E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi’s Non-violence… 41period of over fifty years. I have applied it in every walk of life,domestic, institutional, economic and political. I know of nosingle case in which it has failed. Where it has seemed to havefailed, I have ascribed it to my imperfections. I claim noperfection for myself. But I do claim to be a passionate seekerafter Truth, which is but another name for God. In the course ofthat search, the discovery of non-violence came to me. Itsspread is my life-mission.” 20 According to him life is to beguided not by violence, coercion or fear but by voluntaryacceptance of duties, co-operation and compassion.Though Gandhi had acquired unprecedented success,yet towards the end of his life there were unprecedentedchallenges arising out of partition of the country and communalviolence. The brutal violence erupting on the partition of thecountry was a rude shock to him. He admitted with pain on July17, 1947 that, “It is true that I had believed that our Satyagrahastruggles were based on non-violence. Only lately I realisedthat it was not true. I admit my mistake.” 21 Nevertheless, heretained till the end of his life the unflinching faith in theefficacy of non-violence.Gandhi’s non-violence is of vital importance fordemocracy. According to him, under democracy “the weakestshould have the same opportunity as the strongest. That cannever happen except through non-violence.” 22 For Gandhidemocracy is the rule of unadulterated non-violence. . 23 Nonviolencenurtures the civil society by encouraging changesrequired for democratic norms. No democracy can survivewithout the freedom to express one’s views freely without fearor freedom to practice one’s faith, or equality in the eyes of thelaw. Gandhi recognises the importance of these importantprinciples, and therefore, insists on non-violence. Gandhi’smoral and political message is that non-violence cannot just be