Introduction:
The present-day world is witnessing various conflicts. These circumstances raise a question: Is Gandhi still relevant today? Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a person who gave us the freedom we wanted for decades. We know that during the whole independence movement, he followed the path of truth and non-violence. His non-violent methods were so powerful that they forced the Britishers to leave India. However, many people argue that it is possible to apply Gandhian principles in today’s world.
Is Gandhi still relevant today? Yes
- Gandhiji was always a supporter of Swadeshi goods. He told the Indians to boycott the products of Britishers. Currently, we are talking about banning Chinese goods. We are boycotting Chinese products.
- The vision of Gandhiji was to be self-sufficient in every aspect. Recently, our government launched the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, whose goal is to be self-reliant in all aspects.
- Gandhiji always talked about equality in society. He opposed the caste system. Even today, our society is divided into caste lines, which sometimes becomes a reason for clashes.
- For the whole of his life, he always fought for communal harmony. Even he lost his life because of his equal attitude towards all the religious communities. We can see that, in the present time, there is communal tension in the community.
- Gandhiji always promoted cleanliness. He used to say, ‘Sanitation is more important than independence’. And to pay him tribute, following his footprints, the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in India.
- He was always against the concentration of wealth. He was aware that if the concentration of wealth takes place, then the rich will be richer and the poor will be poorer. Presently, we see the same situation in India. Today, most of the wealth in our country is held by 1 per cent of the people.
- Gandhiji was against racism. He fought against racism in South Africa. But the poison of racism is still prevailing in this world. Recently, we saw what happened in America. A black man was killed by a white policeman, and the movement ‘Black Lives Matter’ started in America and around the world. Also, there were riots in America between black and white people.
- Many leaders in the world follow the footprints of Mahatma Gandhi; as former US President Barack Obama mentioned in his speech, he follows Gandhian principles.
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Is Gandhi still relevant today? No
- Gandhiji always believed in the philosophy of being kind to enemies or oppressors. In the present world, silence is considered a symbol of weakness, and it suffers the most.
- At the end of the Indian freedom movement, even Gandhiji gave the slogan Do or Die. This shows that Gandhiji also realised that following the path of non-violence would not give independence.
- We have hostile neighbours like Pakistan and China. After the Pulwama attack, India chose a path to answer Pakistan and conducted a surgical strike. Similarly, China considers India’s silence a weakness. So, here, we cannot follow the path of Gandhiji.
- Similarly, during the period of Mahatma Gandhi, socialism was on the rise. So, at that time, the principle of trusteeship seemed like a good idea. But after the fall of the U.S.S.R., it became obvious that the model of capitalism was more successful for an economy. Even China and other communist economies also left the path of socialism.
- If Gandhiji were alive today, he would oppose the enhancement of the military capacity of India. The gaining of nuclear capability also would not have been accepted by Gandhiji. But due to these capacities, the world today respects India, and we have been able to defend ourselves in a hostile environment.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we can say that most of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi are relevant even in today’s world. The path shown or followed by Gandhiji at that time remains a very valid one if somebody chooses to tread on it. If everyone seeks revenge, ‘Eye for an Eye, then this will make everyone blind. Gandhiji is an ideal for many successful people, like Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, and Aang Sang Su Ki. The way the present world is oozing with the Russia-Ukraine War and the Taiwan Crisis, we need the philosophy of Gandhi to fight with ourselves. So, this answer to the question: Is Gandhi still relevant today or not?
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