THE 3 Gs

3G is sometimes used to describe three times the force of gravity, which fighter pilots and astronauts endure. They therefore wear 3G suits that protect their bodies from such forces. However, the G that I am writing about stands for Gandhi; and the 3 Gs are the Mahatma, Sonia and Munnabhai.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Mahatma, is the original Gandhi, the perpetrator of what we now call Gandhian thought. His was a deliberate choice. Sonia is a Gandhi by marriage. It is just a coincidence. She is a Gandhi by chance. Though Forbes magazine has listed her as the 6th most powerful woman in the world, and she is definitely the most powerful woman in India, she is not the Gandhi that I presently have on my radar screen. The third Gandhi, and most talked about today, is Munnabhai and his modern brand of Gandhigiri. Let us not confuse the actor Sanjay Dutt with the character Munnabhai. Dutt is not on my radar.

Munnabhai’s Gandhigiri has some beautiful aspects. But it is a cinematic illusion, divorced from reality. Sirkit did not understand Gandhigiri, let alone Gandhism. He just understood his boss’ orders. Munnabhai relapses into violence (beating up the executive and dangling him form the multi-storeyed building). He constantly uses deceit to attain his goal of winning the affection of the gorgeous Vidya Balan. For him the end justifies the means. This is in stark contrast to Gandhian thought. Gandhigiri, like most cinematic illusions, offers simplistic solutions to complex issues – like the girl assessing her suitor in the restaurant.

What really fired people’s imagination was the sending of red roses to the enemy (Lucky Sardar) to break his resistance? Since then many people have started wearing Gandhi topis, and distributing flowers. It hasn’t worked. Because even Gandhigiri (let alone Gandhism) cannot work in isolation. It has to be a complete way of life. As we celebrate the original Gandhi’s 138th birth anniversary on 2nd October, can we harken back to the original G?

My introduction to Gandhi was through my father, who spoke of the Mahatma in glowing terms. My father himself abided by Gandhiji’s dictum of “Simple living and high thinking”. My second exposure to Gandhism was through his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi, and his moral Re-armament Movement. I found it inspiring. My real tryst with Gandhi was in 2000, when I came into contact with Vinaybhai, who was born in Gandhiji’s Wardha Ashram, and was the founder of the Gandhi Peach Foundation in my home town Kanpur. Under his leadership we founded the Manav Sadbhav Abhiyan (Human Solidarity Front) in Kanpur, to promote peace and communal harmony. It has worked.

A funny thing now happened. As I learnt more about Gandhiji, I discovered that he had more critics than admirers today. As with Sirkit, Gandhiji was reduced to an image on a currency note, or a holiday that was (unfortunately for Sirkit) also a “dry day” – no liquor! Ignorance is understandable, but a vilification campaign is not. I came across several accusations levelled against Gandhiji.

He is accused of having being an abettor of the Partition of India. He was a softie, not a toughie like Sardar Patel, who rode rough shod over the Nizam of Hyderabad. Have we forgotten that we also rode rough shod over the people of Kashmir, and we are still paying the price? Those who today blame Gandhiji for Partition are the same ones who supported his assassin, Nathuram Godse. Their intention is clear. No surprise really. If they assassinated him then, their character assassination propaganda will continue.

The second prejudice is harder to digest. Today’s dalit leaders and Ambedkarites accuse Gandhiji of perpetrating the caste system. I always believed that Gandhiji opposed the caste system. He gave the untouchables a new name – Harijan, People of God (a very Biblical term). It is quite another matter that over a period of time the word “Harijan” was used in a derogatory manner. That does not detract from Gandhiji’s true intent. Gandhiji also led by example, by cleaning latrines, something no high-caste Hindu would do. However, Gandhian scholars say that Gandhiji went on a 22 day fast to oppose Ambedkar’s demand for a separate “Achutisthan” and a separate electorate for them; which resulted in the Poona Pact of 1935. Dalits consider this a “betrayal” of their cause. I do not share that sentiment.

The third misconception is that Gandhiji was a softie, a weakling. There is a common Hindi saying “Majboori ka naam Gandhi” (Gandhi is synonymous with constraint or susceptibility). Nothing could be further from the truth. As Vinaybhai often said, “Majbooti ka naam Gandhi”. Gandhi is a symbol of strength, of indomitable courage, and tenacity of purpose.

Many Gandhians have also misunderstood their mentor. They believe that wearing khadi, spinning cotton, and opposing development, is Gandhism. Like Sirkit, they have latched on to the peripherals, and not the essence of Gandhism. The opening line of the book “All Men Are Brothers”, that is a compilation of Gandhiji’s thought, is, “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” Satyagrah and Ahimsa are in fact the quintessence of Gandhism. Everything else is secondary. Today, not just Indian society, the entire world desperately needs to break free from the culture of death and violence. A capitalistic driven world that wants to succeed by “hook or by crook”, needs to take a second look at Gandhiji’s quest for truth and honesty in public life.

While speaking to a camp of the NCC (National Cadet Corps) I suggested that they add another C, and be known as NCCC, for nation building. NCCC stands for – No Casteism, Communalism, Corruption. Gandhi sacrificed his life for these three Cs. This Gandhi Jayanti let us emulate the original G with 3G power, to fight the 3 Cs that threaten to destroy the fabric of our beloved nation. Jai Mahatma Gandhi! Jai Hind!

* The writer is the Founder Secretary of the Manav Sadbhav Abhiyan Kanpur, and a member of the Gandhi Peace Foundation.