed his thoughts in his autobiography “Experiments With
Truth”. Instead, practices the seven sins he abhorred: Politics without
principles; wealth without work; commerce without morality; education without
character; pleasure without conscience; science without humanity and worship
without sacrifice. Our experiments with untruth! ---- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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