Jayamohan is one of the foremost writers who believes and writes about the Gandhian philosophy in Tamil today. So, when I thought I have to do something on this day (October 2) - commemorating the one true hero of Modern India - I remembered this article written some time back and read around the same time. I thought this is an important article and need to be translated.
This is my first attempt at translating anything - so I am open to suggestions and I've not got a prior permission - though I have written to Jayamohan on this asking for his permission to host the same. Since, I've not received any replies, I am going ahead with publishing it. If I get any objections in the coming days, I will take it down.
The original article in Tamil is available here - வெறுப்புடன் உரையாடுதல்
This is an answer to an letter written by a person in Nigeria asking about the hate he encounters while talking about Gandhi or his principles and the hate propagated against the idea of an Indian Nation as well.
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Conversations with Hate - Part 1
Jayamohan
Dear Palanivel
The hate you've encountered is a natural reaction. Gandhian philosophy is defined by its stance against hate. So it is hate that meets it every time. Gandhi, during his times, lived with the maximum amount of hate and defamation that can be spewed against him. But he kept on talking to that hate again and again till the end of his life time.
Hateful minds have no principle or policy or a philosophy. By nature they spew the venom of hate. To spew the same, they find a political reasoning as well. This reasoning is shown to be the moral and social basis for the hate. The hunger for power and the hate for the other are justified using this. But the underlying force for this is just Hate.
The proof for this is that these hate mongers will not hesitate to abandon the philosophy at a moment's notice if they think that it comes between their hate. Those who take up arms on behalf of the people will end up killing the same people. Mao did the same in China and today we can see the Maoists doing the same in Andhra and the north Indian villages.
Social revolutions lack the impulsive and glamorous nature of a violent struggle. Those who speak of these violent struggles are usually those who cannot take in any amount of violence in their personal life. A violent struggle gives them a way to channel their daily life's frustrations and also satisfies their egos as being the 'uncompromising' and 'serious' intellectuals. They will be ready to sacrifice the lives of others to satisfy that ego.
Also it is easier to bringforth the violent nature of one's self. So it is the way for the second-rate politicians and intellectuals. It is easy to create a split with in the society by channeling this hate. This is what Hitler did and explains in his autobiography. He says that if a person can passionately invoke the negativeness, he can channel the same to the listening crowd. The crowd does not evaluate whether those feelings are legitimate or fruitful. This is human nature.
How to get that 'genuine' negativity in one self? It is possible only by building hate within oneself. That hate will come out of him and this is the power of Fascism. Today's politics is built on this hate. Religion, ethnicity or anything can be used as the basis for building this hate. The blood that is being spilled around the world today arises from this hate.
Gandhian philosophy is the voice of the human virtue against this politics of hate.
--
There are three basic principles for the Gandhian way of struggle.
First one is that the Gandhian way of struggle is that the struggle itself is to bring forward a people by educating and improve them. Every society is made up of different components and it is natural that there will be contradicting viewpoints within these different components. When a struggle for a common goal is taken up, it is important that it generates a lot of arguments and conversations are brought forth between these components bringing a equilibrium among them.
The nature of any Gandhian movement is to mobilize people again and again. This brings the contradictory viewpoints of the people to the fore for discussions. The strength of the Gandhian movement is that it finds a compromise through these contradictory view points and brings forward a common goal, a common dream to be attained for everyone. This is the inherent strength of the Gandhian movement. However, this is a long process and that is why, Gandhian movements are organized through a slow but a sure step by step process.
The half century history of the Indian Independence struggle clearly shows this process. The internal contradictions of opinions and the internal fractures of the Indian society are brought to the common space for discussions and compromise during this entire period of struggle. Gandhi has spent all his spiritual energy to attain these compromise throughout this period. The struggle which was confined to the upper classes till Gandhi's arrival in the scene, moved quickly to encompass all sections of the Indian society through his leadership.
C.Atchutha Menon, the veteran Communist leader told me once that Gandhi politicized the Indian society through the Independence movement. He showed the millions of Indians that they have the power of participating in a political struggle. The leftist movements of India were built on this politicization brought forth by the Gandhian movement. Ambedkar also realized that the Indian Dalit movement was also brought to life by the same movement.
So the Indian Independence movement is only a logical next step of this politicization of the masses by the Gandhian movement. Once Gandhi showed the politics to the millions of Indians, who until that time were content to live in their corners, they naturally wanted the political power. It became untenable for the Zamindars and the local Kings and in extension the British, to exert power over these masses of people anymore.
