5 Life Lessons From The Mahatma That You Should Know
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mahatma Gandhi?
Swachch Bharath Abhiyaan?
Non-violent protest or Satyagraha?
But Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, was so much more than that. He not only spoke about sustainability and minimalism, but also practised it in his daily life. A frail-looking man, wrapped in unstitched white khadi cloth, holding a walking stick and wearing his signature round glasses, Mahatma Gandhi has been one of the most prominent icons of India’s freedom struggle. To this day, he is one of the loudest and most adamant voices for self-reliance, sustainability and equity in the country. Today, on his 151st Birth Anniversary, let’s talk about some of his most inspiring philosophies which can guide us today, towards a better future.
‘My life is my message’ said Mahatma Gandhi, and a message it was. It was a message of minimalism, equality, equity, sustainability, self-reliance and independence. In his many writings Gandhi stressed on the need for humans to restrict the temptation to exploit natural resources as he had foreseen the environmental impact of ‘development’ in modern society. He believed that indiscriminate consumerism would exploit natural resources and the solution to a balanced society was the conscious decision to meet our needs, and not our greed.
Gandhi was a strong believer that Indian traditional customs had the answers for sustainability. While the western world thought of man as an entity outside the earth and gave him the license to plunder natural resources at will, Indian tradition taught us mutualism. He often experimented with his diet – consuming raw food for days at end. A man who believed in walking the talk – literally!
Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. – Gandhi
At a time when India was fighting colonisation, Mahatma Gandhi showed how a massive nation like ours could come together in a peaceful, non-violent manner. He showed the world that you did not need sophisticated weapons and missiles to fight. All you needed was your mind. In honour of the unparalleled message of peace that Gandhi gave the world, October 2nd is also observed as International Day of Non-Violence.
‘I would say that if the village perishes India will perish too. India will be no more India. Her own mission in the world will get lost. The revival of the village is possible only when it is no more exploited.’ – Gandhi
Clearly, the Mahatma envisioned something that many of our leaders had missed out. His vision to alleviate Indians from poverty was by cultivating self-governing, independent, community-driven enterprises as opposed to large industries and corporations. He was convinced that sooner or later, the large industries would exploit the local land, water and even people. A reality that we are witnessing today.
Write up 6: Gandhi believed in equality in communities, in religion and in gender. He repeatedly emphasised that a civilised society can be considered developed only if benefits were reaching the most marginalised. Which is another reason why he believed in empowering local communities and making them independent for their needs. He spoke up in favour of women’s safety, against untouchability and equality among religions at a time when communal tensions had engulfed the Indian subcontinent.
Nischita Verrendra
Communication Consultant
Greenpeace