|
महात्मा गाँधी : समसामयिक प्रासंगिकता ISBN: 978-93-93166-17-3 For verification of this chapter, please visit on http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/books.php#8 |
The Relevance of Gandhian Thought and Philosophy in the Contemporary World |
Dr. Rajinder Singh
Assistant Professor
Political Science
University College, Moonak
Sangrur, Punjab, India
|
DOI: Chapter ID: 17480 |
This is an open-access book section/chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
This chapter explores the relevance
of Gandhi's ideas in contemporary politics. He doesn't just know how to turn
ideas into action. In this chapter explores the relevance of Gandhi's ideas in
contemporary politics. Breath of life, Gandhi of humanity and civilization. In
such a society, this requires a reform of individual thought. Gandhi believed
that the end of his life is enlightenment. The ultimate goal must not only be
realized by the individual in his own life, but also strive to be realized in
the lives of his fellow human beings in society. While adhering to achieving
the ultimate goal of life through moral means, Gandhi required the individual
to purify themselves first. According to him, self-purification requires the
individual to strictly observe and keep five moral vows at all times,
such as Satya (truth), Ahimsa (non-violence), Brahmacharya (celibacy), Asteya
(not stealing) and Aparigrah (non-possession) according to him, his life would
be to live a disciplined moral life, purifying his soul to achieve his ultimate
goal. Kew words: Civilization,
Exploitation, Ethnic, Cleansing, Religious, Politics, Ahimsa, Satyagraha,
Non-Violence. Introduction: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a
saint and a moral revolutionary. Mahatma Gandhi was not only a political
philosopher, but also a political philosopher. It is a message and a philosophy
of life. When Mahatma Gandhi was alive, most people think his thoughts were
only about liberating India from british rule. Many did not believe in his
belief in truth and nonviolence, they agreed it was the only tactic to keep the
British out. Gandhi's political philosophy is of great relevance. Gandhi was
one of those philosophers who believed in self-sacrifice, non-violent
resistance or non-cooperation. One of the greatest and most revered figures of
the 20th century, He left a lasting impact on India and the world. It is
difficult to find an answer to the question, what is the relevance of Gandhian
thought in today's politics. “I am not a saint who has strayed
into politics ” Gandhi once wrote "I am politician who is trying to become
a saint “. One of the greatest and most revered figures of the 20th century,
Mahatma Gandhi has had a lasting impact on India and the world. He successfully
led a national movement in India with his unique leadership style and was
highly regarded for his dedication and contributions to sustainable living and
nonviolent resistance. Gandhi's life was an experience of truth. Gandhi sought
to create a new type of politics based on the transformative spirit of
non-violence. It is difficult to find an answer to the question of what is the
relevance of Gandhi's thought in modern politics. The reason is that it has its
advantages and disadvantages. The great scholar George Bernard Shaw said:
“Gandhi was the most influential political personality, he was not an ordinary
person but a person of unique ability”. Objectives of the Study: 1. Familiar with Gandhian philosophy. 2. Acquiring new knowledge about Gandhi's ideals. 3. Examines the relevance of Gandhian philosophy in the context
of globalization, peace and conflict. Significance of the study: The past two centuries have been the
bloodiest period in human history. In the 20th century alone, two world wars
killed nearly 100 million people and atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, Arab-Israel, Indo-Pakistani, Iran-Iraq, South Korea, Vietnam and
Afghanistan, Tibet and Algeria. Angola. The spectacular terrorist attack on the
World Trade Center in New York on 9/11 radically changed the nature of armed
conflict. This ushered in an era of asymmetric warfare by a series of suicide
bombers in which the enemy attacked not from abroad, but from within, not
from abroad, causing enormous damage to its own property. Such as the
destruction of aircraft and airports. Martin Luther king’s words “the
choice is either non-violence or non-existence” are far truer today than when
he spoke them. Relevancy of Gandhian Philosophy: Although he is considered a weak
naked man, his principles and ideas are respected around the world. Although
its principles were apparently based on an Indian context, its philosophy was
considered universal and timeless by the world. M.K. Gandhi deals not only with
political or economic issues but also with social issues of Indian society in
particular and the international community as a whole. The previous article
will conduct a detailed study of the relevance of Gandhian thought from
different angles, as follows: 1. Relevance of Religion: Since
the earliest times, human beings have practiced a kind of religion in their
daily lives. But Gandhi had a beautiful answer to this evil. He said, ‘All
religions cling to the fact that 'its God is truth'. If that is true of one
religion, so are the others. So Gandhi found common ground among all religions
and brought him "The truth" is God. “If this concept were accepted by
all, there would be no war/hate or wickedness against any religion. Why not
stick to this beautiful principle? Gandhi insisted that different beliefs are
like different paths leading to the same point.” However, there is no point,
distinguish the different residences of temples, mosques and churches. Although
there are many religions, there is only one religion. His religion unites
people of different faiths, bringing them to the same platform for the ultimate
truth that the mind and conflicts of human nature will be resolved amicably and
in moderation, not that one is superior to the other. Therefore, if Gandhi's
religious ideals are practiced, there will be no room for hate, hate, hate, war
and destruction. It is Gandhi's concept of religion that is of paramount value
for all future ages. 2. Relevance of Politics: In
the Western conception, politics has always been seen as power politics and
morality or value has no place, but this concept is now all but abandoned. Now
even Western thinkers are starting to talk about moral values in politics, and
from the very beginning, since Gandhi, politics was everywhere, so his Indian
War of Independence had to be fought with the twin weapons of truth and non-
violence, and eventually became a war movement, which he called Satyagra. For
him, politics opened the door to “service”, not to the use or acquisition of
power; for Gandhi, politics was a moral matter of value. Gandhi represented
people's politics, not party politics. His political ideas are for higher
values. He said, "By liberating India, I am trying to liberate the
so-called marginalized people from the trampled wheels of Western exploitation.
