51吃瓜

Can returning to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi bring about a revival of dignity?

Earnestness, it is aptly said, is the font of authority or authenticity, where 鈥渁uto鈥� means 鈥渟elf鈥濃�攜our original instrument and听鈥渆ntea鈥濃�攐r tool connotes communication. This explains why our credibility as a speaker or leader in any field of activity, for example, is directly correlated to the extent to which the audience perceives our genuineness. In other words, our greatest effectiveness comes from being oneself, because who you听are听communicates more than what you听say.

A classical paradigm would bring home this 鈥渃anon鈥� best. A journalist once asked Mahadev Desai, Mahatma Gandhi鈥檚 personal secretary, to be 鈥渓et in鈥� on the 鈥渟ecret chemistry鈥� of the Mahatma鈥檚 ability to hold audiences in rapt鈥攊f not hypnotic鈥攅nchantment for hours without a script or notes. Desai responded: 鈥淲hat Gandhi thinks, what he feels, what he says, and what he does, are all the same. He does not need notes.鈥�

This is precisely the power of inner alignment.

Yet it all emerges as a paradox in the times we now live in鈥攁 case of unambiguous听谤补颈蝉辞苍听诲鈥櫭猼谤别. Gandhi has virtually become a non-entity, albeit his face鈥攖hanks to official iconography鈥攔emains familiar. What鈥檚 more, while the man and his monumental deeds have since long faded into near-oblivion, his once-hallowed sagacity sounds superfluous and droll.

Besides, the most honored man in history, to cull Albert Einstein鈥檚 famous aphorism鈥斺�淕enerations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth鈥濃�攈as proved prophetic. Gandhi is a forgotten man. Well, almost. He is, at the moment, confined to school textbooks or one鈥檚 wallet, not our hearts.

Conversely, there鈥檚 a cog鈥攖he visage for those who care for values. For them, Gandhi remains a colossal figure鈥攍arger and taller than Mount Everest, notwithstanding the fact that most of their own progeny has lost sight of his greatness. A phizog that is symptomatic of what ails India, or the world, today鈥攁nd our inability to recognize true character and leadership.

Gandhi was an inspirational leader. To use a clich茅, he was a great human being. What guided his conduct was a virtual obsession with reputation. He always thought that failure in a worthy enterprise could be forgiven, but dishonor was inexpugnably a blot, a shame. He often said: 鈥淲e must be the change we wish to see in the world.鈥� He also firmly believed that moral and effective leadership comes from trust. He observed that immoral leaders always fail not because of themselves, but because their followers feel disrespected.

It is high time we all found a tad of Gandhi in ourselves鈥攁 Gandhi that aims to inspire and respect…

The imperative today, therefore, is not familiarity with our political 鈥渓eaders,鈥� with their quanta of rip-offs, accusations, duplicity and impropriety in high places, but a revival of dignity and veneration. How do we achieve that 鈥渂alance?鈥� Simple. Difficult. Through Gandhi. He鈥檚 our only听aide memoire听at a time of monumental change鈥攚hen we have managed to perplex ourselves with the most elementary matters.

All things considered, Gandhi was the putative head of the family鈥攖he national family. He took enormous interest in every person he came across in daily life. Today, the problem is not so much with Gandhi, or Gandhian thought.

The folly is directly connected with the basic concept of kinfolk, and the role customarily attributed to fathers within the household unit: the family. There emerges a negation, more so because modern thinkers regard the family as a prop for patriarchy, a metaphor for oppression, and denial of freedom. This, indeed, is the fundamental reason for the palpable barrier that now exists between our听understanding听of Gandhian ideals and the Mahatma himself鈥攖he greatest breach between听him and us.

This isn鈥檛 all. Gandhi often pointed out that there鈥檚 more to life than increasing its speed. Yet the incongruity is most of us with uptight goals and ambitions rush forward in a tizzy, fueling our momentum with self-imposed stress. This stress is a recurring cycle of rapidity; it is hard to break. It would do us all a world of good, if only we imbibed the import of Gandhi鈥檚 timeless assertion, in the difficult times we now live in and, in so doing, curtailed our stressful fixations.

It is high time we all found a tad of Gandhi in ourselves鈥攁 Gandhi that aims to inspire and respect and, in so doing, 鈥渞estore鈥� him to his hallowed place in us.

A tall order, agreed. Maybe, a goal beyond reach, if one takes into account our waning values, decrepit variance, societal and political erosion that has set in and encrusted itself into the roots of our life and beyond鈥攜et it is worth trying. Because winning half the battle would be tantamount to turning things around for a better world.

The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.

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