So the first basis of this Gandhian struggle is by realizing one self and by that realization, start removing the impediments that stand in the way of that struggle.
(To be Continued)
This is my first attempt at translating anything - so I am open to suggestions and I've not got a prior permission - though I have written to Jayamohan on this asking for his permission to host the same. Since, I've not received any replies, I am going ahead with publishing it. If I get any objections in the coming days, I will take it down.
The original article in Tamil is available here - வெறுப்புடன் உரையாடுதல்
This is an answer to an letter written by a person in Nigeria asking about the hate he encounters while talking about Gandhi or his principles and the hate propagated against the idea of an Indian Nation as well.
--------------
Conversations with Hate - Part 1
Jayamohan
Dear Palanivel
The hate you've encountered is a natural reaction. Gandhian philosophy is defined by its stance against hate. So it is hate that meets it every time. Gandhi, during his times, lived with the maximum amount of hate and defamation that can be spewed against him. But he kept on talking to that hate again and again till the end of his life time.
Hateful minds have no principle or policy or a philosophy. By nature they spew the venom of hate. To spew the same, they find a political reasoning as well. This reasoning is shown to be the moral and social basis for the hate. The hunger for power and the hate for the other are justified using this. But the underlying force for this is just Hate.
The proof for this is that these hate mongers will not hesitate to abandon the philosophy at a moment's notice if they think that it comes between their hate. Those who take up arms on behalf of the people will end up killing the same people. Mao did the same in China and today we can see the Maoists doing the same in Andhra and the north Indian villages.
Social revolutions lack the impulsive and glamorous nature of a violent struggle. Those who speak of these violent struggles are usually those who cannot take in any amount of violence in their personal life. A violent struggle gives them a way to channel their daily life's frustrations and also satisfies their egos as being the 'uncompromising' and 'serious' intellectuals. They will be ready to sacrifice the lives of others to satisfy that ego.
Also it is easier to bringforth the violent nature of one's self. So it is the way for the second-rate politicians and intellectuals. It is easy to create a split with in the society by channeling this hate. This is what Hitler did and explains in his autobiography. He says that if a person can passionately invoke the negativeness, he can channel the same to the listening crowd. The crowd does not evaluate whether those feelings are legitimate or fruitful. This is human nature.
How to get that 'genuine' negativity in one self? It is possible only by building hate within oneself. That hate will come out of him and this is the power of Fascism. Today's politics is built on this hate. Religion, ethnicity or anything can be used as the basis for building this hate. The blood that is being spilled around the world today arises from this hate.
Gandhian philosophy is the voice of the human virtue against this politics of hate.
--
There are three basic principles for the Gandhian way of struggle.
First one is that the Gandhian way of struggle is that the struggle itself is to bring forward a people by educating and improve them. Every society is made up of different components and it is natural that there will be contradicting viewpoints within these different components. When a struggle for a common goal is taken up, it is important that it generates a lot of arguments and conversations are brought forth between these components bringing a equilibrium among them.
The nature of any Gandhian movement is to mobilize people again and again. This brings the contradictory viewpoints of the people to the fore for discussions. The strength of the Gandhian movement is that it finds a compromise through these contradictory view points and brings forward a common goal, a common dream to be attained for everyone. This is the inherent strength of the Gandhian movement. However, this is a long process and that is why, Gandhian movements are organized through a slow but a sure step by step process.
The half century history of the Indian Independence struggle clearly shows this process. The internal contradictions of opinions and the internal fractures of the Indian society are brought to the common space for discussions and compromise during this entire period of struggle. Gandhi has spent all his spiritual energy to attain these compromise throughout this period. The struggle which was confined to the upper classes till Gandhi's arrival in the scene, moved quickly to encompass all sections of the Indian society through his leadership.
C.Atchutha Menon, the veteran Communist leader told me once that Gandhi politicized the Indian society through the Independence movement. He showed the millions of Indians that they have the power of participating in a political struggle. The leftist movements of India were built on this politicization brought forth by the Gandhian movement. Ambedkar also realized that the Indian Dalit movement was also brought to life by the same movement.
So the Indian Independence movement is only a logical next step of this politicization of the masses by the Gandhian movement. Once Gandhi showed the politics to the millions of Indians, who until that time were content to live in their corners, they naturally wanted the political power. It became untenable for the Zamindars and the local Kings and in extension the British, to exert power over these masses of people anymore.
So the first basis of this Gandhian struggle is by realizing one self and by that realization, start removing the impediments that stand in the way of that struggle.
(To be Continued)
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