As we walk the miles on the 150th birth anniversary of Bapuji, the whole nation is agog with enthusiasm and a simmering creative, constructive energy. There was a need to recreate the magic of “Sewa”, the joy of service as lived by Gandhiji. He had famously said “My life is my message.” It is hard to imagine that the same can be recreated in other ordinary mortals. Yet, the sparks lit by him have lived on in a billion hearts and laid the foundation for our national character.
Gandhiji is not a person but a philosophy that has been distilled through the ages in the civilisation cauldron of this land and manifest in the form of pure, eternal truth which can be lived on a day-to-day basis. He has made the conventional logic obsolete which said you could not live an ideal on a routine basis; that the ideals are only aspirations; and one should strive to achieve that. In all this logic, the central theme is that an ideal life cannot be lived though desirable. Gandhiji has proved it wrong many times over. He not only lived a pure, open and materially-minimalist life but also demonstrated that such a living can very well bring material outcomes such as freedom of the nation.
Bapu was so particular about purity of the body, soul and environment that at times it was misconstrued as obsession. But his internal processes were all geared towards an object of public good; and he understood that without personal purity, purity of the masses and ultimately of the nation would not materialise. Today, the idea of "Swachh Bharat" so passionately pursued by Modiji is but an extension of that ideal of Gandhiji. Purify yourself, purify others, purify society, purify the nation and go beyond. That campaign has borne fruit in terms of physical benefit of eliminating open defecation and minimising disease to the greater societal benefit of a clean and transparent governance agenda. The world has wholeheartedly embraced the idea of yoga as a form of cleansing of body, mind and spirit.
The relevance of Gandhiji is not in the fact that he spearheaded the largest mass-based nonviolent campaign in the world’s history but in the philosophy of that campaign; the seemingly inverted logic that noarms can win over arms. The audacity of that thinking at a time when might was considered right showed the quality of his mind and the strength of his character. Fearlessness under any situation, speaking the mind whatever may be the consequences and owning up failures are the hallmarks of his life and these ideals still remain the ultimate goal of millions of individuals. The inclusiveness of his thought, the deep understanding of India that is and a sense of empathy with all set him apart.
Today as we walk, we walk with the thought that a simple-looking man with a loin cloth and a staff could influence the minds of the world by doing what he believed in and changed the nation forever. Today, more than at any time in history, his ideals of truth, nonviolence, Swachhata and total inclusiveness are needed to glue the nation together. India is in the cusp of a transformative change in social, economic and political spheres. We are becoming more influential at the world stage. Our economic and military might has been ably backed up by sound political decisions and our place at the global high table has been assured.
But with all these comes the responsibility of managing this transformation in a way that would create greatest common good.
Here arises the relevance of Gandhiji’s principles of trusteeship. The leaders or powers that be are only the trustees of that power which they wield on behalf of the people. It is to be always kept in mind that the power has to be used in a way that would enhance national standing and ensure prosperity for all, the greatest good of the last man standing in the queue.
(Dr Samantsinghar is a former Assistant Professor, Ravenshaw University, a State secretary, BJP Odisha)