Monday, April 06, 2009

Truth alone triumphs

Truth (satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian movement Satyagraha, that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase “passive resistance”, in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word "satyagraha."

-- Mahatma Gandhi


"With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." - April 6, 1930


"I cannot withhold my compliments from the government for the policy of complete non interference adopted by them throughout the march .... I wish I could believe this non-interference was due to any real change of heart or policy. The wanton disregard shown by them to popular feeling in the Legislative Assembly and their high-handed action leave no room for doubt that the policy of heartless exploitation of India is to be persisted in at any cost, and so the only interpretation I can put upon this non-interference is that the British Government, powerful though it is, is sensitive to world opinion which will not tolerate repression of extreme political agitation which civil disobedience undoubtedly is, so long as disobedience remains civil and therefore necessarily non-violent .... It remains to be seen whether the Government will tolerate as they have tolerated the march, the actual breach of the salt laws by countless people from tomorrow." - As told to the reporter of the Associated Press, on April 5, 1930

Today marks the 79th year of the conclusion of the Dandi Yatra (march), which was led by Mahatma Gandhi, to oppose the British Salt Tax. It began on 12th March 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi accompanied by 78 satyagrahis, embarked on a journey, by foot, to the coastal village of Dandi in Gurjarat, some 390 kilometers (240 miles) from their starting point at the Sabarmati Ashram. My intention to make this post was to showcase the power of peace and its achievements, while also commemorating a very significant moment in Indian history! I'd like to conclude this post by quoting Martin Luther King Jr, who said the following about Mahatma Gandhi and the Salt Satyagraha.

"Like most people, I had heard of Gandhi, but I had never studied him seriously. As I read I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of nonviolent resistance. I was particularly moved by his Salt March to the Sea and his numerous fasts. The whole concept of Satyagraha (Satya is truth which equals love, and agraha is force; Satyagraha, therefore, means truth force or love force) was profoundly significant to me. As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform."

Footnotes

Inputs from Wikipedia

Images Courtesy - Wikipedia, as per original copyrights held by the Government of India & Peace Power - A journal of non-violence and conflict transformation

Suggested Reading - The Salt Satyagraha

26 comments:

  1. cheers, i wish of u write on politics as well.

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  2. A great Man, very great indeed. In ideals and principles.

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  3. Gandhi is someone who lived his words and beliefs. Not many can do that.

    Keshi.

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  4. Love is the only way for social reform...Gandhiji is or offers a way of life, if you study him..

    Nonviolence, yet the will to see it through...lots to say...but let me hold,

    One of these days, some one said..The people of India today know Gandhiji because of Munnabhai!!

    Gandhiji stands above all political gimmicks....yet what do some authors make of him!

    Where is the deep-rooted culture of non-violence, the nationalism he laid for us? selfishness seem to run through the roots of India today...

    Truth --who cares for it!
    we will go by what the popular media says...DONE!

    a nice tribute, Rak

    love,
    devika

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  5. It’s high time we stand by Truth.... Sincerity.... Honesty !!!

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  6. Non-violence, might be acceptable for obtaining freedom..

    In Present scenario, is it really possible to follow non-violence?
    Can we protect “our independence” using this principle.. ?
    .
    Can we follow this principle at LOC.
    .
    Each & every movement u hav to fight & lie for survive. Its not entirely practical today.
    Dats why, naturally NO ONE, including Congress men, including Gandhi/neharu family are following these principles.

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  7. I would not put him at such high regard (if not for satya, but never for love)....

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  8. I wonder whhy I didn't see this day being mentioned in any of the dailies or news channels...and I doubly wonder how you remember it all..
    Gandhiji has fascinated me like no other man ever. I once hated his ideas, blame my lack of knowledge for thaT. As I read more, I hated myself for once hating this wonderful human being

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  9. As usual, wonderful post. and I have asked this question so many times before. How on earth do you remember all these Rakesh ???

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  10. U know..Gandhiji may not hv been able to deal with mindless acts of savage terrorism today. If he did, he wud hv had to forcebly change his perception to non violence.
    Im sure.

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  11. Wots the 'TEST' thing in ur comment all bout, buddy?

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  12. Shravan

    I sure will! Once the election results are out and the games begin, I will make a post on that for certain!
    Thanks for the tip!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  13. Vivek

    Indeed! A lot to learn from him and his ideologies.

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  14. Keshi

    Completely agree! Not many can match that, like you said!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  15. Devika Chechi

    Yes, Gandhiji and his philosophies are a way of life indeed!
    Its a pity that his nation fails to imbibe his values in total

    Rakesh

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  16. Rahul V

    Correct! But then will that happen? I wonder!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  17. Sachin_G

    Non violence is possible in every scenario, present, past and the future!
    What we lack is assertiveness and that makes us appear spineless and lack of determination.

    While violence will help counter a number of issues, it is never a solution for hate and violence will only compound more of themselves as a result!

    This is my belief! I respect your views too!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  18. Magiceye

    :) It came quite spontaneously!

    Thanks

    Rakesh

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  19. Vee

    Well......I respect your views! A lot changed after I read his autobiography and after I watched the Ben K movie!
    I think there's a lot to learn from him.........!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  20. Praveen

    Dailies publishing these items are a rarity! They have a lot lot more to write about than moments of history which are conveniently consigned into the annuls of time!
    I too was a Gandhi detester until I read his autobiography and watched the movie subsequently.

    His philosophies taught me something very concrete which is "True power is knowing that you can do, but not doing it."

    And, as far as me remembering these snippets.......well, I love history and that perhaps explains it! ;)

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  21. Vimmuuu

    Thanks bro!
    I am extremely passionate about history and events that shaped it and keep a very close watch on the current while assimilating a great deal of the past!

    Perhaps, like the way you track events in the world of music, which you are so very passionate of ;)

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  22. Andy

    I don't think so! Violence remains the same, only its magnitude and proportion change! Yesteryears had their own share of violent incidents which were gross and unimaginable.
    For someone who did not change his views then, I'm sure that the current state will not make much difference! He would view it with the same perspective with his values and beliefs firmly in place!

    I believe that being non-violent is one thing, while being assertive is quite another altogether! We need not be the former while being the latter and the latter we never are!

    And, about the "test" comment, the new comment form on your blog did not allow me to make a comment, thanks to my firewall and hence had to use the old form! I thought it would be wise to 'test' beforehand, but didn't go back and delete it! Apologies!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  23. Future Mantra

    Thanks very much! I did visit the site and found it good! Will regularize!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  24. Truth gives the true freedom and peace.
    Loved your attitude bro, keep going and let we learn more from your blog. :)

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  25. Jeevan

    Quite true.....like the scriptures say "The Truth shall set you free"

    Thanks very much for your comments!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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