[“And Then Gandhi Came” by Jawaharlal Nehru.
After the First World War, India was passing through a period of poverty, unemployment, repression and hopelessness. British rule had created fear in the minds of the people, and they felt powerless to change their condition.
At this critical time, Mahatma Gandhi entered Indian politics. Nehru compares his arrival to a current of fresh air, a beam of light and a whirlwind. Gandhi spoke the language of ordinary people and stood with peasants and workers. He asked the privileged classes to stop exploiting them and urged the nation to fight against the system that caused poverty and misery.
The essence of Gandhi’s teaching was fearlessness, truth and action. He taught people not to be afraid of the army, police, officials, prison, landlords, moneylenders, unemployment or starvation. His message of fearlessness produced a great psychological change in the people. They began to overcome the fear and shame created by long years of foreign rule. Gandhi himself became a symbol of uncompromising truth.
Gandhi’s call for action had two aspects: resistance to British rule and the fight against social evils within Indian society. He stood for national unity, the upliftment of the depressed classes and the abolition of untouchability. He also challenged the prestige and authority on which British rule depended. His influence changed social values, and even many wealthy people began to adopt simpler ways of life.
Gandhi encouraged national leaders to go to the villages and understand the real condition of the people. Through direct contact with villagers, they witnessed poverty and hunger and developed a deeper understanding of India.
Gandhi dreamed of an India where even the poorest person would feel that the country belonged to him, where there would be no distinction between high and low classes, all communities would live in harmony, untouchability would disappear, and women would enjoy equal rights with men. He believed that Indian culture was not exclusively Hindu, Islamic or any other single tradition, but a fusion of many cultures.
Thus, Gandhi transformed the minds of the Indian people. He linked India’s past with its future and turned the gloomy present into a path towards hope. According to Nehru, Gandhi brought about a vast psychological revolution not only among his followers but also among his opponents and neutral people.]
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