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Back to Subjects - Social Issues

Gandhi

Gandhi “The way of truth and love has always won. Tyrants may seem invincible, but in the end they always fall.” Mahatma Ghandi The film Ghandi proved to be insightful, educational, and inspirational. The film traces India’s rocky path towards decolonization, led by the “Great Spirit” Ghandi. Mahatma Ghandi led India’s struggle for independence from the British Empire before 1948. The trials and tribulations of India and her people touch on many social issues. The film depicts cultural changes, which were brought about by the impact of social and political change during British colonization consequential decolonization efforts. The film itself served many lessons of unity and justness, yet the hero himself was a prime example of courage, humility, and patience. It is rather difficult to pinpoint main predominate themes from this movie, as every word and action taken by Mahatma is a lesson in life. The ideal of courage seemed extremely prevalent, as Ghandi himself is a model of courageousness. It takes courage to speak out against oppressors. Only a courageous man would take the initiative to lead a country to freedom. Ghandi shows his courageousness through his peaceful resistance and through his speeches. Every jail sentence he served and every hunger pain he endured prove his courage. A situation where Ghandi proved himself to be a calm and collected man is when he met with General Smuts. He appeared at the generals office, in his prisoners attire and spoke diplomatically yet firmly about his opinions. The general did not intimidate him, nor was Ghandi ashamed of his own “dirty” appearance. He exuded self-confidence and in the end, General Smuts agreed to repeal the law. Another of Ghandi’s attributes is his persistance and patience. His belief that “independence will fall like a ripe apple” shows his understanding that the best things come to those who wait. Regardless of all the obstacles he faced, Ghandi never showed signs of being discouraged. He believed in himself, in his people, and in his country. His efforts did not come quickly or easily, yet he never gave up hope. Many people expect change to come quickly, yet when something comes quickly you will probably lose it quickly. Ghandi did not stress when there would be independence or how there would be independence, he simply knew that it would come when it was the “ripe” time. Ghandi possessed humility, a quality that is rare to find in this day and age. His humility made him even more beautiful in the eyes of his admirers. Mahatma said, “happiness does not come from things, it comes from pride in what you do.” He did not flaunt his possessions or take material possessions for granted. Much to politicians’ shock, Ghandi did not wear rich fabrics or expensive jewelry. A modest homespun cloth was his daily garment. He voluntarily chose to “dress like a coolie”. He felt that in order to be like the Indians he was helping and serving, he had to live like them. Ghandi also chose to relinquish the life of fancy dinner parties and socializing, because he felt like a hypocrite. Rather, he favored living at Ashram and visiting his poverty-struck and hunger-ridden countrymen. He felt rather uncomfortable with the praise and fame that surrounded him, and he never took credit for any of the social changes that had occurred, he always credited his people. Ghandi’s courage, humility, and persistence provided a much-needed foundation to deal with many of the unjust social issues of the time. There was overt racism that was exerted during British Colonialism. In order to overcome this injustice, Ghandi introduced the social phenomenon of non-violence strategy. The Indian people were not only warding off colonialism and racism; they also had to deal with internal differences. Indians, both Hindu and Muslim, were considered to be “colored” and therefore treated as second-class citizens. A perfect example of this is in the opening scene when Mahatma was on the train in South Africa, he was riding in a first class cabin when the officials threw him out for being colored. A colored man was not allowed in these cabins, they had to travel second or third class. A colored man could not walk on the sidewalk, or else they faced degrading remarks and bullying. This seemed atrocious to Ghandi who felt that everyone should “love thy neighbors as your self”. British rule on India brought forth discrimination and an infringement on the natives’ human rights. The people of India were simply demanding equal rights as citizens of Europe, they no longer wanted to be treated as contracted workers. Indians were fingerprinted like criminals. Laws were passes that made only Christian weddings recognized by law. This implied that all Indian mothers and wives were whores and all men were bastards. Policemen had free reign to enter an Indian’s home at any time. During one massacre, British forces killed women and children, and the wounded were not even offered provisions. Indians who lived in the country and relied on agriculture as means of income were driven to poverty because no one was buying their crops or cloth, they were buying British cloth and crops. “There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.” Ghandi urged his fellow countrymen to wear their one piece of homespun cloth with dignity. Ghandi introduced the world to non-violence strategy or non-cooperation. Mahatma always stressed the importance of being non-violent yet firm. He believed in fighting to change things, NOT to punish. He felt that punishment was to