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October 4, 2003 - Lecture by Ela Gandhi

"The relevance of Gandhiji's Teaching for us today"

Lecture by Ela Gandhi

Some of the key Concepts - Message for future generations

For me some of the most important reasons for the relevance of Gandhiji are that we see all around us:
- Non violence in the midst of violence
- Restraint in the midst of consumerism
- Equality in the midst of rising inequalities
- Voluntary service in the midst of self-centeredness
- Conservation in the midst of destruction

The spirit of Gandhiji lives on. We have to persevere and build on it. I have come to the conclusion that it is the only way, the only sane way, and the only way in which we maybe able to preserve our fragile planet from total destruction.

For me there are four messages that are of utmost importance and they are:
- Satyagraha or soul force
- Sarvodaya or the good of all
- Swaraj or self rule/control
- Swadeshi or it is my country's product

Gandhiji's most important concepts

  • Satyagraha

    • At a meeting held on 11th September 1906 Gandhiji explained the implications of a draft ordinance, the Asiatic Ordinance which required all Asiatics to re register, carry passes and give their finger and palm imprints. Emotions were aroused when one prominent member stood up and said solemnly and with great determination that in the name of God he pledges that he will not submit to such an ordinance. Gandhiji was taken aback at such an impassioned speech. He immediately began to differentiate the struggle they were waging from other passive resistance. While it was common cause that Passive resistance was regarded as the weapon of the weak. What they were planning was by far a weapon of the bravest of the brave. The struggle itself had changed. Gandhiji says, "I did not quite understand the implications of "passive resistance" as I called it. I only knew that some new principle had come into being. As the struggle advanced, the phrase "passive resistance" gave rise to confusion and it appeared shameful to permit this great struggle to be known by an English name. …A small prize was therefore announced in Indian Opinion to be awarded to the reader who invented the best designation for our struggle."

    Many entries were received and the word "Sadagraha" which meant firmness in a good cause and was suggested by Maganlal Gandhi whose entry was the winning entry. However, Gandhiji was not quite satisfied with the term as he felt that truth and love had to be included in it, and so he changed the term to Satyagraha- the force of truth with love.

    He said, "The force of arms is powerless when matched against the force of the highest order. It is soul force or the power of the Godhead within us.

    What did practicing satyagraha mean for people?
    In explaining the consequences of making the pledge not to submit to the law Gandhiji said, " We may have to go to jail where we may be insulted. We may have to go hungry and suffer extreme heat or cold. We may be flogged by rude warders. We may be fined heavily and our property may be attached and held up for auction. Opulent today we may be reduced to abject poverty tomorrow. We may be deported. Suffering from starvation and similar hardships in jail some of us may fall ill and even die… wisdom lies in pledging ourselves on the undertaking that we shall have to suffer all that and worse."

    Later Gandhiji realised that to be able to endure such conditions one needed to be trained and he began training Satyagrahis at the Settlements-Phoenix and Tolstoy Farm. There are five principles of Satyagraha:
    1. It is the weapon of the brave and never that of the coward or the fearful.
    2. Never retaliate no matter how much suffering one has to endure.
    3. Always love the opponent but direct the hatred to the evil deed.
    4. Firmness of resolve without insult, injury, humiliation or defeat of the opponent, rather intent to win him over through love.
    5. Accept suffering as part of the Action as Satyagraha requires self suffering not infliction of suffering.

    These principles makes this movement not only a daring and brave physical confrontation but also a spiritual confrontation with evil. It is this spiritual element which distinguish Gandhiji's approach and therefore it also has greater acceptance from people of faith.

  • Sarvodaya

    • Gandhiji had seen that at that time the West was greatly influenced by the Utilitarian ideals of philosophers such as Bentham. They believed that all actions must be such as to benefit the majority of the people. The minority were just an appendage and maybe be appeased with crumbs. Gandhiji was totally opposed to this view and he developed a philosophy which looked at the good of all, not just the majority, but all.

    With that in mind therefore Gandhiji started the idea of a Sarvodaya movement which was actually started by Vinoba Bhave a strong follower of Gandhiji. From the Ashrams that Gandhiji established teams of volunteers were daily sent out into the villages to embark on programmes of education on cleanliness and hygiene and encouragement to spin and farm to become self sufficient. Also to get landlords to become more sensitive to the needs of tenants.

    He said, "The heart's earnest and pure desire is always fulfilled. Service of the poor has been my heart's desire, and it has always thrown me amongst the poor and enabled me to identify myself with them."

