MAHATMA GANDHI AS MORARJI DESAI KNEW HIM
Morarji Desai was born on 29th February 1896 in Bhadeli,
a small village, in the present Gujarat. He was the son of a Headmaster, began
his schooling in his native village but completed his education in Wilson College, University of Mumbai.
He was the fourth Prime Minister of India from 24.3.1977 to
15.7.1979 as a leader of the newly formed Janata Party. He was thus the first non-Congress Prime
Minister of independent India.
The Government of India honoured him with its highest
civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1991 and the Government of Pakistan with its similar
highest award Nishan-e-Pakistan in 1990.
Mr. Desai has devoted a special
chapter to Gandhiji in his book The Story of My Life, Volume One (1974).
In the very first paragraph of this chapter, he writes: When I met Mahatma Gandhi
in November 1947 for the first time, I had the painful experience of seeing how
ven a person like Gandhiji, who had almost achieved complete detachment, could
feel, in the last year of his life, disappointment and frustration because of
the neglect by, or indifference of, some of his colleagues.
Later on, he writes, whenever we
think of Gandhiji, a picture of majestic grandeur comes to us. There was
nothing spectacular about his childhood and youth. He was not considered a very cleaver student
in school, nor did he shine particularly during his study of law. He, however
adopted the principle of truth from childhood, and devotion to his parents was
deeply rooted in his mind. As a result of these two attachments he became fearless
and developed from an ordinary person into an extraordinary one.
Mr. Desai adds it was in South Africa that he found his true
mission. It came to him with his bitter experience of the colour bar and racial
discrimination prevalent there. He resolved to resist this and all other
injustices. He organised the Indian population there and brought the instrument
of Satyagraha into use for the first time. The work that he did there made him
known and respected in India. Shri G. K. Gokhale (Indian political leader,
1866-1915) had then gone to South Africa and Gandhiji was humble enough to
consider Gokhale his Guru.
Mr.
Desai believes that the unique manner in which Gandhiji led the national
struggle in the peculiar circumstances of our country was drawn from the
Puranas. Nobody had any specific idea as to how freedom was to be chieved. Many
young men had adopted the terrorist methods, but there was not much chance of
that movement succeeding or gathering strength. At the other extreme, some leaders
thought of achieving Home Rule by sending appeals and submissions to the
British authorities. This approach too did not seem promising. It was at this
stage that Mahatma Gandhi stepped in with his message of Satyagraha. He created
national awareness by organising satyagraha in Champaran and throughout the
country against the Rowlatt Act. At the same time, he inspired many capable men
like Pandit Motilal Nehru, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Ansari, Chittarajan Das,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu
and others to rise to the occasion and become great leaders. Whereas all these
people were potential leaders, it was Gandhiji who helped them realise their
potential.
According to Mr. Desai, Gandhiji did
not want anything for himself, and believing in
selfless service led a simple life. Thus, he succeeded in moulding the lives of
the people and making men from nothing.
He was deeply religious himself and believed in giving equal
respect to all religions. He believed that the means adopted for achieving
anything must be pure. His faith in truth and non-violence was so intense that
he even attracted those who did not have much faith in these two principles.
These people also accepted the purity of means as important.
According to Mr.Desai it was Gandhiji’s
exemplary life that made a much larger and effective impression than any prophet
before him was able to do so. Prophets and saints withdrew from the world,
preached in a void, and were therefore unable to solve the daily problems of the
people. But Gandhiji identified himself completely with the poor. He lived with
the people and understood the ordinary man. He suggested a course of action
only after he had tried it on himself. He never expected anybody to work beyond
his capacity, though he did encourage them to try harder. This was the reason
why the people considered him their father.
Finally, says Mr. Desai, it is often
said that Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts and working methods have been totally
forgotten and are not relevant. But this is a superficial judgement. Mahatma Gandhi’s
teachings are based on eternal principles and are always useful. They can,
therefore, never disappear from the world. The fact that he is acknowledged as
the father of the nation is proof of his not being forgotten. And, if he is
forgotten, the country will perish.
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2nd
October 2020 G.R.
Kanwal
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