be left up to God. When a person does not strike back and shows courage, injustice will be clearly shown. During one of his many speeches Ghandi said, “We will not strike a blow, but we will receive them and make them see their injustice.” When millions of Indians wanted to fight and kill the police Ghandi wisely stated that he was prepared to die, but for no cause was he prepared to kill. When bloodshed did occur, Ghandi refused to be any part of it and decided to fast in order to stop the violence. He did not believe that freedom should occur at the expense of murder and bloodshed. The greatest enemies of the Indian people were themselves. India was faced with many internal differences because of multiculturalism. In the end, their cultural differences led to their division. Ghandi repeatedly stressed the importance of unity between Hindus and Muslims to fight their oppressors. He felt that all Indians had the same mother, India. When meeting with a reporter from Life magazine, Mahatma said, “It doesn’t matter which book is read, as long as God is watching. We are all God’s children.” There was a conference for Indian Independence during which a main issue was the multiculturalism of India. “There is a Hindu India, a Muslim India, and an Indian India. ALL must be respected and cared for.” Other facets of India’s internal differences were women and the “untouchable” class. There are two kinds of slavery in India, women and the untouchables and Ghandi worked on ridding both. His community of Ashram is a prime example of a classless society. The main rules entailed that there are no untouchables; and that no work is beneath anyone. When his wife was offended for being asked to clean the toilet, Ghandi was infuriated (the only time he lost his temper throughout the entire film). He built this community on the basis of being classless and stressed equality and communal living. Many countries are thought to be “third-world” countries, and India is one of the most populous third-world countries today. This label stems from poverty, underdevelopment, and traditional societies. India was and continues to be a country ridden with poverty. The country is overpopulated and there is drastic unequal income distribution. The old adage of “rich get richer and poor get poorer” definitely holds true in India. Her economic and technological sectors are underdeveloped in comparison with the “Great Powers” that exist today, and that existed during her time of colonial rule. Presently, more money is spent towards advancing their industrial and technological sectors. Still today, many Indians depend on agriculture as a means of supporting a household. Indian society is based on traditions which are deeply rooted in the culture. These traditions may or may not contribute to their underdevelopment. The caste system which existed in Hindu culture for many years has been officially banned, yet it still somewhat evident in the mentality of modern-day Indians. As we speak, there are still internal differences in this part of the country. Fighting between Hindus and Muslims over the disputed Kashmir region has not yet ceased. Pakistan and India are very competitive amongst themselves. The people of these countries no longer “embrace as bothers”, they fight as enemies. I found the movie to be educational and profoundly touching. Ghandi is a model for all of us, and one can only hope to achieve the same inner-peace that he possesses. His inner beauty exudes and makes him a fascinating man and historical figure. His sensitivity and sympathy and selflessness make him a unique individual. He was a man that was passionate about his beliefs and very strong-willed. He did not stand for hypocrisy, of himself or his mother country. His generosity and compassion are gifts that he spread to the world. My favorite scene was the one in which Mahatma sat next to his wife, after her stroke. There was a moment when this rather unemotional man showed his fears, and his eyes welled up with tears. This scene made him more realistic, more life-like because it showed the viewers that he has a heart. Also, when he yelled at his wife at Ashram, I felt that he was only human, and he is entitled to be frustrated and angry. That scene proves that he is not perfect and he has his faults like everyone else. I loved the sights and sounds in the film. The scenery and the music added life to the film. The reality of the images shown helped me connect emotionally with the film. Seeing the poverty, seeing the injustice, hearing the hope, it was all very impactful. I was uncomfortable with the way Gandhi was portrayed at times. The movie depicted him as more than a hero, it showed him being worshipped and idolized at times. I find this rather peculiar, because Ghandi did not want to be revered and he certainly didn’t seem to like attention, he was far too humble for that. I was also disturbed by the submissivness of Ghandi’s wife. At times I felt that she was only his shadow, not his equal partner. I am not sure if this is because of the movie's point of view, or if in reality she was just a passive female. She did not take an active role in her husband’s agenda, and neither did she voice her opinions. Mahatma Ghandi was not a head of state or even a diplomat, yet he impacted millions of people. His virtues of courage, persistence, and humility and his wisdom helped free a nation from its oppressors. He peacefully accomplished his goal, and was a martyr for society. He is an icon of past generations and will continue to be so for many generations to come. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1889