Now, as the politics of exploitation has been liquidated and democratic Party
politics replaced by people's power, the politics of service has become
visible. 3. Relevance of Democracy: However,
Gandhi was highly critical of parliamentary democracy, and in his magnum opus
Hind Swaraj (Self-Government or Home Rule) he called the British Parliament
"a barren woman and a whore", although to him "A good government
does not replace itself". Gandhi contradicted himself on parliamentary
democracy, but while immersing himself in democratic ideals, he said,
"Democracy, discipline and enlightenment are the best things in the
world." At the same time, he warned against a genuine copying of the Western
model of democracy, where democracy is only in name. However, he had the
highest opinion of democracy, which he called "a great institution"
and, again, conscious people, saying, "It is often badly abused."
Even today, all over the world, democracy is still widely accepted as the
principle of the system of government, and there is no alternative to
democracy. 4. Social Philosophy: Mahatma
Gandhi's social philosophy is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Gandhi
never believed in the doctrine of caste struggle, class struggle and racial
struggle. Now, the Sarvodaya concept of social change is multidimensional and a
safety valve, which is an accepted fact against the abuse of state power.
Intellectually, it guarantees democracy better than anything else. However, he
was not yet mature enough to bring about the social change that Gandhi had
envisioned. Therefore, the message of the World Peace Force (Vishwa Shanti
Seva) aims to bring about the desired social change across the world based on
Gandhi's principles. When a peaceful and non-violent social order can be
visualized, earnest effort will in time bring the desired results. The road is
hard, the goal is worth it, life and death are shared, and there is no other
choice. 5. Economic Relevance: Gandhi
urged that technology should design to serve the human person instead of making
him the servant of machines: a) Employment: Rural
industries in India, mostly located in rural areas, provide employment to
over 30 million families of spinners, weavers, embroiderers, leather, marble
and metal workers, carpenters, bone and stone workers stone, rug and carpet
manufacturers. Gandhi is known to be against industrialism and big machines,
not against the machines themselves. b) Concept of Trusteeship: Gandhi
rewrote John Ruskin’s book ‘Unto This Last’ in Gujarati with the
title "Sarvodaya". Society must function as an organic whole, not
divided into economic classes or social hierarchies. Gandhi's concept of the
fiduciary, that "those who now have money are asked to act as fiduciaries
holding property on behalf of the poor" attempted to link ethics and
economics. Their surplus wealth is used to provide education and sanitation to
the public. The Sarvodai Plan was outlined by Gandhi and India’s first post-independence
president, It is adapted by Dr. Rajendra Prasad and features: One. Farmers and
workers will become the center of national stakeholders. There will be no
exploitation of farmers and workers. For this, farmers and workers must
organize themselves. c) Relevance of Education: Gandhi believed that the purpose of education was the
formation and development of a holistic personality. Gandhi's philosophy of
primary education attracted a lot of attention. Gandhi's primary educational
vision was to develop confident and good citizens. If India wants to regain its
glory, Gandhi's value-centered philosophy of education must be emphasized
again. Teaching a foreign language goes against the rule that students must
travel abroad based on their mother tongue. Foreign languages are not suitable
for raising children and copying original works and ideas. It aims at the
holistic development of the human personality. For Gandhi, a satisfactory
education system required genuine development of mind, heart, and soul. Gandhi wanted
ideal citizens: small independent communities, hardworking, proud, tolerant
people living in small cooperative communities. Education through Russian
foreign language media has disrupted the harmony that should have existed in
Russia. 6. Gandhian Idea of World Government and World Pease: Nation states have experienced massive amounts of war and
destruction, so if the idea of one world government comes to fruition. Indeed,
whether he relinquishes some of his national sovereignty or uses force to settle
international disputes, he will not sacrifice too much to achieve world peace.