    His ideal was to get people to accept voluntary poverty. His nature was one of compassion and love.

    He said, "I hate privilege and monopoly. Whatever cannot be shared with the masses is taboo to me. I do not fight shy of capital, I fight capitalism. If we could erase the "I's" and "Mine's" from religion, politics, economics etc. we shall soon be free and bring heaven upon earth."

    The Sarvodaya movement started by Vinoba Bhave still continues. Ashrams have been established all over India in the rural areas where education, health care, shelter etc are provided.
    In South Africa, after Gandhiji's departure the Tolstoy farm was abandoned, while the Phoenix settlement continued to exist. Initially Indian Opinion and a small agricultural project were the main activities of the farm with political activism.

    Later the newspaper was discontinued and health services were offered by volunteer doctors, and students from the University.

    Work Camps were organized for various groups, children, teenagers, students and adults. These camps focused on discussions on the situation in the country, what alternatives existed. What aspirations people had for the future. What sacrifices were people prepared to make etc. As the scene of politics became more and more confrontational, Phoenix began to be a threat to the apartheid regime. In 1985 it was burnt down, ostensibly by racial violence between Indians and Africans, but in reality it was an orchestrated move to weaken the struggle. Many UDF activists were killed in the violence in that period.

  • Swaraj

    • Swaraj is the Hindi word for freedom. But for Gandhiji the concept meant more than the word freedom can express. He said, "It is swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves. The swaraj of my dream is the poor man's swaraj. Without a large, very large, army of self-sacrificing and determined workers, real progress of the masses, I hold to be an impossibility. And without that progress, there is no such thing as Swaraj. Progress towards swaraj will be in exact proportion to the increase in the number of workers who will dare to sacrifice their all for the cause of the poor."

    Gandhiji was opposed to the culture of rights. He said that one should not chase after rights because if everyone carried out their duties the rights will naturally follow. So for him the concept of freedom was based on the concept of responsibility and responsibility meant sacrifice, and self restraint. He did not approve of the culture of entitlement but instead encouraged everyone to labour for their bread.

    Gandhiji was of the view that the more people hanker after possessions and hording of articles, the more there would be strife among those who cannot afford to sustain themselves leave alone to horde.

    Gandhiji therefore encouraged village economy, local economy where everyone is given access to work and to a means to earn a living and is able to have basic necessities of life. He was opposed to forced distribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, but came up with a npovel idea of trusteeship where the rich would be trustees keeping their wealth in safe keeping for the poor. In other words the wealth is not theirs, but they would be entrusted to use it in the best interests of the poor. There would be no poor in Gandhiji's ideal society. There would be no one without work. No one would go hungry or lack shelter. But he saw modern civilization as a factor militating against his ideal society.

    Gandhiji said "The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants. The characteristic of ancient civilization is an imperative restriction upon and a strict regulating of these wants."

    For Gandhiji swaraj meant:
    - Self control
    - Equality
    - Self-sufficiency/economic independence
    - Self respect

  • Swadeshi

    • The term was coined in the 1908 period in India where the spinning wheel was already proving to be a valuable asset. Gandhiji was clear that village industries could start up in order to make villages sustainable but unless it received the backing of the rich it would collapse.

    He therefore came up with the idea of Swadeshi which encourages local products through a principled buying of that which is produced by hand and locally, even if it is not the best. The spirit of patriotism and dedication to upliftment of people would supersede the quest for quality, for cheaper products and for fashion. Although Gandhiji warned the producers not to become complacent and continue to produce inferior products but rather develop a pride in their production and produce the best and finest articles. So the basic idea of swadeshi is:
    1. Local economy
    2. national and communal spirit
    3. encouraging people to help each other
    4. Building on local resources and skills
    5. Replicating and perpetuating skills and production

    Describing this concept Vandana Shiva says, "Economic freedom according to Swadeshi is based on endogenously driven development rather than externally controlled development. Swadeshi for Gandhi was a positive concept based on building what a community has in terms of resources, skills, institutions and transforming them, where they were inadequate. Imposed resources institutions and structures leave a people unfree and are non sustainable. Swadeshi for Gandhi was central to the creation of peace, freedom and sustainable development. Swadeshi is based on people's economies and their ability to organize themselves. Swadeshi or self-organization in economic affairs is the basis of economic freedom, and without economic freedom, there can be no political freedom, or self-governance and self-rule."