Gandhi Must Fall

On 13 April this year, a statue of Gandhi in Johannesberg was defaced and protesters raised placards reading 'Gandhi must fall.'  I see around me an attempt to discredit the Mahatma due to the racism he displayed towards black South Africans. Yet, in ignoring Gandhi's journey from Man to Mahatma, these 'activists' display a violence of thought that would make their quest for equality more difficult.*

For an Indian citizen, I am embarrassingly ignorant about Gandhi. I never needed to know more about him than I already knew. After all, those who seek to discredit Gandhi within India have had to resort to the most banal of arguments - the muslim-appeasing, weak, megalomaniacal Mahatma; the one who caused the partition, the one who left us with the Nehru-Gandhi family et al. A few months after I came to Oxford, I was jolted out of this complacence by a Rhodes Scholar, who called the Mahatma a 'nappy-wearing racist' on facebook. This was my first incentive to know more about Gandhi, and I picked up his autobiography. The next was another Rhodes Scholar who said 'but he beat his wife!' I kept reading, because I cannot talk about something I do not know. Most recently, when I quoted what Gandhi wrote about Israel in 1939, a Rhodes Scholar commented 'given how problematic Gandhi's remarks on apartheid in South Africa were (often full of anti-black sentiment), I don't see how his view is at all relevant.' I was hurt, not because I believe Gandhi was the perfect human being, but because I view this as symptomatic of a tendency to discredit all of Gandhi because of sensitivities around racism. Putting my reading on hold for a moment, I am compelled to put together my thoughts on this issue. For the record, I disagree vehemently with him, but more on that later.

• General disdain for blacks or 'Kaffirs' (1894 - 1911): Gandhi's writings from the time he spent in South Africa reflect a desire to, rather than attain equality with the whites, distinguish the Indians or Asiatics from the natives or 'Kaffirs' as he called them. Click here for a collection of quotes attributed to Gandhi. It is difficult for me to comment on the issue without having read precisely the texts that are quoted here**, but a few comments are in order. Firstly, Gandhi's thoughts and actions underwent a transformation over his life, and it seems that they began to distil into 'Gandhiism' only by the late 1910s. For example, Gandhi in the 1920s himself regretted his behaviour with his wife during their time in South Africa. If there is any truth in the allegations against Gandhi here, I am certain that he would have regretted them later in life***. Secondly, the complexity of this relationship is borne by this quote - "We may entertain no aversion to Kaffirs, but we cannot ignore the fact that there is no common ground between them and us in the daily affairs of life." Evidently, Gandhi believed that there is no intinsic reason to distinguish between the natives and Indians. He refers to the cultural differences that make assimilation untenable. Where Gandhi of this time may be found lacking is in accepting these differences and not wanting to bridge them. Gandhi's later actions in India, w.r.t. the Harijans or untouchables, a class of people who suffered discrimination perhaps unfathomable in any other part of the world, are testimony to his egalitarian nature. Gandhi's vision of India as a united state, where every citizen irrespective of religion, race or gender, had equal rights, is testimony to the fact that (the later) Gandhi can be called anything but racist.

• Participation in the war with the Zulus, 1906: After his participation in the Second Boer War as the leader of the Indian volunteer medics, Gandhi was once again on the side of the British during the Zulu rebellion. Gandhi's willingness to side with the British has not only been used to prove his antipathy towards the native black populations, but also to discredit him as a messiah of peace (click here). A few comments must be made. Firstly, Gandhi in 1906 was a supporter of the British empire; in fact, he envisaged a role for India within this empire and had not even thought of independence. As a faithful subject of the British empire, Gandhi felt duty-bound to come to the assistance of his nation. He said - "It is not for us to say whether the revolt of the Kaffirs is justified or not.. We re in natal by virtue of British power. Our very existence depends upon it. It is therefore our duty to render whatever help we can" Gandhi's repeated participation on the side of the British was driven by his duty towards his 'nation'. The same Gandhi sided with the British during the First World War, this time against 'white' enemies. On the second point, it seems that Gandhi's thoughts around war and violence were yet to fully develop. In any case, (the later) Gandhi would not have approved of a violent struggle for freedom as mounted by the Zulus in 1906, not would he have approved of the brutal British response. One must remember than in 1922, Gandhi called off a successful non-cooperation movement against British rule in India after a single incident of violence.

In conclusion, the sensitivity of the 'activists' towards racism is understandable. However, the hurry in knocking off the Mahatma from the pedestal he currently occupies is unwarranted. We are increasingly a generation of the impatient, and our activism and our ideals are also coloured by this impatience. Our ability to see things in the wider context has consequently suffered. There is certain merit in gradualism and patience. Gandhi needs a careful reading, one that I am still in the process of making. But more importantly, understanding Gandhi needs a clear mind. Trying to think from the Mahatma's perspective is difficult, but an attempt must be made. For me, Gandhi is the Mahatma or the 'Great Soul', not because I agree with him (which I do not), but I agree with how he reached the conclusions he did and what he did once he reached them. Gandhi's life was one big experiment, a continuous learning curve. He made mistakes on the way, as he admits himself. But if the 'activists' use these mistakes to denigrate an icon, I believe it will only do great disservice to their cause. Peace and love are powerful weapons. They may be advised to use them more. 

-------------------------

* - all quotes attributed to Gandhi in this article are from secondary sources. I would request the readers to let me know if any mistakes so that I may correct them.

** - having read his autobiography, there is little reference, derogatory or otherwise, to the black population of South Africa. Gandhi comments intensely on the state of the Indian community and their relationship with the (white) administration

*** - if anyone has come across any comments that Gandhi makes about black Africans post - 1920, would be very grateful if you could send those to me