Gandhi's Principles and Non-Violence Movement - Term Paper Example

Mahatma Gandhi Table of contents Table of contents 1 Introduction 2 Principle of Gandhian theory 3 Literature review on Gandhi’s leadership style 6 Influence of Gandhi on Nelson Mandela 12 Comparison between Mahatma Gandhi & Martin King Luther 14 Gandhian principles in 21st century 15 Conclusion 17 Reference 19 Bibliography 23 Introduction Different eras have seen the birth of powerful leaders who with their own distinctive leadership style, teachings and principles have projected to the world an ideal social structure. Mahatma Gandhi’s principles regarding “non-violence movement” have gained him reputation not only in India but also in the whole world. Mahatma Gandhi was often called a “moral leader” (Joseph, 2006, p.274). He played an instrumental role in the freedom movement of India and with his new theory of “Ahinsa” showed to the world how war can be waged without arms. The leadership style adopted by Mahatma Gandhi was unique in its own way because he represented the poor Indian people, with no infrastructure whatsoever to fight the mighty Britishers. According to Gandhi the concept of non violation cannot be preached, it can only be practiced .Non- violence is not the weapon of the cowards rather it requires great courage to follow the path of ahimsa. The admirers of Gandhi believed that “Gandhiji humanized the human race” (Misra & Yadav, p.136). Gandhi was a not only a successful leader but he also an idealist who continues to be a source of inspiration for many young leaders with the aim of transforming the human race for the good. Several scholars conducted various researches to understand the leadership style followed by Mahatma Gandhi and realized that he didn’t limit himself to a single style. Many believe that Mahatma Gandhi was a transformational leader as he had the capacity to metamorphosise his followers leading them to adopt the path of non-violence. Some others are of the opinion that his popularity was because of his projection of himself as a servant leader. He inspired his followers to become self dependent (Gill, 2006, p.41). The other leaders who followed servant leadership style were Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela and also Dalai Lama (Gill, 2006, p.41). However an in-depth analysis of his leadership style depicts that his principles were different from those of other leaders. The leadership style of Mahatma Gandhi was highly inspired by the Indian culture and value system. The principles followed by Mahatma Gandhi were inspired by ahinsa, karma yoga and satyagraha (Joseph, 2006, p.274). Critics are of the opinion that many political problems of the present world can be solved easily if people revert back to the path of non-violence and civilian disobedience. This attests the validity of Gandhian principles in the modern world. Principle of Gandhian theory Mahatma Gandhi was the voice of millions of poor people and the motivational source for general civilian in India. Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership style was highly inspired by Indian culture and he strongly emphasized on ahinsa, karma yoga and satyagraha which constituted the backbone of his theory. The term satyagraha when broken down into its root words provide the in-depth meaning of the term; “satya” refers to truth and “agraha” means determination (Rai, 2000, p.36). Mahatma Gandhi used this term to emphasize his belief that truth and non-violence are synonymous. According to Mahatma Gandhi violence against violence is not the solution to any problem, this is the behavior of brutes, as human we should use the path of non-violence for handling the violent act of other. The concept of satyagraha was based on three strong forces; love force, truth force and soul force. Gandhi called them as the “science of satyagraha” (Rai, 2000, p.36). The term called satyagraha was first coined by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa, it was a new concept then and no one had ever used it before (Tahtinen, 1979, p.83). Through satyagraha Mahatma Gandhi preached that one should not ignore the wrong deed of the government and should raise voice against it but the process of resistance should be non-violent in nature. Such passive resistance will help the enemy to understand his mistake and rectify it. The enemy would then become a friend and will assist in gaining synergy. “Ahinsa” literary means non-killing and it represents non-violence. Gandhi made people understand the fact that one can fight for ones right even without getting violent. The term “ahinsa” or “ahimsa” was derived from Hindu, Jain and Buddhist preaching which says not to hurt any living thing at any cost (Bondurant, 1965, p.24). During the national freedom movement many Indians resorted to violent action against the European government but Gandhi made his followers understand the fact that killing each other will result in more death and many innocent people will have to lose their life without