Gandhiji Unreconciled Part 2: The mass leader
A collective work of a six inquisitive Hindus trying to make sense of an exceptional leader of modern-day India.
Our story continues from the first part of this series. Like the previous part, I refer Gandhiji as MKG for the sake of brevity. Twenty-two years had passed between MKG’s return to India at the Apollo Bunder in Bombay and the racist incident that ejected him from a train at the Pietermaritzburg railway station in South Africa. In this period, among other acts of dissent against an oppressive British government, MKG ran a weekly newspaper called ‘Indian Opinion’ in South Africa. Through the newspaper, he appealed for a Bharatiya term for ‘passive resistance’ and ‘civil disobedience’. Another MKG, Maganlal Khushalchand Gandhi (a distant relative), contributed the term ‘Sadagraha’, which was then adopted as ‘Satyagraha’¹. MKG’s experience of communication via writings in ‘Indian Opinion’ was a stepping stone in his journey of becoming a mass leader.
Articles in this series are co-authored with Ajay Vangapaty, Ashutosh Ghavi, Kiran Muthal, Pavan Savoy, and Vikas Deshpande.
On Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s advice, MKG has traveled the length and breadth of India after returning in 1915. During few years that followed, he focussed on individual reforms and deliberately avoided politics². Keeping with the rishi-tradition of India, he practiced a minimalistic and frugal lifestyle during these years. By 1920, MKG had captured the imagination of the nation. His simplicity deeply resonated with people. Choosing a path of people-welfare by leaving an otherwise comfortable life is usually perceived by the Indian society as tyaaga (sacrifice) of the highest order. Akbar Allahabadi, a contemporary satirist of MKG, had commented — “Hazrat-e-buddhu bhi Gandhi ke saath hain, Zarra-e-khaq hain magar aandhi ke saath hain”. Translation: Even the Honourable Ass is with Gandhi; He may be a mere speck of ash, but he is with the storm!³
The genius of MKG was in motivating even the passive fence-sitters to contribute actively in the freedom struggle. To this end, his prescription was lucid — conscious fasting and spinning the charkha! Few contemporaries of MKG were great revolutionary thought leaders, like Veer Savarkar. Despite their great oratory skills and bravery, masses gravitated towards MKG for he provided them with simple instruments of change while keeping on with their lives.
Related blog: Gandhi ji and the RSS: Similar underpinnings
MKG plunged into politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (not the current version) in 1921. Unlike MKG, his contemporaries in INC, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Motilal Nehru, Chittaranjan Das etc., were the elites of society (no offense meant). MKG transformed the tone of the freedom struggle that would take cognizance of the underprivileged. This was remarkable for two reasons — i) even the privileged adopted the symbols of the freedom struggle that resonated with the masses (like charkha), and ii) being a lawyer himself, MKG was able to formally communicate with the administration while speaking to masses in vernacular.
For the first two decades of the twentieth century, group leadership defined the INC — e.g., Lal-Bal-Pal. However, when MKG took the reins, he emerged unparalleled. Another genius of his was in becoming a true pan-India leader. His charisma compelled even the great Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who urged people to follow MKG. He represented no particular section, group, or faction. Perhaps, his roots in the ‘baniya’ community underpinned his pragmatism. While promoting self-reliance, he still leveraged the infrastructure built by the British, e.g. railways, to further the freedom struggle. MKG’s skills were aided by the advancements in the means of communication, which enabled his clout on the freedom movement for nearly two and a half decades.
The long span of MKG’s leadership was questioned and challenged on multiple occasions. Leaders with an alternative vision for India — like Bhagat Singh, Veer Savarkar, Subhash Chandra Bose, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, etc. often disagreed with his ways. Revolutionary methods were relegated to a lower status. Were MKG’s unyielding ways of ‘Satyagraha’ and ‘Ahimsa’ (his version) responsible for his inability to work alongside other mass leaders? Was he too possessive of his methods? Should he have retired from politics in the early 1930s and let the INC be led by Subhash Chandra Bose? Similar questions have been raised often.
A mark of a true leader lies in inspiring people across generations and geographies. MKG’s satyagraha motivated many global leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Seven decades after his demise, he continues to inspire Indian leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan’ is a fitting tribute to MKG. However, has his legacy lived long enough as compared to his contemporaries’? It is quite evident that after nearly eighty years of independence Indians are gravitating towards the vision laid by the likes of Veer Savarkar and Dr. Keshav Hedgewar (founder of the RSS); both were admirers of MKG.
An eye for an eye would make the world blind, but India in the 21st century aspires to become a nation whose enemies won’t even dare think of poking at their eye.
Stay tuned for the upcoming parts in this series.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
