Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of India’s common national consciousness
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi's nationalism, 'idea of India' and thrust for common national consciousness.
Published on: 15 August 2022, 01:36 pm
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi's nationalism, 'idea of India' and thrust for common national consciousness.
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AT the outset, it has to be said that Mahatma Gandhi was essentially a mass political leader, who functioned incessantly and primarily as a practitioner of democratic revolutionary politics. The Indian National Congress was his chief vehicle through which he performed as its tallest leader.
Of course, he was a multi-splendored personality and his areas of activities and interests were many, yet there is nuanced interconnectedness and holistic approach within them. Strategic considerations were intrinsic in his activities and ideas.
He himself was against any watertight compartmentalization for life and thought. 'Thought' domain fixations do little justice to the one of the greatest political talents of the world who he certainly was. From this vantage point, this article reflects on Mahatma Gandhi's understanding of the 'idea of India' and Indian nationalism.
Gandhi's nationalism and his 'idea of India'
If we go through Mahatma Gandhi's life, even in cursory way, we cannot miss the central theme of his life and that was India and Indian people. A typical Indian-ness always remained with him- even in his London days as a student. His active public life commenced in 1893 in South Africa where he specifically took only the issue of Indian people living there as endangered laborers, workers and merchants.
From 1915 onwards, he immersed himself wholly for the Indian cause. It is interesting to note from various writings on Gandhi that he has been seen and understood as a saint, moralist, super human being, Mahatma and much more. However, nowadays, he is only infrequently referred to and remembered as a staunch nationalist, who he actually was.
His ideological moorings have a definitive Indian nationalistic idea and purpose. So, it is obvious Gandhi had a concrete understanding about the historic process of the formation of the Indian nation, challenges in nation building, the historical forces engaged in this exercise, and the forces which had a negative impact over the nation-building task.
