-----Original Message----- From: drrgupta To: TheBecoming Sent: Sat, Nov 15, 2014 12:30 am Subject: Re: [TheBecoming] RE: Message to TheBecoming group Very good and informative comment, freedom delayed by Gandhi. Enhansed by the Great Veer Savarkar and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. -----Original Message----- From: sunil saxena sunilsaxena@hotmail [TheBecoming] To: TheBecoming Sent: Fri, Nov 14, 2014 9:55 pm Subject: [TheBecoming] RE: Message to TheBecoming group Subject: RE: [TheBecoming] Fwd: “ HAS GANDHIJI’S AHIMSA PHILOSOPHY STOOD THE TEST OF TIME ” - WHAT STUDENTS THINK ? With all due respect, there were other important factors responsible for the success of Gandhijis Ahimsa philosophy, which had nothing to do with non-violence. Firstly, the timing of Indias freedom, was in the aftermath of WW-2. The war had considerably weakened the British and its manpower resources were so depleted and stretched that it could not possibly control such a vast empire. In fact other countries under British rule, also got their independence after WW-2; without any Ahimsa movement or philosophy. Another important factor was that in parallel, we had several revolutionaries including Subhash Chandra Bose its INA army waging a war of independence against the British. This is what gave Gandhiji some bargaining power to negotiate. The British knew that if they didnt negotiate with Gandhi, they would then have to deal with much tougher opponents. This is not to undermine the large bringing together of ordinary Indian folks that Gandhiji was able to do so well, but to acknowledge the relevance of alternative forces involved, that helped in obtaining Indias freedom. After all, if the British had nothing to fear from Indians, why would they have give up so much land and manpower? Further study has shown that the prospect of mutiny was what the British feared most. There was a huge mutiny by all the Indian armed forces (navy, air force army) in 1946 that sealed the path for independence from the British. Its not taught or given any weightage in Indian History schoolbooks (purposely perhaps because Gandhi the Congress party did not support it). Had they done so, India could possibly have got its independence a little earlier. From the initial flashpoint in Bombay, the naval revolt spread and found support, from Calcutta to Karachi and ultimately came to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20,000 sailors. Naval officers began calling themselves the Indian National Navy and offered left-handed salutes to British officers. The clever British deployed Gurkha regiments, but they also refused to fire on the striking sailors. It was then that the British realized that their time was up and they were ready to negotiate Indias independence. So it would be naïve to think that Ahimsa alone did the magic. In fact its naïve to even think that any one strategy will work all the time and in all situations. Ahimsa generally works for social movements like Anna Hazares, but is a big no-no for fighting Islamic terrorism jihadi organizations like ISIS, JeM, Al Qaida, etc. Its surprising that the college students essays have referred to the Sikh movement and not to the real threat of fighting Islamic terrorism in todays world. -Sunil To: TheBecoming@yahoogroups From: TheBecoming@yahoogroups Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 22:41:51 -0500 Subject: [TheBecoming] Fwd: “ HAS GANDHIJI’S AHIMSA PHILOSOPHY STOOD THE TEST OF TIME ” - WHAT STUDENTS THINK ? “ HAS GANDHIJI’S AHIMSA PHILOSOPHY STOOD THE TEST OF TIME ” - WHAT STUDENTS THINK ? Nandini Voice For The Deprived, a Chennai based NGO organised an All India essay competition for college students on “Has Gandhiji’s Ahimsa Philosophy Stood The Test of Time?” There was good response for the competition from students all over India. The essays submitted by the following six students have been selected for the award of prize · Ms. Karthika .V - PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore · Mr. Piyush Goyal, Chanakya National University, Patna · Mr. Santosh Kumar Patel, Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology, Indore · Mr. Subham Ghosh, Hoogly Mohsin College, Dist. Nadia , West Bengal · Mr. Surya Sidhant Rath, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bhubaneshwar · Mr. Vishal Onkhar, S S N Engineering College, Chennai HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VIEWS OF THE STUDENTS While several students have argued that ahimsa philosophy has stood the test of time, there have also been other students who are of the view that the practice of ahimsa philosophy in its truest sense is not possible in the present time. Highlights of both the view points are presented below. Ahimsa philosophy cannot be practiced in absolute form: After Mahatma Gandhi’s time, the limitations of ahimsa philosophy has been repeatedly exposed. It now appears that ahimsa philosophy can only be practiced in a limited way. Gandhiji employed ahimsa methods effectively under conducive circumstances ,when Britishers were ruling India and British rulers had , by and large , faith in fair play. Several British intellectuals at that time even looked at India’s demand for independence approvingly. It is extremely doubtful whether Gandhiji could have employed his ahimsa methods successfully against someone like Hitler. Contrary to popular opinion, non violence has never been an accepted norm in Indian history. Chanakya was said to have advocated use of violence when dealing with those who are recalcitrant. In fact, Gandhiji himself was known to have said “I do believe that when there is only a choice between cowardice and violence , I would advise violence”. Recent historical events in India shows that ahimsa could not have been employed in certain cases like Khalistan movement launched by Sikh extremists. India did not hesitate to use its armed mite to liberate Bangladesh and the entire country viewed Indira Gandhi’s decision to use force approvingly, when Pakistani forces in erstwhile Bangladesh suppressed the freedom movement. In conclusion , it can be said that while ahimsa is an idealised course of action practiced by some exceptional individuals like Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi, the hard fact is that one cannot live in Utopian world based on high ideals and values that are fine in theory but impracticable considering the ground realities. While ahimsa may not be the best solution to the present day’s world problems, neither is unrestricted violence. Violence can be justified only in specific circumstances and should not be resorted to as an act of pure vendetta.The world conscience and opinion should ensure this. Ahimsa has stood the test of time: It appears that the legacy left by Mahatma Gandhi was not well guarded by those who ruled India in the post Gandhian period, who have never completely understood what ahimsa is all about. Several persons are not willing to practice ahimsa today , as it requires a person to have high level of courage and conviction to stand against the wrong and do personal sacrifice in the process. Perseverance and character are extremely important for the practitioners of ahimsa principle. There are immediate examples before us of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the founder of National League for Democracy in Myanmar and she stood against the military junta with passive and non violent resistance as a matter of principle. She has succeeded already to a considerable extent. Anna Hazare has proved the power of non violent protest and fast very recently when the government was forced to listen to him. Sharmila Chanu of Manipur is another role model and she has taken the path of Gandhiji’s non violence to strongly protest with regard to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in north eastern India. She has already shaken the conscience of the nation. The world is now gradually realising that ahimsa is the best antidote to mitigate the march of violence and promote the social consciousness of understanding, cooperation , coordination and reconciliation which are of paramount importance to ensure peace and harmony . Gandhiji proved the strength of ahimsa philosophy in his life time. Let us not question the practicability of ahimsa philosophy , when the fact and truth is that most of us today , while respecting Mahatma Gandhi as Father of Nation, has failed to live upto the standards set up by him. --------------------------- N.S.Venkataraman Nandini Voice For The Deprived nsvenkatchennai@gmail twitter : @nsvchennai
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 03:34:00 +0000
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