By Fakir Hassen
Cape Town : An increasing number of young people in India and elsewhere are now turning to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi to find solutions to contemporary concerns through individual and collective action, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi said here.
Gandhi said so Thursday evening while delivering the inaugural address at the University of Cape Town in a series of lectures planned by the Indian government on the theme ‘The Relevance of Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century’. It is part of the centenary celebrations of the Mahatma’s Satyagraha principles, which he established during his tenure in South Africa at the turn of the 19th century.
“A common response to Mahatma Gandhi; to Gandhian thought, word and deed; is that it was extraordinarily effective given the times in which he lived,” Gandhi said as she commented on its current relevance.
“Today’s world, it is argued, is dramatically different, and while Mahatma Gandhi is certainly worthy of continued admiration and awe, it would be naïve and unrealistic to expect his methods to be effective today.
“I beg to disagree,” Gandhi said strongly, although she conceded that the fundamental issues that the Mahatma was confronted with, namely colonial subjugation, has disappeared from our world.
“Racial discrimination too has been blunted significantly, but at the same time, new threats to peace, harmony and stability have emerged.
“It is one of the paradoxes of the 21st century that while the establishment of peace has become the world’s single greatest imperative, the traditional instruments of preserving peace have been found to be increasingly ineffective.
“Today, we face the challenge posed by continuing confrontation in the name of religion and ethnicity. At its worst, this is terrorism which inflicts untold suffering on innocent men, women and children.”
Gandhi also highlighted the challenge of growing inequality both within and among nations, especially in respect of education, health, food security, environmental degradation and climate change.
“Whichever the challenge we confront, you can be sure that the Gandhian way is a real, live option, an option that informs and illuminates. The simple truth is that instead of diminishing in relevance, Mahatma Gandhi has actually become all the more pertinent in the 21st century.”
Explaining this, Gandhi detailed the principles of addressing inequality, economic growth and conflict.
“We now recognise that political liberty must go hand in hand with economic progress. But to be truly meaningful, this growth had to be equitable. As with political power, a few cannot enjoy the gains of economic progress, while many do not get their due share.
“Economic growth has also to be consistent with the imperatives of environmental conservation and stewardship.”
Reflecting on the Mahatma’s view that wealth created and generated must contribute, first and foremost, to a larger social purpose and cause, Sonia said: “By stating this in today’s world, we do not negate the principles of profit and commerce. But we do underline the need to use a part of the wealth created to better the quality of life of those whose voices remain unheard.”
On conflict, Sonia said Gandhi would have given “primacy to the search for the underlying causes of conflict”.
“Today’s enemies are not just individuals; they are also ways of thinking, and perceiving the world itself. Countering violence with even more violence does not provide a durable solution.”
Sonia submitted that Mahatma Gandhi would have resorted to discourse, dialogue, and introspection as being central to finding solutions to conflict.
Gandhi concluded her address with a plea to the young students in the audience: “It is my fervent hope that the world will embrace Gandhian truth and action and that you, my young friends here, will be among its torchbearers.”
Gandhi returned to India immediately after the address, which ended a hectic three-day visit during which she also met President Thabo Mbeki and former president Nelson Mandela.