"Through Swaraj (Self-Government), we will serve the whole world."
Hindu nationalism is not aggressive or destructive. Moreover, he
said, “The better mind of the world desires today not absolutely
independent states warning one against another but a federation of friendly
interdependent states.” Further he said, “The only condition on which the world
can live is being united under one central governing body composed of representatives
of the component parts.” At the same time as the United Nations conference
was founded in San Francisco, Gandhi declared: “The retention of an
International Police Force is by no means an emblem of peace.” 7. National defense and international security
strategists: Gandhi's approach to defense
and international security was based on the premise that to achieve security
and peace, one must follow the path of truth, justice, nonviolent formation and
mutually acceptable agreement, and not collect arms and invading and
occupying countries and waging war. This approach is embodied in UNESCO’s motto
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the
defenses of peace must be constructed”. Now victory instead of
strength, courage instead of fear, fortitude instead of superior weapons. 8. Gandhi's approach to defense and international
security was based on the premise that to achieve security and peace, one must
follow the path of truth, justice, nonviolent formation and mutually acceptable
agreement, and not collect arms and invade and occupy countries. I leave it.
wage war. . This approach is reflected in UNESCO's motto. Now victory instead
of strength, courage instead of fear, fortitude instead of superior weapons. Relevance of Gandhian Thought: Gandhiism begins with the famous
phrase "Simple life and noble thoughts." Gandhi was a world-renowned
political leader, but he was also a renowned theorist and philosopher who
practiced truth, nonviolence, tolerance, and freedom. A man of deep heart, with
an iron will and strong determination, he shook England to its core with a
simple and humble life. He is seen as a weakling naked man, but his principles
and ideas are admired worldwide. Although his principles were clearly based in
an Indian context, the world saw his philosophy as universal and timeless. 1. Non-Violence (Ahimsa): Instead
of resorting to violence, he taught the world that everything could be achieved
with the weapons of non-violence, tolerance and courage. In a world that has
suffered wars and brutal massacres of innocent lives under the threat of
violence and terrorism, Gandhi's fundamental insistence on the ideal of
non-violence is more relevant than ever. This is also the need of the current
situation, because terrorism is the main threat all over the world, we must
vote the concept of non-violence (ahimsa) and non-violent resistance has a long
history in Indian religious thought, in Christianity, Buddhism Numerous
revivals in Hindu, Muslim and Jain contexts. In India, most conflicts and
extremist revolutions have been selected and some are resolved through
non-violent and peaceful means. According to Gandhi, non-violence does not mean
submissive obedience to the will of the aggressor. 2. Gandhian Concept of Swaraj: When Mahatma Gandhi and other Indians talked about
self-reliance, they were talking about self-reliance. Autonomy means freedom
from outside influence and foreign control. From now on, the country is
independent of any external control. But can we really say that the people are
independent? In the moment, control yourself.Our actions are governed by the
opinions and judgments of others. What we need today is to be free from all
external control. It is vital that we practice self-discipline and self-control
to free ourselves from worldly temptations. In today's competitive and
fast-paced world, we have to control our inner consciousness.
Empowerment is a need of the moment. Everyone must find their own identity and
cannot seek to fit into the mold created by society. 3. Satyagraha: Satyagraha
is made up of the Sanskrit words satya meaning truth and agraha meaning
standing firm. A key concept in Gandhi's philosophy was Satyagraha. The central
and defining element of Gandhiism is Satya, which means truth in Sanskrit. It also
refers to a virtue in Indian religions that indicates the sincerity of a
person's thoughts, words and actions. Satya is also known as truth. This in
itself is a set of nonviolent philosophies. Satigra campaigns should only be
undertaken after all other peaceful means have proven ineffective. The
Satyagraha campaign only begins after all other means in the world have proven
ineffective. Gandhi said, “Truth is far more powerful than any weapon of mass
destruction. Civil disobedience was the most powerful weapon in Gandhi's eyes,
and he suggested several important methods. Satyagraha means clinging to the
truth. Gandhi successfully designed and developed the satyagraha as a political
weapon against British rule in India. Satyagraha means "the use of the purest
spiritual powers against all injustice, oppression and exploitation".
