JUNE 30, 2019 • THE WEEK 47too. In Kerala there is an Institute of Nonviolence.
But Gopal Gandhi has surely got it right when in
the introduction to his biography of his grandfather
he said, “Repetition has made one of the world’s
most compelling, transformational and passionate
persons the one thing he never was, boring. It has
made the most original person clichéd.” One of Gopal
Gandhi’s aims in getting Gandhi to tell his own story
through selected passages from his works has been
“to redeem the living Gandhi from the plaster-cast
image of the Mahatma”. Gopal Gandhi has included
Gandhi’s own vivid description of the time he lost his
temper with Kasturba and almost threw her out of the
house. It shows that Gandhi was no plaster-cast saint.
What is there that the living Gandhi has to teach
India today? He certainly has something to say about
the relationship between religion and politics, as a
deeply religious man himself. He once wrote: “It is
faith that steers us through stormy seas, that moves
mountains, faith that jumps across
the oceans. Th at faith is nothing
but a living wide-awake conscious-
ness of God within.” But Gandhi’s
view of the relationship between
religion and politics did not co-
incide with either of the two con-
fl icting views which have led to the
sterile battle between secularism
and hindutva that has dominated
Indian politics for so long.
Unlike the secularists, Gandhi
did not believe in the separa-
tion of religion and politics. He
could hardly have done so being
religious and also deeply involved
in politics. It’s not surprising
that he believed, “Th ose who say
that religion has nothing to do
with politics do not know what religion means.” He
believed religion should “pervade” politics. But this
religion would lead to “an ordered moral government
of the universe.” It was a religion which, as he put
it, “transcends Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc. It
does not supersede them. It harmonises them and
gives them reality.”
Hindutva does not conform to Gandhi’s political
philosophy or his religious faith either. Th e gener-
al election has demonstrated that it has become
the dominant ideology of Indian politics. Were he
to have lived as an Indian now Gandhi would not
have approved of the divisive Hinduism of the Modicampaign in the general election. He would have
regarded the abusive language of both sides as a
breach of ahimsa or nonviolence. M.S. Golwalkar,
the second person to head the RSS and one of the
most infl uential hindutva ideologues, stressed
his belief in the unifying power of Hinduism,
in contrast to the secularist belief that religion
was dangerously divisive if it was involved in
politics. Golwalker maintained it was “the grand
world-unifying thought of Hindus alone that can
supply the abiding basis for human brotherhood.”
Th is knowledge, he said, is “in the custody of
Hindus alone”.
Gandhi believed that all the major religions
had made unique contributions and were unique
visions of God. He was a great admirer of the
teachings of Jesus with his emphasis on a loving
God and his understanding of suff ering. He ad-
mired Islam’s stress on monotheism and equality.
When one of his companions,
Madeleine Slade, the daughter of a
British admiral, wanted to convert
from Christianity to Hinduism he
discouraged her, suggesting she
remain in the faith she was born
into, and borrow what she liked
from Hinduism. Gandhi rejoiced
in being born as a Hindu. As an
Indian he also rejoiced in the fact
that almost all the world’s great
religions were deeply embedded
in his country so he had a unique
opportunity to borrow from them.
Gandhi certainly has something
to say today about protesting
against injustice, or perceived
injustice. Because he abhorred
violence and committed himself to
ahimsa, or nonviolence, he pioneered satyagraha
in South Africa as a means of protesting against
injustice without resorting to violence. Gandhi’s
belief in ahimsa sprang from his Hindu faith. He
said, “the most distinctive and largest contribution
of Hinduism to India’s culture is the doctrine of
ahimsa.” His fi rst satyagraha in India took place
in Champaran in Bihar. It was a peasants’ protest
against being eff ectively forced to grow indigo for
British planters. Th e satyagraha forced a reluctant
government to set up a committee to examine the
farmers’ complaints. Th e committee’s recommen-
dations were then incorporated in a law.Unlike the
secularists, Gandhi
did not believe in
the separation of
religion and politics.
He believed religion
should “pervade”
politics.IMAGE COURTESY:
THE RAZA FOUNDATION