Gandhi, the Son of Satyagraha and Ahimsa

Ishara Jayawardane

Gandhi is legend. An incredibly compelling historical figure. With the power of his mind he influenced history and became one of the few historical figures to do so in a non violent way- Ahimsa.

This giant of peace may be said to have carried an age of history on his shoulders in a way that Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.did. All three of them fought discrimination, persecution and oppression through non violence. Indeed the well known American politician and Democratic senator of New York, Robert (Bobby) Kennedy said: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation” (Robert F. Kennedy, Day of Affirmation address delivered at the University of Capetown, South Africa, June 6, 1966)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) was that man. A leader and a pre eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. Though he was frail in body, his body concealed a mind of rare genius.

“Gandhi is also comparable with Lenin but in a different way. That is to say spiritual rather than physical or intellectual. Neither of these men was capable of the slightest deviation from their ideals. Lenin and Gandhi were uncompromisingly outspoken and supremely indifferent to the effect it created. Truth was all that counted. In South Africa he fought racial discrimination. His detractors came to recognize his inner strength. He forgave those who assaulted him physically.

He said he would rest upon the bedrock of truth for untruth means non existence. Non violence is another concept which he fostered in his philosophy. It is not only a concept of his philosophical thinking but also a strategy to reach ones noble objective of life. He connected non violence with truth and says that without non violence it is not possible to seek and find truth. Non violence and truth are so entwined that it is not possible to disentangle and separate them. They are like two sides of a coin,” said Vice Chancellor of Kelaniya University, Professor Sarath Amunugama in his address at the Indian Cultural Centre at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Oration.

Indeed it is the fate of some great men not to see their dreams become a reality. Mahatma Gandhi was a father, teacher and a leader. He was born into a world of division and strife, a world he tried to unite and heal. Though he is gone, his teachings remain with us. Mahatma Gandhi did more for humanity than any other historical figure.

It is the single most regret of all lovers of Democracy that he had to die in the fashion that he did with so much he had yet to do. When we feel afraid his teachings give us courage. Gandhi lived during a time when Blacks and Asians were discriminated against by the Whites . However,Gandhi had hope and fought against this type of oppression. Indeed he lived during a time when Blacks were not even allowed to sit in the same restaurant as the white man. Gandhi fought segregation and was against even the caste system in India.For it was against this and the British Raj that Gandhi created a current to destroy the barriers to peace and equality.

“Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others...

he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance” -Robert F. Kennedy (1925 - 1968)

Professor Amunugama stated that Mahatma Gandhi can be considered as the major political and spiritual leader of India in its struggle for independence. Gandhi employed non-cooperation, non-violence and peaceful resistance as his ‘weapons’ in the struggle against the British Raj.