Satyagraha is a conflict resolution method. 4. Relevance of Gandhian thought in Politics: Since Gandhi was not a dreamer but a doer, his political
thought provided a living philosophy capable of solving many problems that
exist in the world today. In the post-war era, he found the panacea to these
problems and was one of the main thinkers of the idea of world government. He
believed that the only way to solve problems such as world wars was to achieve
a sense of unity as a whole person. He even called for a federated world state
based on social and economic justice and the self-determination of peoples.
This concept of the unity of peoples and world government is more important than
ever in modern times, when nations compete ruthlessly, even willing to
sacrifice the lives of civilians. In a world where rulers relied more on brute
force and governments violated law and brotherhood, Gandhi was an exception. He
is followed by millions, not because of his wealth or his power, but because he
appeals to our conscience, making people realize that when the spiritual forces
seem to be at work, it is the values of the material world that fall. His idea
was to create a new social order modeled on the nonviolence and unknown truths
of today's modern democratic, communist or socialist countries. He rejected the
idea of a state, claiming it was a threat to individual liberty and organized
forms of violence. It’s ideal state is a non-violent democracy in which public
life is self-regulating. Proper democracy is the degree to which people are
imbued with ideas of non-violence and truth. According to him, in an ideal
democracy, power should be decentralized and all aspects of life should be
equal. He believed that most state functions should be transferred to these
voluntary organizations, with the exception of maintaining the Commonwealth,
which required a government. According to him, true democracy exists where
people's activities are subject to minimal interference from the state. Conclusion: Overall, Gandhi's political thought
exhibits remarkable consistency and continuity. It discusses the human divinity
that enables religion to actively interact with the world. He works hard for
the benefit of society. He defined politics as the best way to regulate the
life of a nation and determined that political power should be distributed
fairly. He found that different types of nonviolent resistance and nonviolence
were the best ways to achieve his goals. He formulated famous political
theories with the ultimate goal of general welfare. He argues that states in
centralized forms of power structures are more coercive than individuals.
Therefore, he proposed to decentralize political power in the form of a democratic
government. After years of martyrdom, Gandhi now has more influence in the
world than ever before. It is now questions of putting into practice its
actions and ideas, making their relevance in all areas indisputable and
undeniable. Now we have to figure out how to use our limitations to do
something to overcome Gandhi's seven social sins: unprincipled politics. Wealth
without work. Reference: 1. Bapi Das, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Biswajit Biswas,
Relevance of Gandhian Educational Thought and Philosophy in Present Social
Context, International Journal of Novel Research in Humanity and Social
Sciences Vol. 8, Issue 1, ISSN 2394-9694, January - February 2021. 2. Eknath Easwaran, Gandhi, the man: The story of his
transformation. Nilgiri Press, 1997. 3. Gummadi Veerraju, Gandhian Philosophy: Its Relevance Today,
Decent Books, New Delhi, 2009. 4. Karan Singh, The Essence of Gandhian Philosophy, Gyan Book
Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, 2014. 5. Mahatma Gandhi - His Life and Times, Louis Fischer, Bhartiya
Vidya Bhavan, 2003. 6. Monika Spolia, Gandhian Approach to Peace, Concept
Publishing Company, New Delhi, 2013. 7. M. Maharajan, Fundamentals of Gandhian Thought, Discovery
Publishing House Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, 2014. 8. N. Hanumanthappa, Relevance of Gandhian Philosophy in
Contemporary World, International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts
(IJCRT), Volume 6, Issue, ISSN: 2320-2882, 2 April 2018. 9. Ram Binod Singh, Gandhian Approach To Development Planning,
Concept Publishing, New Delhi, 2006. 10. Sawanand
S. Pathak, Gandhian Thoughts, CBS publishers, New Delhi, 2005. 11. Shalini
Acharya, Relevance of Gandhian Principles In The Digital Era, Scientific
Quarterly “Organization and Management, Vol. 4, No. 44, ISSN, 1899-6116, 2018. 12. Sheela
Asopa, Relevance of Gandhian Philosophy in present Scenario, International
Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), ISSN: 2319-7064, Volume 8 Issue
7, July 2019. 13. Tintu
George, Relevance of Gandhian Thoughts In The Present Politics, Journal of
Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), Volume 7, Issue 11,
ISSN-2349-5162, November 2020. 14. The
Hindu- Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi December 7, 2010. 15. V.P.
Varma, The Political Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sarovdaya, Bharti
Bhawan, Patna, 1994.
16. Vikramjit
Singh, Relevance of Gandhian Philosophy In Present Society,
International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR), Volume 5,
Issue 2, E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138, May 2018. |