Assistant Professor

Department of English

Maharaja Ganga Singh University,

 Bikaner, Rajasthan, India 

The year 2020-21 has been marked by the Pandemic Covid 19, which has impacted every sphere of life whether mental, economic, social etc and the whole world is waiting for new normal. This pandemic has made us think about the problems created by humans on this earth-What have we done with our earth and resources? Where will this incessant industrialization lead us? Are we taking care of our health? Whether our immune system is strong enough to fight diseases? How the growing population will burden the earth? Whether economic development is taking and involving villages? How our development model is fundamentally wrong? and many more? The finite health and monetary resources need to be allocated judiciously to strike a balance. Sanitation, Cleanliness, security, infrastructural development, progress, healthcare facilities etc – all demand utilization of indigenous wisdom and foresightedness to find solutions for the issues raised. Taking an insight into Gandhian philosophy can provide us with some solutions. It is the need of the hour that Indian citizens imbibe Gandhian virtues and bring about a change in attitude so that, along with apt government support and changing technology, this double burden of diseases can be tackled to attain the goal of ‘Health for all ( Gupta,40 ). The need of the hour is a new paradigm for solving conflicts.  

Keywords: Humanity, Pandemic, Trusteeship, Peace, Non-violence.

Gandhi was a visionary who very well assessed the dynamics of humanity, and whose life is a ‘message for humanity. His teachings were very simple, unique are relevant to our state of affairs. He was greatly influenced by Western figures such as Jesus, Tolstoy, Thoreau and Ruskin. The lessons and legacy of Gandhi have been admirably taken over by Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi. Gandhi left many valuable sayings for the modern man to fight for goodness in society in a non-violent way. Modern man can also take great wisdom from what Gandhi said about the seven social sins: Politics without principles; Wealth without work; Commerce without morality; Education without character; Pleasure without conscience; Science without humanity; Worship without sacrifice. His philosophy can help to find solutions for the growing problems of the world:

Atmanirbharta

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us several valuable lessons, foremost among them is to reduce dependency on others by becoming- atmanirbharta. The government is also speaking for the concept of being vocal for locals. Gandhi long back knew well that the development of a few cities cannot solve our economic problems. So, he concentrated on the economic development of the villages. Gandhi suggested decentralized small industries and production by the masses -believing that only small-scale economic activities—kutirudyog—could solve the problem of local unemployment. Gandhi preferred an agro-based economy and consumption of locally grown products. Today, when the employment and migration of villagers have become a problem for the nation and once again it has been realized that local employment and economic growth are alternatives for development. The promotion of vocational skills and converting them into self-employment means is the sustainable means of driving people from the grasp of poverty and unemployment. The spirit of ‘swadeshi’ should be re-ignited. With the help of microfinance, more clusters of indigenous items should be promoted as small and cottage industries.

Gandhiji valued and encouraged the empowerment of the weakest. His idea of ‘village republics’ grows from this belief in cultivating self-sufficient villages through democratic decentralization. His writings were published in different books like Rebuilding our Villages, Village Swaraj, etc., where various aspects of village life ranging from sanitation, health, and diet to village industries and transport, decentralization etc are covered.( Gupta,41 ) Mahatma Gandhi's concept of rural development revolves around creating model villages for transforming 'swaraj’ into 'su-raj.’ He advocated for employment opportunities in villages and laid stress on factories to imbibe the ‘trusteeship’ concept by ensuring proper social security for employees.

Idea of Trusteeship

The Gandhian idea of trusteeship holds relevance in the present times. He said“My idea of society is that while we are born equal, meaning thereby that we all have a right to equal opportunity, all have not the same capacity. It is like things are impossible. For instance, all cannot have the same height, colour or degree of intelligence. Therefore, like things, some will have the ability to earn more and others less. Normally, people with talents will have more. Such people should be viewed to exist as trustees and in no other terms”.(Rao,415)

The rich must fulfil their corporate social responsibilities. In the present pandemic of Covid-19 when people and the government were facing a financial crisis and in need of financial aid, many people including celebrities, business tycoons, political leaders and ministers, Bollywood superstars, cricketers, defence personnel, employees and so on have donated their valuable wealth to fight the coronavirus pandemic and corporate bodies involved themselves in discharging social responsibilities and came forward for financial aids.

Cleanliness and Sanitation

Gandhiji once said, ‘Sanitation is more important than independence. He knew well that -A swachh India will automatically lead to a healthy India and left no stone unturned for awakening the consciousness of the people of India towards cleanliness and wrote about its relevance in newspapers and bulletins like the Harijan, the Indian Opinion, and the Amrit Bazaar Patrika. Mass media and mass gatherings were extensively used to raise awareness. 

Health for All

Gandhiji's teaching insists on knowing one's self, including body to lead a healthy life. The balance of five elements, which ancient philosophers have described as Earth, Water, Light, Air, and Vacancy or Ether is a prerequisite for a healthy life. Nature can heal and the body has the power in regaining its composure. Breathing exercises, hydrotherapy, sunbaths and mud poultices, and asanas are all Gandhiji's advice on improving health. His books show his concept of Key to Health which later was given by WHO in a more specified way- which states “health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity. It has been further amplified to include the ability to lead a socially and economically productive life.” But the growing pollution and its impact will be a major health and economic crisis for India in the coming years.

Sustainable Development

Gandhi considered the earth a living organism where the laws of humans and animals are separate and advised everyone not to interfere in the law of nature. He views the entire universe as a single, interconnected, interrelated, and interpenetrated system. He believed that the universe was structured and informed by the cosmic spirit, that all men, all life and indeed all creation were one. He laid a lot of emphasis on preserving our ecosystems, on using everything organic and eco-friendly and reducing our consumption to not create any stress on the environment. For this, he even reduced his consumption demands and made his life as simple as he could. Gandhi was clear in his ideas about man and nature and her understood the symbiotic relationship between all living and non-living creatures. His idea that “nature has enough to satisfy everyone’s needs, but not to satisfy anybody’s greed” became a one-line ethic to modern environmentalism. His need-based approach has given long back the key mantra of sustainable development.

