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Gandhi Jayanti is coming again. A time for introspection. Reflection on the contradiction that the apostle of peace died a violent death; this remains an irresoluble anomaly, and invites an inevitable comparison between Gandhi and Jesus Christ who died on the cross. Other men of peace have died violent deaths over the expanse of history like Martin Luther King (Jr). And we shall never know the names of those who died for their convictions at the hands of the Romans or in the Inquisition or the Quit India movement. But, Gandhi Jayanti is also a time for ‘turning the searchlight inwards’ as Gandhi advised to find answers to personal and societal dilemmas. He drew on the need for self-examination or ‘pativekha’, recognized in  Buddhist philosophy as an exercise for  introspection, reflection, self-cleansing and renewal.

What will happen on Gandhi Jayanti is entirely predictable. Ceremonial visits to Rajghat by VVIPs wearing all-too-new khadi clothes, large contingents of TV cameramen descending on Rajghat to photograph and interview them, copious references to Gandhi’s moral stature and his role in wresting India’s freedom from the  British, some reflection on his teachings, while the people enjoy a public holiday. There will be learned articles in the daily newspapers about Gandhi.  For the 24X7 TV channels, the occasion is a breaking-news opportunity, and we can expect earnest panels of the talking heads to discuss Gandhi and his teachings. But it would be business as usual from the day after the Jayanti, with Gandhi being consigned to a distant memory till it is time again for this charade to be re-enacted next year. The tragedy of Gandhi is that he has been deified so successfully and placed on so high a pedestal that emulation and following his principles is just ruled out as too difficult

Are Gandhi’s ideals really so difficult to aspire for? Are we, by ignoring Gandhi, being cynical or realistic? These questions are worth investigating before Gandhi Jayanti..

What did Gandhi stand for? The short answer is that Gandhi stood for many things. But the most distinctive of his innovations was Satyagraha—moral urging towards truth—which formed the bedrock of his unique tool, ahimsa or non-violence, to defeat the British and seize India’s independence. For Gandhi, independence had a larger remit than freeing India from the yoke of foreign rule. Political independence was obviously important, but it embedded the larger concept of economic and social independence. The people had to be urgently freed from grinding poverty, superstition, gender and caste distinctions. And, most importantly, insulated from the virus of communalism that had been insidiously injected into the polity by the British in various subtle ways. Gandhi lived, however, to witness the savage communal rioting during the weeks preceding Independence, which was followed by the carnage as huge masses of people migrated across borders. Gandhi’s failure to prevent Partition haunted him during his twilight days, while its open wounds afflicted the entire sub-continent.

Gandhi struggled tirelessly in his lifetime to urge that political freedom without economic and social freedom was meaningless. True, this philosophy set difficult goals before a poor country, which needed to grapple with several competing priorities. But, can we honestly claim that, after more than six decades of political freedom, we are on the road to poverty alleviation? The relevant schemes for this purpose have only become conduits for channeling public funds into private pockets. Rajiv Gandhi’s statement that only 15 paise out of every rupee allocated for poverty alleviation reaches the beneficiaries is a damning indictment of the development process. In truth, much less than 15 paise reaches the beneficiaries in tribal areas, which has fuelled the revolt by Left Extremists and Naxalites. The fiasco that the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi is heading towards is a shameful reflection of ineptitude and venality, and highlights that its cause lies at the very top of the political system.

A reversal of direction is not impossible. Gandhi had wished to disband the Congress party after Independence, and convert it into a social service organization to serve the people. By becoming a political party instead, the Congress has distanced itself from the people, obsessed with the loaves and fishes of office. Tragically, the Congress party has also become undemocratic, relying on the charisma of a family to acquire power, rather than work among the people to gain their vote. Its example has been followed by other political parties; unfortunately, even the cadre-based parties have, in time, become dynastic parties.

 Can the political parties pledge even at this late stage to revive Gandhi’s precepts? Wipe the tears from the eyes of the poor, and serve those at the very end of the queue?  Pledging to achieve these goals would be the most appropriate way to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. No inspirational speeches; only some action, please.