any cause. He thereby advocated civil disorder as the best way to promote the inner through and continue the fight for the freedom. Gandhi visualized ahinsa as sacrifice, self giving and self suffering (Moniz, 1996, p.153). In Hindu religion the term “yoga” refers to action and it’s a Sanskrit word. According this term the action performed by an individual in his life has repercussion in his future; hence the one who do good action will have a good future and the one with bad action will have to suffer in the future accordingly. The karma yoga refers “action discipline” (Espín & Nickoloff, 2007, p.707). The concept of karma yoga is framed to make people understand that by following every day duty one can attain liberation. So according to Mahatma Gandhi each and every individual should perform his duty considering it as the karma yoga and should not take the duty as an imposed burden. The feeling of being yoked makes the duty monotonous and hence retards one’s ability to perform to his best. Gandhi called himself a karma yogi who fought for truth throughout his life and the aim of his struggle was victory of truth over evil. The principles followed by Gandhi and his followers also consist of certain virtues like purity of mind and heart. Gandhi believed that the type of food one consumes directly affects one’s thought process and hence he asked his followers to take a vegetarian diet. Many friends of Mahatma Gandhi said that Gandhi’s policies are derived from religion. In response to it Gandhi said that all the activities of Man should be inspired by religion because it will help him to remain close to god and to follow the path of truth (Misra & Yadav, 2005, p.47). Gandhi was a follower of simple living and high thinking and he adopted a living style which was common among the poor Indians living in villages. He communicated the message that one should keep the requirement as small as possible because the resources offered by earth are sufficient for ones ‘need’ but not for ones ‘greed’. (Pandey, 1998, p.242). Literature review on Gandhi’s leadership style A lot of scholars have conducted several researches regarding the leadership style followed by Mahatma Gandhi. Many of them believe that Gandhi was a servant leader. The term “Servant leadership” was coined in 1970; however some argue that this leadership style had existence from the time of Jesus. The common misconception regarding servant leadership is that it is followed either by the church leaders or by the sycophants because one cannot lead and serve at the same time. This kind of leadership has two aspects, first one deal with vision and the second one with implementation. It is the responsibility of each and every leader to set the vision and communicate it to the followers. Once the people have a clear understanding regarding the vision, the implementation of servant aspect of leadership style then comes into play. The servant leader assists the followers in making their dreams come true. The leader first finds out what the people need to do to achieve their vision and then helps the people to fulfill their dreams. The leader who follows the servant leadership style will never prefer a sycophant follower; rather he will try his level best to bring positive changes in the life as well as the thinking processes of the followers so as to achieve the goal. Many a times situational leadership and servant leadership seem same but in reality there exist certain differences (Blanchard, 2009, p.261-262). After analyzing the leadership style followed by Gandhi one can say it was highly influenced by servant leadership because Mahatma Gandhi took all possible measures to assist his followers at each and every point of their freedom movement. Gandhi left all the luxuries of life and adopted the way of living of his follower which was based on simple living. He inspired the followers to adopt vegetarian food habits because this will help them in maintaining ahinsa and follow the path of non-violence. As and when required Gandhi stood firm with the followers and assisted them to put forward their demands in front of British government. The famous “Dandi March” depicts how Mahatma assisted his followers throughout their struggle and showed them the right path for achieving the goal. As described by Louis Fischer, instead of going through train or any other mode of transport, Gandhi decided to walk continuously for 24 days which attracted the attention of entire India. This walk was meant to convey the message that he supported the common people of India in their struggle to gain their rights (Gandhi & Jack, 1994, p.241). Gandhi focused more on the needs of the followers and made it the focal point of his thought processes. This he gained by developing selflessness. So considering all these facts it can be concluded that Gandhi was a servant leader. Another group of scholars argues that Gandhi followed transformational leadership style. A transitional leader is one who focuses on the development of his followers