Gandhiji Lives Within Us

Yesterday was October 2nd, the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , better known as Mahatma Gandhi , the Father of our Nation. Gandhiji’s life was a testament to the power of leading with your heart, where truth, non violence and the philosophy of live and let live take the centre stage. Yet,  as I browsed the social media and read the day’s newspaper , what conspicuously stood out was minimum to no mention of the man who was instrumental in the creation of independent India. Maybe this alludes to the increasingly chaotic and polarised world we live in; but it also makes one ponder about the fact that his thoughts are probably more relevant than ever before.

Gandhiji lived in an era that was turbulent, and marked by mind numbing violence; an era where geographical boundaries were re written and politics took the centre stage. Amidst all this chaos and mind-numbing violence, Gandhiji, the leader, stood steadfast and urged his followers to choose the path of peaceful resistance- be that against apartheid in South Africa, the Salt Satyagraha in Gujarat, or eventually the struggle for India’s freedom.

Today, when we look back at that time in history, and the events that followed, including the partition, we realise that when it comes to us humans, the truth is never absolute . It’s relative to who you are, where you live, how you live and what you do. What we have control over, though , is our reaction in the face of conflict, our ability to follow the voice of reason amidst chaos, and our humanity which acknowledges the inherent diversity  in us humans ; in short, the very values that Gandhiji stood for 

The times that we are in could well go down in history as the most turbulent period that humanity has experienced. We, the average people, have little to no control over the larger geopolitical environment. What we can do, though, is to tap into our humanity, which reminds us that diversity is the key to our evolution, while polarisation is the recipe for self destruction; a humbling thought that reminds us that Gandhiji is more relevant than ever before!

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Talk! - with Elizabeth Bonker

Hey there readers! Do you wonder what it would be like, when two non speakers, armed with digital voices, sit down for a chat? Do we spill the tea about something interesting, or plan to meet IRL or just ideate about our vision to help the world understand us better? Well, wonder no more, for here I am, in a freewheeling chat with Elizabeth Bonker, the musical artist, who heads Communication 4 ALL , a non-profit that works in the space of promoting access to alternative mode of communication for non speaking autistics. Thank you Elizabeth, for taking time off your busy schedule, for this conversation  First of all, could you tell us one fun thing about yourself that no one knows about? Aditi, no one has ever asked me this question before, probably because I’m such a serious person. That reminds me of a story about fun that I’ve not told anyone about before. About 2 and a half years ago, I was watching TV with my family on a Sunday night and the phone rang. It was my mentor, Judy He...
Read more

The Rama Within

  Have you ever wondered why Lord Rama is considered as an epitome of the ideal? Was it because he was picture perfect, without human follies? Or was it because he consciously chose to do what was right, his own conditioning notwithstanding? I would say it’s the latter, and here’s why: The story of Rama’s life is a testament to the fact that every living being is put on earth with a purpose; be that a squirrel, monkeys, eagle or two half brothers who were devoted to Rama’s mission in their own ways; Rama’s victory over Ravana would not have been possible without any of them. Humanity is diverse; and it is so with a purpose. Neurotypes like autism, ADHD and more are a normal part of human diversity - a diversity that has helped humanity evolve. Think Srinivasa Ramanujam, Einstein, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates- all autistic people who have contributed significantly to life as we know it today! Did Rama ever understand the nature of Kaikeyi’s relationship with Dasharatha and why was she s...
Read more

Can I hear your thoughts?

  It’s that season in autism land yet again when a theory that by no means provides any benefit to any autistic, but on the contrary paints the most marginalised of us as exotic psychics, is doing rounds; this time in the garb of a 14 episode podcast called The Telepathy Tapes. The theory postulating the existence of telepathy, or mind reading ability , in non speaking autistics is nothing new. This theory was first proposed by Diane Hennecy Powell, a neuropsychiatrist whose work on ESP and telepathic abilities that certain people with  autism and very high support needs possess can be best described as controversial. While there is very little to no scientific evidence to back this claim, with Dr Powell herself admitting that the population which is supposed to possess this extraordinary skill is also a group that is hard to conduct a study on, certain ‘ambitious’ stakeholders including parents, therapists and educators have continued to propagate that their autistic wards, t...
Read more