अहिंसा, सत्याग्रह

अहिंसा, सत्याग्रह

Gandhi lived a life in pursuit of non-violence and truth (the meaning of the above two words in Devanagari script).

The beauty of Gandhi’s life is his astonishing honesty. You can still disagree with him on certain aspects of his politics, including economics, and yet engage with his ideas and learn something deep. If you observe his writings, he was always engaging in disagreement and yet never dismissive of an opposing idea. He subjected himself to scrutiny of his character and yet emerged with a deeper meaning of flaws and self-introspection. Talk about confidence!

This is perhaps the hallmark of his education. A lesson he took not only as a teacher but also as a student of life.

Probably Gandhi’s most innovative idea was to recognize the deep philosophical and human aspects of life and incorporate them into his work. He practiced what he preached, which is a rarity. Einstein realized this very early (see the quote).

The two ideas mentioned at the beginning have stood the test of time, and I think they will continue to serve as benchmarks of human intellectual life. That is the lesson I take away from his life.

Long live अहिंसा and सत्याग्रह…