Peaceful coexistence, economic independence, and universal brotherhood, all these principles were presented by him long back. His lesson of peer parai (understanding others’ pain) can help to fight multiple problems of society. Simple living and high thinking were the adage he lived by undertaking rigorous fasts largely depending on fruits and nuts, he exemplified the way of harmony with nature. 

Non-Violence and Peace

The real challenges of the 21st century such as the problem of armed clashes, globalizing terrorism, or the moral crisis of humanity. The world is divided increasingly day by day by global unrest, fear, anger, hatred, discontent, despair, immorality etc., and the number and intensity of ethnic and religious conflicts seem to grow, gaining higher and higher intensity all around the world. The 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001, 26/11, the attack by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists on the city of Mumbai, the Boston Marathon bombing, the present conflict between Israel and philistine etc dramatically changed society. The events have caused unconscionable death, immense suffering, and damage to vital infrastructure. Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes to shelter in schools, mosques, and other places with limited access to water, food, hygiene or health services. The violence made us think how Gandhi pictured to himself how an ideal society, based on love, truth and nonviolence must look and function, and he tried to realize it as much as possible. His attempts and results in making this operable have had echoes and followers all around the world.

Respect for religion

In the religious context, Gandhi emphasized that communal unity must be based on equal respect for all religions. Everyone, Gandhi said, must have the same regard for other faiths as he had for his own. Such respect would not only remove religious rifts but lead to a realization of the fact that religion was a stabilizing force, not a disturbing element. Gandhi's basic axiom was that religion since the scriptures of all religions points only in one direction of goodwill, openness and understanding between men and men and between community and community. Gandhiji regarded education as the light of life and the very source from which was created an awareness of oneness. He believed “Devotion to this Truth is the sole reason for our existence. All our activities should be centred on Truth. Truth should be the very breath of our life. When once this stage in the pilgrim’s progress is reached, all other rules of correct living will come without effort, and obedience to them will be instinctive. But without Truth, it would be impossible to observe any principles or rules in life.”( 39 )

Gandhi on Education

In 1937, Mahatma Gandhi seeded an important idea to revamp the education system, at a conference in Wardha, Maharashtra through Nai Talim. The notable changes in school education under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 resonate with Gandhi’s ideas of education, Nai Talim. It aims at imparting 21st-century skills to children in which creativity, scientific temper, multilingualism, and social responsibility among others are important so that children evolve as “engaged, productive and contributing citizens for building equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution”.(the quilt) The dignity of labour and skill-based learning were the hallmarks of the Gandhian approach which allows one to move towards the field of his/her interest and move beyond textbooks. Nai Talim approach emphasised the importance of education through any productive work i.e learning by doing. The new Education Policy focuses on “How to Learn”. The Nai Talim approach advocated for the participation of the local community and visualised communities as the primary owner of schools. However, as time passes these societal values underwent a change and schools became the responsibility of the government and private institutions also crop up intending to make money in the field. 

 The NEP 2020 talks of developing mechanisms to incentivize residents to join the education system and contribute to the nation-building exercise through education. Gandhi’s  NaiTalim advocated for imparting education in the mother tongue believing that familiarity with the language being used at home and school would help the child to see the school as a natural extension of the home, which is adopted by NEP in the form of multilingual formula-(three languages).

The Balance between Technology and Science

The next generation needs to be savvy with modern science and technology to keep pace with modern-day development on one hand and on the other they need to acquire those social values for which Gandhiji fought throughout his life. The youth of the nation need to inculcate the values they should have for respect and regard for the elderly and truth, and retain the values of existing social institutions as institutions are the scaffolding of any culture. They should not get into the traps of caste or creed, nor allow anyone to exploit such issues for petty gains. 

Today, when there has been deep erosion of moral values and when ethical principles have virtually disappeared from politics and every sphere, Gandhian values appear to be an effective alternative. In his time Gandhi provided not only political but also moral leadership to the country, the leadership and ideas which is missing in today’s World. His ideas and thoughts are a guiding light for the future generations upon which one can walk upon. Barack Obama, the then US President, sees Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration and has a portrait of the apostle of peace in his office. He commented, "In my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things." Martin Luther King Jr: “Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony.”

References:

1. Gupta ED, Kant R. Gandhian Virtues and Their Relevance to Health. Indian J Med Res 2019;149, Suppl S1:39-47

2. Bhuimali, A. “Relevance of M.K. Gandhi’s Ideal of Self-Sufficient Village 

Economy in the 21st Century”. Articles on Gandhi. Sarvodaya. Vol1(5). 2014

3. RAO, V. VENKATA. “THE MAHATMA AND THE CONCEPT OF EQUALITY.” The Indian Journal of Political Science, vol. 47, no. 3, 1986, pp. 413–420. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41855255. Accessed 24 May 2021.

4. The relevance of Gandhi

https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2020/08/09/the-relevance-of-gandhi

5. Gandhi’s Vision Then, Our Aspiration Today - Greenpeace India

https://www.greenpeace.org/india/en/story/10417/gandhis-vision-then-our-aspiration-today/

6. The resemblance of Gandhi’s ‘Nai Talim’ in NEP 2020 is Unmissable

https://www.thequint.com/news/education/resemblance-of-mahatama-gandhis-nai-talim-in-nep-2020

7. Gandhi more relevant than ever, even in India | SabrangIndia

https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/gandhi-more-relevant-ever-even-india