and raises awareness among them. As described by Burns (1978), the leader who makes an attempt to understand the need of the followers and then provide them the required support in achieving the goal is a transformational leader (Bass & Riggio, 2006, p.122). So the characteristic of a transformational leader is that he/she increases the awareness level of followers, provides a vision, frames a required strategy and encourages the followers. This in turn raises their level of performance by acting as a team so as to achieve the common goal and cultivate an environment of open sharing of ideas. The leader delegates responsibility and authority to the followers and encourages active participation in decision making process. As per the scholars a transformational leader has three main characteristics; “charismatic, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration” (Hitt, et al., 2006, p.297). Charisma refers to the leader ability to motivate the subordinates emotionally. He is instrumental in converging the attention of his followers towards a common goal. In doing so the leader goes beyond self interest and practices the ethical qualities. Intellectual stimulation implies that the leader must have the capacity to develop new and innovative ways to overcome a problem if the need so arises. Individual consideration means the leader must be supportive and at the same time assist the follower to become self dependent. The leader pays individual attention on the followers’ strength and weaknesses and like a teacher helps the follower in overcoming his shortcomings. The above mentioned characteristics were clearly visible in the leadership style of Mahatma Gandhi. He was charismatic as he inspired his followers to fight for the freedom of their mother land. Gandhi’s words and actions motivated people both in South Africa and in India. He paved a new path of non-violence and civil disobedience to fight against the unjust laws imposed by the British government. For India, Gandhi was an icon of truth and non-violence, and hence the followers made all possible attempts to adopt the principles of Gandhi in their lifestyle. Mahatma Gandhi also had the capacity to intellectually stimulate the followers by providing them the “Revolutionary goal” (The Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute, 2001). This goal came with the message that one should concentrate on the prevailing national problems irrespective of party affiliation and that all Indians should work hand in hand for achieving the solution. He was of the opinion that taking a broader approach towards the problem helps in finding more appropriate solution because concentrating on a particular solution leads to more complications. For Gandhi the rules and regulations were same for the followers and for himself. He adopted the common lifestyle of poor Indian and used to share their works. Mahatma Gandhi motivated the poor who did not have the ability to raise their voice against the injustices done to them. Mahatma Gandhi advocated inner freedom as the source of strength and in order to attain it he emphasized on the purity of mind and food. He devoted time to his followers as and when they needed Gandhi’s moral support for solving their problems (Gandhi, 2008, p.283). Gandhi was also famous as a “Moral leader” because his leadership style had roots in spirituality and traditional Hindu religion. He also took inspirations from the sermons of Jesus Christ’s, Isa Upnishad and the Bhagavad Gita (Joseph, 2006, p. 274). He collected knowledge from different sources and then used them to conduct different experiments related to truth and morality. As per Gandhi the centre of his action came from the core belief that connects all different religions. The belief that God is one. For Gandhi the soul (Atman) is the universal principal which connects all living creatures with the universe. Such belief was clearly visible in the satyagraha which was designed to achieve swaraj not just for India but also for each and every individual-swaraj in the sense of freeing the soul from the clutches of materialistic ties, a spiritual rebirth. Through Satyagraha, Gandhi tried to introduce morality in politics. Whenever Mahatma Gandhi found that things were not progressing as per the moral frame work, he called off the protests or the activities and decided to keep the action on hold until the matter is solved in a right way. Gandhi pointed out that truth is connected to humanity, cleanliness and poverty. His belief in religion and humanity provided him with strength and became the key to his success. Mahatma Gandhi set an example for the society by adopting a religious, moral and ethical path which made him an ideal moral leader for the generations to come. Mahatma Gandhi used different symbols to put forward his thoughts to his followers. For example he used the spinning wheel to symbolize that India should become self sufficient. The spinning wheel also represented non-violence. According to Gandhi if a human makes