SUNDAY DEBATE: Is Gandhigiri just a passing fad? No.
Varsha Das Director, National Gandhi Museum
The film, Lage Raho Munnabhai, has made Gandhigiri part of our daily vocabulary. What’s interesting is that the word has been used positively. And perhaps that’s the reason it has caught interest, particularly of the younger generation.
Of course, some puritans feel that it has a negative ring to it, something like dadagiri, chamchagiri, which have negative overtones. But they are mistaken. The person who uses this word in the film comes from a different milieu.
When he uses the word Gandhigiri, his intention is to say that this is Gandhism but in reality he is not aware of the ‘ism.’ For him, Gandhigiri is equivalent to Gandhism, which in turn translates into the ideas and values of Gandhiji.
So, instead of making a hue and cry over the acceptability and non-acceptability of the word Gandhigiri, we should remember that the positive spirit of the word will ultimately prevail.
However, no one can predict how long the word Gandhigiri will survive. What is important is that it has managed to shake the masses from their inertia.
And this has been done through the values and ideas of Gandhiji as demonstrated in the film. Unless the ideas and concepts are demonstrated through actions, it’s not possible to convince the people.
The word Satyagraha was coined in January 1908 but the whole concept was put into practice in 1906. Once the concept worked, the word caught on. And see how it has survived.
So, if Gandhiji’s ideas and values are put into practice by the younger generation in their daily lives, there is no reason why Gandhigiri will not survive. And in order to ensure that this is not a passing fad, Gandhian values and beliefs have to be made more acceptable to the younger generation.
We need them for our own existence, a better existence. Values and ideas such as honesty, non-violence, self-rule, compassion never become outdated because these are humanistic values. Only we get too caught up in our lives to follow them.
This is an important phase for India. On the one hand, MNCs are beckoning youngsters with attractive salaries and making them work as slaves. On the other, there is a cry to look inwards and go back to one’s roots. There is a dichotomy in our lives today.
So, at such a time, Gandhiji’s values become all the more important. If they hadn’t been relevant, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela wouldn’t have led their lives according to them and become legends.
It’s time that we too realise this fact and start following Gandhiji’s ideas in our daily lives. Gandhigiri is here to stay. And thank God for that!
URL- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2116783,curpg-1.cms