"Gandhi was clever and an adept manipulator. He mobilised his fellow Indians to challenge the might of the British Empire," Professor of History at the Royal Holloway, University of London, Dr Sarah Ansari. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
KARACHI: How does one define or describe Gandhi? Was he a saint working for the enlightenment of the masses or the consummate politician who did what he had to in order to further his ambitions? These are questions historians and analysts have struggled with for the better half of the last century.
“People see Gandhi in different lights -— his image having been manipulated by different groups to their own understanding and ideas. The fact of the matter is that Gandhi was a skilful operator and tactician as well as a champion of civil rights,” said Dr Sarah Ansari at the Aga Khan University’s Sixth Sense Forum on Monday.
A professor of history at the Royal Holloway, University of London, Dr Ansari’s address was aimed to discuss the issue of Gandhi’s image as a saint and a politician. “Working out what he stood for is still a mystery,” said Dr Ansari. Citing the example of his way of dressing, Dr Ansari explained that the attire alone bespoke his cleverly crafted image — the ultimate weapon in his struggle against British imperialism.
The iconic garb of an Indian loin cloth was deliberately chosen to show that the Indians did not need the West, claimed Dr Ansari. “His clothes represented his political identity,” she said. “A consummate politician, Gandhi was clever and an adept manipulator. He mobilised his fellow Indians to challenge the might of the British Empire.”
Though he knew his detractors regarded him primitive and indecent, Gandhi dressed as he did so he could identify with the poorest Indians for whom there was often a language barrier. “He used how he dressed to convey his nationalist message to all Indians,” claimed Dr. Ansari. “He never claimed sainthood. Rather, his rejection of the materialism of the West was part of his self-rule ideology. By wearing traditional clothes, woven in India, the country, in his opinion, could become self-sufficient. He was trying to show what type of nation India should become,” explained Ansari.
Further into the discussion, Ansari went on to explain how Gandhi was a “man of his time”. He was educated in Britain and worked from 1893 to 1915 in South Africa. He understood how the British Raj worked and what made the Indian people tick.
“He was rooted in Indian traditions but also drew from post-enlightenment theories. He was especially influenced by Ruskin and Tolstoy,” claimed Ansari. “He knew that the [Indian National] Congress had to move forward, adapt with the changing times. He was the architect of a new Congress constitution that paralleled the British Empire’s administration.”
“He was a maverick, and a maverick is hard to pin down. Some of the things they do, seem strange if not seen through their eyes. Different groups have picked up different aspects of Gandhi.” He was used by Martin Luther King as an inspiration. His non-violence movement was used during the apartheid era in South Africa and is also used by environmentalist groups too.
“With regards to the question, was he a saint or a politician, I believe he was both and more. He left a huge mark, politically and socially,” stated Dr Ansari.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2014.
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@usman: How much Fanfare does Mujibur Rahman has in Pakistan by the way? Is he your hero too?
I believe what has escaped the author entirely is the fact that India's independence was incidental to Gandhi. He was first and foremost a social reformer.
While Tolstoy and all other Western names can be cited as inspiration - but what the author despite all her research could not unearth was the Indianness of Gandhi - He was popular with the masses not because of civil disobedience or swadeshi - he struck a chord with the teeming illiterate masses of India because of his path of renunciation - embodied outwardly in his dress and manner of living. This is a quintessential Indian approach to building inner strength and moral courage to face an enemy (both within and outside). While the dandi march and other acts of civil disobedience were path breaking, Gandhi spent his days focussed on hygiene, women's upliftement, the end of the caste system and other mundane tasks.
Gandhi was a staunch defender of the caste system, opposed scientific education, women in the workplace, family planning, and so much more India is better off just forgetting him. His petition and fasts were no match for British rule and had it not been for the second world war British India would never have seen independence for the most part of the last century. Also, the last thing India needed in its fight for independence was a Hindu saint at forefront, failing to arouse nationalism in the Muslims, in the end resulting in the partition of British India with one million deaths and many more homeless. So much for his non-violence.
A guy goes on a fast onto death to protect people not from his own community(to protect Muslims) and his intentions are suspected?
Gandhi and Nehru was the difference between Pakistan and India, that is why they both went in completely different directions.
Gandhi is questioned by 2 sets of people in my observation most of the time : Hindu Right and Pakistanis.
Hindu Right killed him, funnily enough Pakistanis think Gandhi represented the Hindu Right.
I wish someday an Indian University and Indian Audience develop courage to listen such lecture about Muhammad Ali Jinnah who "few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three". (Prof. Stanley Wolpert, Jinnah of Pakistan (1984).
Mahatma Ghandi was somebody the whole Sub-Continent should be grateful to for his efforts in pushing the British out. Regretfully, It has become evident that the Sub-Continent could use another Mahatma Gandhi to help the various groupings cooperate and get back on track, Somebody probably exists, but I would suggest that nobody is seriously listening.
Just a small comment, Gandhi used to weave his own clothes using his own spinning wheel unlike other politicians of his time who talked about poor people in expensive western clothes.