Welham Girls' School

A conflict has been an essential part of every story, or so to say, it is the conflict around which the story is constructed. The plot is based on the conflict, the characters revolve around the conflict and the sole purpose of a story is to put an end to the conflict by finding a solution. 

As everyone has a unique story, it is only natural for us to face various conflicts in different stages of our lives. Usually, we find ourselves in dissension with external factors but at times our conflicts are even with soul, ideas, and beliefs. 

Due to the rapid radicalization of the world, we often find ourselves antagonizing other people’s weltanschauungs. In an era where black and white narratives rule our judgments and compel us to undermine other people’s beliefs, in my opinion, it is fundamental for us to find meaning in Sadhguru's words, “The conflict in the world is not between good and evil, though people always claim so, it is always one man's belief vs another man's belief”. the first step towards achieving this realization is to embrace our differences and cultivate a sense of respect for individuals. We must even come to terms with the fact that no matter how much we despise certain aspects of our society and wish to break free from them, to a large extent, our personalities are shaped by our background and society. This does not mean that we should develop prejudices and preconceived notions about people, instead try to understand the nature of the society that has nurtured them in the past. 

To achieve this, we must escape from the prevalent notion of idealism and accept the fact that every person comes with both, virtue, and vice. This does not imply that one should abandon one's sense of righteousness and perceive everything as grey and justify misdeeds instead one should view things from a more variegated point of view. No human is a Harishchandra. We all have both Ram and Ravana within us, in different proportions, in different situations. 

This essentially infers that we should not let certain aspects of a person’s life rule our opinion about that person. We should admire people but not forget that by the end of the day, they are also just people. It is completely fine to apotheosize personalities while being critical of their flaws, but we should not let their iniquities overshadow their virtues and contribution to society, till the time they are not being idealized for their wrongdoings. 

 

the debates around Mahatma Gandhi’s moral ambiguity bring us back to the same question, do certain actions have the potential to overshadow all our contributions to this world.

But to answer this, we must find out, who was Gandhi and what was his message to the world and are his teachings still relevant in contemporary times. 

 Gandhi? 

“A saint and consummate politician, foe of the West and possessing lack of bitterness against the ruling race, patriarch and upholder of human rights, practitioner of non-violence who hired Indians to serve in World War One.”

Gandhi has been revered across the globe and has also served as a source of inspiration to many great personalities, Nelson Mandela, and Ho Chi Minh to name a few. He is regarded as the father of our nation, India, and is often perceived to be the torchbearer of truth and nonviolence in contemporary times. 

But as the adage goes, “even the best cloth may have a moth in it”, several contemporary political analysts have proved to us the relevance of this statement by introducing the world to many unknown aberrant aspects of Gandhi’s personality. 

It is believed that Gandhi had performed dangerous experiments to test his willpower and ability to withstand sexual temptation. One of these included sleeping naked with his teenage grand-nieces, Manu and Abha. Many might not perceive this as an offense and even venture to justify his actions, but despite the absence of immoral intentions, it cannot be denied that this incident might have had a severe impact on the lives of his grandnieces and probably would have left them scarred for the rest of their lives.

There are even disputed claims about the aberrant and sometimes cruel behaviour that drove one of his sons on the verge of alcoholism and some of his staff to quit in disgust.

Even his autobiography provides us with a somewhat detailed account of his adolescent days which makes us want to question the entire idea of regarding him as a Mahatma. These activities range from lack of respect for his wife, unrestrained carnal desire, theft, and initial adherence to several vices of our culture. 

 

As I write this, I do not mean to justify his actions, whereas I simply intend on stating my opinion about him. I do not believe him to be a pervert or a debauch or even a saint, I consider him to be a shrewd politician and visionary with a noble intention and knowledge about the fact that society is made up of unapologetic hypocrites. If not anything else but self-criticism is something that he deserves to be credited for because it requires a great deal of courage to expose his vices to society especially when one is aware of the public scrutiny he is subjected to. If not anything I would like to credit him for his ability to learn from his past, improvise, and most importantly, to experiment with his surroundings. 

 

As we discuss his attributes, it would be unnatural for us to ignore his contributions in the sphere of modern politics. His spinning wheel popularized the concept of an “Atma nirbhar Bharat”, which is now the preamble of our current economic approach. In the era where Indians suffered (and continues to) from a massive inferiority complex from the west, his austere lifestyle and recognition of our indigenous communities inculcated a sense of respect and recognition of our villages and tribes. As he worked towards the attainment of religious harmony and the emancipation of the Dalits , he is a symbol of interfaith understanding, religious tolerance and class equality.

 

But some of his teachings have lost their essence over time. He stood for nonviolent resistance to unjust laws but in light of the current events, it is pretty understood that he is remembered, but not understood by most Indians. Even our current economic model contradicts his definition of economic growth as it plunders nature without any concern for the environmental implications. Last and the most devastating impact of the loss of his legacy, the absence of a sense of service and transparency concerning public matters. This has not only led to the retardation in the sphere of growth but is also the reflection of our moral inertness. 

 

 “The true source of rights is a duty. If we all discharge our duties, right will not be far to seek. If leaving duties unperformed we run after rights, they will escape us like a will-o'- the-wisp. The more we pursue them, the farther they fly". This quote by Gandhi seems more relevant now than ever as our nation is moving towards its doom because its citizens are only concerned about their rights but refrain from performing their duties. They master the art of criticism and would often compare our nation to other powers in the world, only to not do anything to improve its condition. We are criticizers and not doers and probably this is going to serve as the last nail in the coffin of our already decaying morality. 

 

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this blog are solely of the writer and do not essentially reflect the official policy or position of the organisation. The content is not meant to hurt any sentiments or malign any individual, but to simply express the opinion of the writer.)

 -   Bhavya Uniyal (B/582) - SC