Musings Over a Few Quotes of Mohandas K Gandhi

On Women’s Rights to Have Ownership of Their Body

As we know, the majority of women around the world, who constitute close to 50% of the population, wanted to have control over their reproductive rights. In the United States presidential election (Nov 2024), women’s right to choose is a big issue. In all literate, educated and advanced societies, there was unanimity among men and women on improving their quality of life through birth-control.

With this backdrop, how many women across the globe would agree with Mohandas K. Gandhi, who expressed his views on the use of contraceptive in the following words:

“Contraceptives are an insult to womanhood. The difference between a prostitute and a woman using contraceptives is only this that the former sells her body to several men, the latter sells it to one man.”

Gandhi, as is well known, emphasized the practice of celibacy to prevent the chances of pregnancies.

Killings of Hindus Would Usher in a New World !

In the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (Speech at Prayer Meeting, 6 April 1947, pgs. 218-19), Gandhi referred to his meeting with Khwaja Abdul Majid, who was trustee of the Aligarh University. Although an owner of a lot of landed property, Gandhi believed he was a fakir at heart. Gandhi writes about Khwaja, “Even if some one killed Khwaja Saheb, he wouldn’t wish him ill. Such people may be few but we must retain our innate qualities. When faced with bad characters we should not stoop to their level.”

Gandhi, then, mentioned Bihar and said, “But we committed this mistake in Bihar. Nationalist Muslims had been killed by the Hindus there and Hindu friends of Islam had been done to death by Muslims.”

Gandhi said, “We should dispassionately think where we are drifting. Hindus should not harbour anger in their hearts against Muslims even if the latter wanted to destroy them. Even if the Muslims want to kill us all we should face death bravely. If they established their rule after killing Hindus we would be ushering in a new world by sacrificing our lives. None should fear death. Birth and death are inevitable for every human being. Why should we then rejoice or grieve? If we die with a smile we shall enter into a new life, we shall be ushering in a new India.”

Thereafter, Gandhi gives reference to the concluding verses of the Second Chapter of the Gita on how god fearing man should live. He said, “I would exhort you to read and understand those verses and ponder over their meanings. You will then realize what our ideal is and how far short of it we are today. Our independence is at our threshold and it is our duty to ask ourselves whether we are fit to have it and sustain it.

This week, while I am here, I propose to administer you the dose which would make you worthy of freedom. If we keep on quarreling amongst ourselves we shall lose our freedom even after attaining it.”

On Reclaiming “Our Civilization” and Achieving Home-Rule

On achieving home rule (that is, independence, or self-government), Gandhi once said, “I have already described the true nature of Home Rule. This you would never obtain by force of arms. Brute-force is not natural to Indian soil. You will have, therefore, to rely wholly on soul-force. You must not consider that violence is necessary at any stage for reaching our goal.”

At the same time, Gandhi would exhort peace-loving, non-violent, pacifist moderates:

“Mere petitioning is derogatory; we thereby confess inferiority..We cannot say that anybody or anything is indispensable except God. Moreover, common sense should tell us that to state that, for the time being, the presence of the English in India is a necessity, is to make them conceited.” Gandhi, therefore, wanted the British to depart.

Then, Gandhi appeared to make a confusing argument on the possibility of social factions in India erupting into a fight among themselves after the British left and possibly implied accepting it for a greater purpose. He says,

“If the English vacated India, bag and baggage, it must not be supposed that she would be widowed. It is possible that those who are forced to observe peace under their pressure would fight after their withdrawal. There can be no advantage in suppressing an eruption; it must have its vent. If, therefore, before we can remain at peace, we must fight amongst ourselves, it is better that we do so. There is no occasion for a third party to protect the weak. It is this so-called protection which has unnerved us. Such protection can only make the weak weaker.”

Gandhi, perhaps, meant that anarchy under Home Rule were better than orderly foreign rule. Only, “we have to learn, and to teach others, that we do not want the tyranny of either English rule or Indian rule..If this idea were carried out, both the extremists and the moderates could join hands. There is no occasion to fear or distrust one another,” Gandhi suggested.

Addressing the British, Gandhi once wrote something that could bring the current debate around Hindutva and agitation against Islamo-Left liberals into a sharper focus. He said “respectfully” to them:

“I admit you are my rulers. It is not necessary to debate the question whether you hold India by the sword or by my consent. I have no objection to your remaining in my country, but although you are the rulers; you will have to remain as servants of the people. It is not we who have to do as you wish, but it is you who have to do as we wish. You may keep the riches that you have drained away from this land, but you may not drain riches henceforth. Your function will be, if you so wish, to police India; you must abandon the idea of deriving any commercial benefit from us. We hold the civilization that you support to be the reverse of civilization. We consider our civilization to be far superior to yours. If you realize this truth, it will be to your advantage and, if you do not, according to your own proverb, you should only live in our country in the same manner as we do. You must not do anything that is contrary to our religions. It is your duty as rulers that for the sake of the Hindus you should eschew beef, and for the sake of Mahomedans you should avoid bacon and ham. We have hitherto said nothing because we have been cowed down, but you need not consider that you have not hurt our feelings by your conduct..it is our duty now to speak out boldly. We consider your schools and courts to be useless. We want our own ancient schools and courts to be restored. The common language of India is not English but Hindi. You should, therefore, learn it. We can hold communication with you only in our national language.”

Gandhi also lambasted the British for their spending on military and railways. He expressed his resistance against involvement of India in any external wars. He said, “We cannot tolerate the idea of your spending money on railways and the military. We see no occasion for either. You may fear Russia; we do not. When she comes we shall look after her. If you are with us, we may then receive her jointly. We do not need any European cloth. We shall manage with articles produced and manufactured at home. You may not keep one eye on Manchester and the other on India. We can work together only if our interests are identical.”

However, Gandhi’s past told a different story, He founded an Ambulance Corps of around 1100 volunteers in support of the British in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Later, during World War II, he also consented to India joining the Allied Forces.

Resource:

https://www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/chap59.php

https://www.gandhiserve.net/about-mahatma-gandhi/collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi/087-19470221-19470524/

https://web.viu.ca/davies/H479B.Imperialism.Nationalism/Gandhi.HomeRule.1909.html

For a comprehensive indispensable collection of Gandhi’s works online, see:

https://www.gandhiserve.net/about-mahatma-gandhi/collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi/

[Originally from Darbhanga, Bihar (India), Dr Binoy Shanker Prasad lives in Dundas, Ontario (Canada). He is a former UGC teacher fellow at JNU in India and a Fulbright Scholar in the USA. Author of scholarly works including a book, “Violence Against Minorities”, “Gandhi in the Age of Globalization” (a monograph) and a collection of poems”, Dr Prasad has taught at Ryerson University, Centennial College and McMaster University. He has also been the president of Hamilton based India-Canada Society (2006-08 and 2018-20)]