MAHATMA GANDHI-THE LEADER
I read an article in HT BRUNCH..and I just could not resist to express my opinion on it..So here it is..(All the stats and quotes are taken from there only..)
12th March 1930..
Mahatma Gandhi and 79 SATYAGRAHIS left SABARMATI ASHRAM in Ahmedabad and marched to DANDI to protest against the tax on salt, a basic necessity for everyone..
6th April 1930..
By extracting salt from the sea-sand, the first act of NON VIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE was displayed..Mahatma Gandhi lead it..and lead it successfully..
He was arrested and his incarceration was followed by all his followers being LATHI-CHARGED..but those followers didn't even raise their arms in retaliation..coz Mahatma Gandhi had urged every INDIAN to do so..to willfully surrender and undergo the movement NON-VIOLENTLY..!!..
So what happened was that swarms of people were brutally knocked down by the BRITISH ARMY..and none of them fought back..they marched..they shouted..they cried..but police methodically beat them..their white clothes were drenched in RED..
An extract from GANDHI'S SPEECH on April 5 1930(before he got arrested)...
.... "If the government arrest me or my companions tomorrow I shall not be surprised, I shall certainly not be pained...What if all the eminent leaders in Gujarat and in the rest of the country are arrested? This movement is based on the faith that when a whole nation is aroused and on the march, no leader is necessary..."
This was a slight snapshot of one of the major risings of our country for the INDEPENDENCE..
Guys,I am actually not a supporter of MAHATMA GANDHI..I hardly believe in his ideologies..in fact I despise him for lots of reasons..be it curbing extremists..or be it teaching INDIANS how to suppress themselves and never to retaliate..Shedding our own blood...and showcasing our miseries in media to the world..so that they could feel sympathetic and painful for us..Sometimes I realize that probably WE GOT INDEPENDENCE OUT OF PITY..WE NEVER EARNED IT...
Probably, MAHATMA GANDHI just got lucky to be there as a leader at the right time..when BRITISH power was already so much weakened due to World War 2..and they could hardly focus on administering such an aroused nation....
But whatever be the reasons..one thing is for sure..no matter how much I loathe him..I will always respect his ability to INFLUENCE PEOPLE..Come on guys..his followers believed in his words to the extent that they were ready to die for the cause..for the INDEPENDENCE..He gathered masses against BRITISH and lead them in his OWN WAY..He truly was an ORATOR extraordinaire..!..
Today...63 years after INDEPENDENCE..When I look at all the problems and evil practices...forever Inflated Inflation..Impasse Corruption...Indigence..and above all..those bunch of crooked and self centered money collectors or in short ..our POLITICIANS..those who only mean to fill their pockets out of the hard earned money of COMMON PEOPLE.... I just realize that we actually need LEADER like MAHATMA GANDHI to lead us against them..to fight for our our rights..to agglomerate us..and to instill a common feeling within ourselves..so that we will become a force to defy the POLITICAL GIMMICK that these POLITICIANS play with us..
As he said ..."..When a whole nation is aroused and on the march, no leader is necessary..."...I cant agree more... I believe.. WE NEED A LEADER..
Its true that India needs a leader like him but we as individuals often indulge in undermining our own country. If there are 10 bad things abt India then ther are 20 good things as well.
ReplyDeleteComing back to Gandhi,I agree that India got freedom out of circumstances but he did make an impact in moving the masses.
Due to time constraints there is not much i can divulge out at this point of time but this is a good topic for discussion and something in which more n more ppl(youngsters) should be involved.
There may be 10 bad things and 20 good things for people like us..but m so very sorry to see that there are just those 10 bad things only for poor..our farmers..the rural class..they are just being exploited..and the worst part is that they dont even get to know about it..I see corruption at such a humongous scale that with such a case scenario..our progress is too far to be near.. dats y I believe that we need a leader to agglomerate us..to instill common feelings within ourselves..
ReplyDeleteand by the way..thanks for the comment..!!..much appreciated..!!
I agree when you say we need a leader so that we can raise voice against the current system...but i don't think in today's times a person with gandhian ideologies can be successful in front of our shrewd politicians...
ReplyDeleteGandhi didn't say be non violent because we are weak but because we are Strong. There is a difference to fighting back a bully, and saying i won't be a bully.
ReplyDeletehe also had the guts to call off a movement because his followers burnt the police. now, leaders will say, appoint a committee, i didnt instruct. and they were enemy combantants and such nonsense.
HE HAD INTEGRITY
@Wise Donkey
ReplyDeleteAt first place.. Thanks for your comment!!:)..Much Appreciated!!
and on GANDHI'S part..well..as I said..I am not a believer in his IDEOLOGIES..and yes..I will stick to that..and I have my reasons to believe in it which I don't think can be described in such short space..(will have to write another post on it!!)..So, I never said he did not have INTEGRITY..I never disparaged him for anything..I just gave my personal verdict..may be wrong as per your belief..but as far as I understand our INDIAN HISTORY and FREEDOM STRUGGLE..I have been never able to gather respect for GANDHI and so..I hardly believe in his ideologies..He was undoubtedly a great leader though..!
Anything on Gandhi is immortal and hence i dont think i am late to give my comments on this article.
ReplyDeleteMahatma Gandhi, beyond being the great person and his great work, has been a subject. And a subject may extract different elucidations on it.
Like for many Gandhi detractors i have seen, most of them have heard about this subject but have never read it.
Regarding the need for a leader to aggregate and direct our nations vested interests, i find we have and will produce many of them but the corridors of political legacy, votebank pressures, recognition, and coalition dharma often washes them away under the tide.
Still, I am a hard believer that if many of us can write, opine and surge the need for such leaders, we can certainly find one amongst us in the days and years to come.
Cheers
@Sreeram
ReplyDeleteRightly said..and I do totally acquiesce..Efficient Leaders are what we require..rather desperately..