5. AND THEN GANDHI CAME

 5. AND THEN GANDHI CAME

Jawaharlal Nehru writes about the timely arrival of Gandhiji to Indian politics in his  book “The Discovery of india”. He emphasizes the dynamic leadership of Gandhi. He  describes Gandhiji as a beam of light that removed the darkness. Nehru thus makes the right assessment of Gandhiji.When the First World War came to an end people expected peace, relief and progress. But it brought repressive rule and martial law.

People felt that they were being humiliated. Large numbers of people became unemployed. People were in great confusion. They did not know how to free India from poverty and misery.

It was at this critical period that Gandhiji came. It was like a powerful current of fresh air. It pierced the darkness that surrounded the people and he taught the lessons of fearlessness and non-violence. Gandhiji was an ordinary man. He was one among us. He exhorted the people to stop their exploitation. His teachings instilled fearlessness and truth. He worked for the welfare of the common man.

When Gandhiji became the leader of the people, the fear disappeared to a large extent. Truth followed fearlessness. It was like a psychological change. There was a  psychological reaction also. People felt ashamed of being under foreign rule. Here came a need in the minds of the people to throw away the foreign rule.

Gandhiji influenced millions of people in India to different degrees. Different people reacted differently to this situation. Some people were ready to comprehend the change. Others were not ready to have a total change. At this time Gandhiji came with a two-fold action. One was to challenge and resist the foreign rule and the other was to fight against our social evils. At this time the fundamental objective of the Congress was to attain political freedom.

As a result of Gandhiji‟s influence, several people were ready to give up their titles. People did not respect British titles. New values and a new way of life were implemented with the powerful leadership of Gandhiji. Many people adopted simpler ways and wore simple dresses.

Gandhiji had his own ideas and dreams of free India. He sent volunteers for the  rehabilitation of Indian villages. These messengers helped the Indians to come out of their shells.

He wanted to make India a place without any class distinctions and rigid caste systems. According to him an ideal India would be free from the curse of  untouchability, intoxicating drinks and drugs.

Nehru says that Gandhiji was truly proud of his Hindu inheritance. He tried to give Hinduism a kind of universal attire which included all religions. Indian culture according to Gandhiji is a fusion of all. Thus Gandhiji attracted the common people of  India like a magnet. He was a link between the past and the future. He effected a psychological revolution even among his opponents. Here in this piece Nehru talks about the power of Ghandi very sincerely. We get a  clear picture of Ghandi‟s influence on the Indian people and Indian mind. We  understand the fact that Ghandi was a leader not in words ,but in deeds and thereby  occupies a place in the heart of all Indians.