On 6th April, 1930 a frail old man from Gujarat shook the mighty British Empire to its core. Not by inciting revolution or violence, not by making speeches.
On that fateful day, Mahatma Gandhi broke the salt laws and made his own salt to protest against the British monopoly. While initially underestimating this movement, the colonial rulers were caught unaware by the wave of mass disobedience that followed across the country.
This incident is by no means an endorsement of the popular view of independence through ahimsa or non-violence. This is to commend the shrewd political intelligence of Gandhiji, the man who united the freedom struggle and successfully gave it a national character.
I would even go one step further and say that he is in fact the most popular Hindu to ever live. His simple attire like a saint, his devout Hindu-ness, and his use of satyagraha all served a purpose towards gaining independence.
While his ideals ultimately failed due to certain hypocritical actions of his own, one cannot deny the patriotism and nationalism displayed by Gandhiji. He brought together people from all across the country and various walks of life to fight for a common goal.
History is complicated. At that time, it wasn’t uncommon for revolutionaries with varying ideologies to mix. For example, Bhagat Singh who was leftist fought to avenge the death of Hindu Mahasabha leader Lala Lajpat Rai. Netaji Bose who was left in his leanings, worked with right wing Veer Savarkar and Rash Behari Bose to fight the British.
I believe Gandhiji’s life needs to be revisited for current generations. Total rejection is the same as blind faith. It has its uses, but in politics it would be a disaster.
Today is also the Jayanti of India’s second prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, the man who led India through a turbulent period after the death of Pandit Nehru. He led the country during the victory in the 1965 war and began the Green Revolution.
Shastriji championed the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”
It is amazing the two generational leaders happened to be born on the same day. While Gandhiji gets all the accolades, Shastriji is often ignored. However, the truth is his short span as Prime Minister deserves its own space without being influenced by anything else.
But essentially the lessons learned from both leaders is similar – To build a country or organization, it is necessary to understand the people. After all, it is people who make countries.