proper use of the spare time, he or she will not have time left for criminal thoughts and activities. Many followers of Gandhi considered spinning wheel as a “true sacrificial act” (Chakrabarti, 2000, p.54). Mahatma Gandhi argued that by continuously spinning the wheel, the nation will be able to produce enough cloth (Khadi) for the poor people of India. This would not only provide employment opportunities for Indian youth but will also be an effective way of resisting the use of foreign goods. The Dandi march, a struggle against the unethical rule imposed by British government, was used to symbolize that the Indian will not accept any unethical action of the government and the common people will come together and will raise their voice but in a non-violation manner. Vegetarianism was prescribed by Gandhi not just for the sake of good health; rather it was a symbol of non-violence and ahinsa. Gandhi introduced simple living so that one can learn to adjust with the available resources in the country (Parel, 2000, p.93-95). Hence after analyzing different leadership style used by Mahatma Gandhi it can be concluded that he was a man who practiced what he preached. This made him a living legend for others to emulate. His leadership style was a unique because it combined both modern and contemporary style. However certain authors criticized his principle because they felt Gandhi was rigid at many points which resulted in the failure of some very vital movements toward freedom. Some others were of the opinion that Gandhi emphasized on religion in the matters that were strictly socio-political. (Pandikattu, 2001, p.1-3). Influence of Gandhi on Nelson Mandela Gandhi left a deep impact on future generation and Nelson Mandela was one such leader who was highly influenced by the Gandhian principles. Mandela followed the path of non-violence encapsulated by Mahatma Gandhi. The prison hunger strike conducted by Nelson Mandela was inspired by Gandhi’s principle (Boehmer, 2008, p.90). Both these two leaders fought for the freedom of their nation following the path of non-violation. However Gandhi was more committed to a passive resistance against the injustices done by the dominating British government. Mandela shared with Gandhi similar vision regarding culture and humanity. In the year 2000 Nelson Mandela was awarded the India’s Gandhi peace prize (Boehmer, 2008, p.91). Mandela, a politicized lawyer stood for the human dignity. Mandela had a hanging picture of Mahatma Gandhi on the wall along with other political leaders like Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt. Taking into account the historical evidences it can be concluded that although both these leaders where followers of non-violence but still there exists certain differences. Gandhi was a man of firm principles and he always supported the path of ahinsa; whereas Mandela in the 1960’s was more tough and was actively involved in formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe which was an armed wing of African National Congress (Brady & Spence, 2010, p.157). Gandhi’s principles were highly influenced by the Hindu and Jain religious teachings, hence he emphasized a lot on truth and spirituality but the principle followed by Nelson Mandela were neither influenced by any religious nor had anything to do with spirituality. He adopted a more practical approach towards his freedom fight. Thus though the leadership style of Mandela was quite similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi’s yet there were certain dissimilarities also. Mandela was more of an autocratic leader and followed a strong leadership approach, he was a transitional leader who motivated the followers to achieve their goal and supported them as and where required, but the leadership style of Mandela lacked the servant leader quality which was an integral part of Gandhi’s leadership style. Comparison between Mahatma Gandhi & Martin King Luther A comparison of the leadership styles of Mahatma Gandhi & Martin King Luther revealed many similarities. Both these leaders used non-violence and civil disobedience as a tool against the unethical act on the poor. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Charismatic leader who had the ability to inspire general public and motivate them to achieve their goal. The ideologies of King, like Gandhi, are inspired by religion and he considered it as a source of inspiration. King was also inspired by Howard Thurman and Gandhi. After visiting India and meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, King said his belief in non-violence movement has become more firm and that he realized the actual strength of non-violence protects (King, et al., 2005, p.145). King was a strong motivator and has distinct qualities of a charismatic leader. He was a good speaker and had the ability to motivate others. However the qualities of a servant leader or a moral leader which characterized Gandhi were not so prominent in King. Hence it can be concluded that although there were