I Don't Hate GANDHI Part-1

 (I am not a political writer and also not a PhD in history but two incidents (first one is my friend Mohini’s article and second my younger brother’s almost abusing thoughts about Gandhi on martyr’s day) in a row force me to pen down this article. I don’t think after reading this people will go to love Gandhi but if you are reviewing your thoughts about Gandhi, I have done my job. )

No need to write a bio of Mohandas karamchand Gandhi, enough material is available about him over internet and college libraries. So before putting my views on some incidents for which Gandhi is blamed most I would like to write down some facts for which I don’t hate Gandhi. But before I begin let me take you to that time (don’t think I have time-machine) because out of context things always have a different meaning.

If violent means (with all due respect to our violent freedom fighters ) are sufficient enough to bring our freedom than we should get freedom in 1857. All right for some reasons that attempt failed then what about another ten or twenty years to try for second attempt, but it took another 90 years to get freedom. Do you ever think why? For me (and maybe I am wrong because I got only 42 marks out of 100 in history) the reason lies in India’s geographical and political conditions before independence. Have a look about some facts about India in 19^th century.

1.     Education for a common Indian is limited to their religious books and folk-stories. They are not able to know what history and science actually means. (This is the agony a country who told world about zero and gravitation much before Newton did was facing such condition.)
2.    India is divided in between ruling emperors and to be very frank people is used to be in foreign rule i.e. Turks, Khilji, Mughal so they have no problem with British and Portugal’s
3.     And one most important thing no Deepak Chaurasia from AAJ TAK and Google news is available at time to give you live coverage whole over the country in just one click. Telegraph and Post offices are under British control. But why I am telling this? Just to tell you communication is very difficult in the range of 50 KM forget about whole country.
4.   The officials at London were not really great morons (grew up yaar GOOD PEOPLE also lived in England) but the freedom fighters are never noted at that level as Freedom fighter but as rebel.

So please consider the forth coming discussion keeping above things in mid.

Do you know that Indian National Congress was Founded upon the suggestion of British civil servant Allan Octavian Hume, the Congress was created to form a platform for civic and political dialogue of educated Indians with the British Raj. After the First War of Indian Independence and the transfer of India from the East India Company to the British Empire, it was the goal of the Raj to support and justify its governance of India with the aid of English-educated Indians, who would be familiar and friendly to British culture and political thinking. So moral of the story till now is –“How to fight for independence” was not an idea which was known by every Indian though needed by every Indian.

 

Whenever some freedom fighter burn the light it was sooner blown away by officials and news remain undiscovered for rest of India. Secondly this fight yet hadn’t reach to common Indian. So that was the era when someone is needed to bind up the whole India and take this battle to every street of India.

Dadabhai Naoroji, Bal gangadhar Tilak were early pioneers of Indian freedom with political weopns and the matter of independence is come into notice by common Indian. In 1907, the Congress was split into two factions. The radicals led by Tilak advocated civil agitation and direct revolution to overthrow the British Empire and the abandonment of all things British. The moderates led by leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale on the other hand wanted reform within the framework of British rule. But with Tilak's arrest, all hopes for an Indian offensive were stalled. The Congress lost credit with the people, while Muslims were alarmed with the rise of Tilak's Hindu nationalism, and formed the All India Muslim League in 1907, considered the Congress as the completely unsuitable for Indian Muslims. 

But Why I am lecturing like a history teacher? Just to tell you the problems within the organizations that are fighting for our independence also exist and still common Indian was far away from scene either didn’t want to ruin his family feature by labeling as terrorist in eyes of government or political parties were not credible enough for him. (For people who don’t know: public membership in Congress opened after 1907.)

After this lengthy discussion you have enough glimpse of that era when Gandhi arrived in India after South Africa in 1915 (I am excluding the South Africa portion from the discussion). If you don’t love Gandhi don’t abuse him because he was the person who bonded the whole India and raise a common voice INDEPENDENCE. He is the person who shifted the independence battle from political persons to common Indian streets. His means are simple and effective enough to be followed by a labor class person. If Gandhi never came into picture, perhaps common people will never participate in INDEPENDENCE BATTLE. And the political battle would cause damage to India’s future..A person who told us to become self-dependent, taught us lesson of humanity,truth and punctuality not only in theory like our today's politician but he applied them on himself first. 

Forget about rest of things and I am not asking to praise Gandhi or love him but shouldn’t person who did that much thing, at least not get abused by every 3^rd standard student who hasn't started his history chapter's now. 

it's an endless discussion and i haven't come  exactly to the point yet but length of article is becoming too long.so i will write rest things in second part.