महात्मा गाँधी : समसामयिक प्रासंगिकता
ISBN: 978-93-93166-17-3
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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
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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.

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