certain similarities in the way they conducted their fight for human rights yet they maintained their distinctive leadership style which make them prominent leaders in their respective spheres. Gandhian principles in 21st century Mahatma Gandhi’s name will be written in golden words in the history of Indian struggle to attain freedom from the foreign rule. The principles of Gandhi had contributed a lot in the freedom fight of India. However according to Mahatma Gandhi swaraj does not mean just the freedom of a nation; it refers to the freedom of the self for each and every human being irrespective of the caste or religion to which one belongs. Gandhi always motivated the followers to introduce the principles of ahinsa in their day to day life style and for that he asked the followers to have a vegetarian diet. Mahatma Gandhi was well aware of the fact that in India resources are limited, so if the public adopts a simpler life style, poor people will get access to basic resources (food, clothing & shelter). This is true even today in many of the third world countries where a high percentage of the population is living under poverty line and cannot afford two square meals a day. Communal fights still continue in many countries were people does not hesitate to kill each other for the sake of religion. Though with the advent of globalization the whole world has become a global village yet the rivalry between nations is becoming more susceptible. In the present world people give their own requirement and comfort more priority and the concept of individualism in gaining more prominence which violates Gandhi’s teachings.. The problem of terrorism is a major threat for all the nations irrespective of their financial condition. When studied in detail one finds that social injustice is the main cause behind terrorism. An individual or society when gets badly treated and dominated by the powerful sectors, develops a sense of revolt which ensues in clashes. Creation of neo-colonies in developing nations situated of Asia, Africa and Middle East, led the western nations to exploit the native dwellers. They in turn revolted against the western super powers giving rise to terrorism (Martin, 2006, p.286). The main motive of terrorism is to create terror in the minds of general public and thereby increase pressure on the government. They use different methods to spread violence which often lead to the killing of the innocent people. To stop them the governments of different nations are taking several measures which again result in higher bloodshed. However even after putting so much of effort the problem of terrorism still exists. Gandhian principles envisage that violence in retaliation to violence leads to greater violence. The only possible solution is the path of non-violence where one can help the terrorist to understand that their way of fighting against the unjust is not acceptable in a civilized world. If the society and the government can realize that their misdeeds are resulting in major problems like terrorism, no doubt the society will try to rectify the mistake done in past and the matter of terrorism can be solved in much affective and peaceful manner. So Gandhi’s principles of non-violence can prove highly effective in the 21st century. Conclusion In 20th century Gandhi immerged as an icon in Indian’s freedom movement and gave a new direction to his followers to achieve swaraj through non-violence. The satyagraha started by Mahatma Gandhi was a unique one as no other leader introduced such struggle for independence. The factors behind success of Gandhi was his identical leadership style, it had influences of both contemporary and traditional leadership styles. The roots of Gandhi’s principle were in Hindu as well as Jain religious and had flavor of karma yoga, ahinsa and spirituality. The leadership style followed by Mahatma Gandhi has similarities with many other famous leaders but still there are several factors which make Ganghian leadership style a unique one. With passage of time many changes took place in the society and the way in which people behave; but Gandhian theory still hold true and affective for solving many problems existing in social. If the world realize the effectives of Gandhian principles and apply to solve these problem, world will be a better place to live. Reference Bass, M. B. & Riggio, E. R. 1998. Transformational leadership. 2nd ed. Routledge. Blanchard, K. (2009). Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations. FT Press. Boehmer, E. (2008). Nelson Mandela: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press. Bondurant, V. J. (1965). Conquest of violence: the Gandhian philosophy of conflict. University of California Press. Brady, D. & Spence, M. 2010. Leadership and Growth. World Bank Publications. Chakrabarti, M. (2000). The Gandhian philosophy of the spinning wheel. Espín, O. O. & Nickoloff, B. J. (2007). An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies. 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