E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

64 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughtwithout raising a finger in their self-defence. Subsequently,after the withdrawal of the Civil Disobedience Movement inMay 1934, and with of the formation of the Congress SocialistParty, he broke off his organisational linkage with the Congresson account of the socialist’s lack of faith in his principle ofnon-violence. In fact, it was during those days that one findsanother paradigm shift in his thinking and practice of nonviolence.He shifted to Wardha and founded the SevagramAshram to pursue his spiritual sadhana and village service in avigorous way. He laid greater emphasis on his earlierunderstanding that one ideal Satyagrahi would be enough toachieve all that he wanted to achieve, including the downfall ofthe mightiest empire.Thus, one finds that his faith in non-violence became morevibrant and vigorous. It was with this frame of mind that in1939, even before the second world war broke out, he advisedboth the Jews and the Poles to offer non-violent resistance inthe face of unprecedented brutality. He followed it up by givingthe same advice to the Czechs and, subsequently, also to theBritish people. Despite all his sympathies for the British and hisearnest desire for Indian independence, he was not willing toback the British in their war efforts, even for the sake of theIndian independence. And it was on his own initiative that hewas relieved from the responsibilities of Congress leadership.Thus, we find that in the course of his life, there was a seachange in the nature of his faith in non-violence, which wasassuming virtually an absolutist form. If one could recall hishelp to the British, both during his South African days and evenduring the First World War, and compare it with his attitudetowards the Second World War, one can clearly see thedifference. In the later period his faith in non-violence was soabsolute that he was not willing to barter it away even for thesake of the Indian independence. Not only that, this absolutistnature of his faith was more reflected in his debate with two