Remembering Bapu Mahatma Gandhi on this death anniversary - 30th Jan 1948

[Deepak Kiran]

जहां सत्य है, वहां आज भी बापू ज़िंदा हैं


भारत की स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के प्रमुख नायक मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी(महात्मा गांधी) की मृत्यु 30 जनवरी 1948 को हुई थी। देश इस साल गांधी जी की 74वीं पुण्यतिथि मना रहा है। इस मौके पर प्रधानमंत्री से लेकर देश के कई वरिष्ठ नेता राजघाट पर उन्हें श्रद्धांजलि देंगे। महात्मा गांधी ने देश के लिए जो किया उसे देश सदियों तक याद रखेगा। उनके आदर्शों, अहिंसा की प्रेरणा, सत्य की ताकत ने अंग्रेजों को भी झुकने को मजबूर कर दिया। उनके इसी योगदान के कारण गांधीजी आज महात्मा गांधी के नाम से जाने जाते हैं।

30 जनवरी 1948 को हुई थी महात्मा गांधी की हत्या
बाद में 30 जनवरी 1948 को नई दिल्ली स्थित बिड़ला भवन में नाथूराम गोडसे ने महात्मा गांधी की हत्या कर दी थी। अहिंसा का संदेश देने वाले इस महान विभूति के जीवन का अंत होने के बाद देशवासियों ने मन ही मन गांधीजी को राष्ट्रपिता मान लिया।

सुभाष चंद्र बोस ने कहा था पहली बार राष्ट्रपिता
नेताजी सुभाष चंद्र बोस और महात्मा गांधी के बीच के मतभेदों की बात कही जाती है लेकिन सबसे पहली बार नेताजी ने ही 6 जुलाई 1944 को रंगून रेडियो स्टेशन से दिए गए अपने भाषण में गांधीजी को राष्ट्रपिता कहकर संबोधित किया था। नेताजी ने आजाद हिंद फौज की स्थापना करते हुए महात्मा गांधी से आशिर्वाद मांगा था। अपने भाषण के अंत में सुभाष चंद्र बोस ने कहा था कि 'हमारे राष्ट्रपिता, भारत की आजादी की पवित्र लड़ाई में मैं आपके आशीर्वाद और शुभकामनाओं की कामना कर रहा हूं।'

 

[Deepak Kiran]

THOUGHTS OF MAHATMA GANDHI

"Ahimsa is the highest duty. Even if we cannot practice it in full, we must try to understand its spirit and refrain as far as is humanly possible from violence."

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence."

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

"Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress."

 

[URum]

RIP

 

[Deepak Kiran]

the occasion is also an opportunity for the people of India to reflect upon his thoughts and principles.

As the world battles through uncertain and unprecedented times, the time is especially important to decode Gandhiji’s ideas and philosophy, that even today are extremely relevant and could help guide the country to achieve social, cultural and economic progress.

An important aspect of the Gandhian philosophy that gathers much significance at present is his ideas of the rural economy and sustainable development. Gandhiji had a clear vision for India’s villages and asserted that “India lives in her seven hundred thousand villages” and therefore “If the villages perish, India will perish too”.

Gandhiji extensively spoke and emphasized on overall, inclusive development of the country, self-sufficiency and rural development. As India embarks on its strategy of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, which focusses on self-reliance, Gandhiji’s ideas become particularly relevant and could become a guiding force for India to spur greater economic growth and development.

Gandhi envisaged Indian villages as self-sufficient units and stressed on the growth of rural industries such as khadi, handloom, handicrafts and sericulture. These today could become relevant sources of non-farm rural incomes, creating employment and resulting in more equitable distribution of resources.

India, therefore, needs to encourage and drive non-farm rural incomes and engage rural households in non-farm livelihoods in sectors such as fisheries, handloom and handicrafts, non-farm manufacturing activities, transport, mining and quarrying, among others. These in turn could have positive spillover effects and will help boost farmer incomes.

These ideas of Gandhiji could serve as a guiding principle for us all. Apart from urbanization, efforts can be strengthened at transforming the rural areas to become a self-reliant economy through greater investments in good quality infrastructure, modern technology, skills and training programmes, better access to credit, and improving education and awareness. Women empowerment and creating better linkages between village entrepreneurs and large businesses are also key actions. Investments in rural industries in turn could pave the way for greater socio-economic prospects for the country by generating increased rural incomes.

Today, the Government as part of its objectives to double farmers’ incomes, has taken several steps. The Government is considering giving the status of farmers to beekeepers, while recognizing honeybees as inputs to agriculture, while diversifying the basket of beekeeping products. Attention must be placed on creating more such innovative methods of advancing non-farm rural incomes while improving agricultural productivity.

Another area with a lot of potential for generating non-farm incomes is the traditional system of medicine and healthcare such as Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, collectively referred to as AYUSH, with a view to provide education and research in these areas. The sector has a huge potential to generate both direct and indirect employment and could benefit the rural economy tremendously as well.

Very recently, the Government launched 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) countrywide, with the objective of empowering farmers by providing them access to various agricultural inputs to marketing their own produce. This is in line with Gandhiji’s idea of Gram Swaraj or village self-rule that focussed on the concept of every village being self-sufficient and make provision for all necessities of life.

Thus, Gandhiji’s core ideas and principles, even today are etched and intertwined in every aspect of our life. From his ideas of sanitation and his vision of a clean India to his charkha – that became a symbol of self-sufficiency and freedom, to his ideas of Gram Swaraj – all still continue to play a crucial role as not only a way of life but also as critical pillars to achieve social and economic development for all.