Prahlad Singh Patel
The thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, are proving their mettle all over the world today. The people of the world are opening the knots of their problems in the sea of his thoughts. The trust of the world that is getting entangled in the arms race is now becoming more deep rooted in Gandhism. People are now forced to understand that wars are not the solution to any problem. Violent revolutions around the world have not led anywhere. Time has revealed that Satyagraha and non-violence are the best path to take. Be it people, institutions or countries, it is now believed that there is a better , alternative and a human way to express dissent and to register protest.
The relevance of Gandhiji’s ideas is increasing with time. The issue of environmental protection in the world is fast becoming the priority of society these days. Intellectuals and environmental activists have taken to the streets in many parts of the world due to the worsening environmental situation. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, has also made a discourse on environment. Although the term environment was not in vogue during Bapu’s lifetime, the vision of Gandhi ji was so far-sighted that he began to worry and ponder over the future much ahead of his time and the situation that we face today . Gandhiji believed that “there is enough on earth for everybody’s need but not enough for everybody’s greed”. In his article ‘ Swasthya ki Kunji’ , he has expressed his views on clean air. In this, he has said that three types of natural ingredients are needed – air, water and food, but clean air is the most important. Gandhiji inspired the Indians to spin yarn with charkha and wear hand woven clothes. The objective behind this was not only to arouse the Swadeshi, but also to reduce general waste and waste coming out of textile mills.
Gandhiji was a great advocate of rural development. Advocating the upliftment of the villages, Gandhiji wrote in HarijanSevak in 1946, “There should be development of such art and workmanship in the countryside, that their products are valued outside of villages too.” On one hand, Gandhiji was fighting for non-violent struggle for freedom, on the other hand he was trying to save the fragmented fabric of Indian society through his creative programs.
Gandhiji considered education to be the major contributor for building a better society. He established the first basic school at Barharwara Lakhansen during the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917. In the context of the importance of education, on 8 May 1937, he writes in Harijan that Man is neither entirely intellect, nor a gross body, neither only a heart or a soul. A proper and consistent combination of all these is needed to create a complete human being. This is the true purpose of education.
Only through Swadeshi will India become a self-sufficient and strong country. Today, there is an increasing move towards Swadeshi in India. This gives an opportunity for small industries to flourish. Rural people from far fling areas get a chance to become financially self-reliant through this. Gandhiji wanted the country to become self-sufficient through Swadeshi. We have moved in that direction after a long time. This has started yielding positive results. Today there is an awakening among the people for Swadeshi, it is a heartening trend.
The villages should be healthy and clean. The government has started a mass movement to carry out this task. Villages and cities are getting transformed with programs like cleanliness. Gandhi says that if cleanliness does not figure in village reforms, then our villages will remain like garbage. The subject of village cleanliness is an inseparable part of the life of the people. This is necessary but difficult to achieve. We need hard work and courage to get over the lifelong habit of lack of cleanliness. Gandhiji was equally concerned about the dirt in the cities. In this context he said that one thing we can learn from the West and we must learn is the sacredness attached to cleanliness in cities . We are yet to imbibe this thought of Gandhiji.
Gandhiji’s thoughts are eternal. The biggest reason for this is that he tested his ideas practically on the ground .His relevance remains across the span of time. Today, the world sees Gandhi’s path as the best and most enduring.
(The author is Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism)
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