Mahatma Gandhi: A Peaceful Warrior

(http://www.4to40.com/images/legends/mahatmagandhi/gandhi_at_meeting.jpg)


Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi (1869-1948) not only served as leader to the successful decolonization of Britain in his home country, India, but also became a beacon of hope for the oppressed worldwide, as his methods of activism of which he called "satyagraha" (i.e., holding to truth) through non-violent resistance went on to inspire other great leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandala, and Lech Walesa (Arturk, 126). Through the love of his country, his unique application of activism, and use of his Hindu faith as his guide, Gandhi has left the world a viable legacy for attainable peace and unity.

Track 1. Jana Gana Mana

Jana Gana Mana (Indian National Song)

“The salvation of all people waits in thy hand, / thou dispenser of India's destiny. / Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.” These lines are excerpts from India’s National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, adopted by India in 1950 (Tour India). India’s National Anthem holds some ironic ties, since it was only three years earlier in 1947, when Mahatma Gandhi the “godfather” of non-violent activism lead his country to it’s independence, and even though it sounds as though it was written for Gandhi, it was originally composed in honor of British King George V (Weber, 251). Despite this fact, and the negative associations connected with the anthem, it still holds two sides to Gandhi’s story: a man who led a people’s revolution against tyrannical rule, and a spiritual statement of unification.

Track 2. Bob Marley & The Wailers – War

Bob Marley & The Wailers. "War." Rastaman Vibration. Island Records, 12 June 2001.



Gandhi was surrounded his entire life by a rich diversity of people. He understood at a young age that there was much competition within these climates. Gandhi once reflected about his experience as a young student, saying, “There was a sort of rivalry going on between the Sanskrit and the Persian teachers” (Arturk, 127). His schooling also led him to study in England as well as British colonized South Africa where Gandhi experienced a sort of tipping point in his personal experience with cultural discrimination. Gandhi was “tossed” from a train for refusing to sit in “third class” despite having a first-class ticket (Kupfer, 1). It was then when Ghandi held fast to a new philosophy, as Marley sang in his song War, “Until the philosophy which hold one race / Superior and another inferior / Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned / Everywhere is war, me say war.”

Track 3. Woody Guthrie – This Land is Your Land

Guthrie, Woody. “This Land is Your Land." This Land is Your Land: The Asch Recordings. Smithsonian Folkways, 18 Feb. 1998.

Gandhi waged war differently than other revolutionists. He utilized non-violent means of resistance within oppressive circumstances. One of his first was the mobilization of the Dandi Salt Flat March in 1930 (Brinkley). In protest of the British viceroy’s impingement of a small tax on salt, Gandhi set out on a march across India. Before reaching the sea, Gandhi had met, spoken, and rallied tens of thousands of Indians to the cause. “[They] roamed and rambled and follered [their] footsteps / To the sparklin' sands of her diamond deserts / All around me, a voice was sounding / This land was made for you and me.” Through the mobilization and unification of his people, Gandhi was able to send a clear message to Britain.

Track 4. Andrew Bird – MX Missiles

Bird, Andrew. “MX Missiles." Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs. Righteous Babe, 8 Feb. 2005.

The Dandi Salt Flat March lasted from March 12, 1930 until January 1931, when Gandhi was released from imprisonment (A&E). While he was imprisoned, his march was not weakened. In fact, he inspired other leaders to march elsewhere, and over 60,000 people were arrested for the cause. On May 21, 1930, several hundred peaceful protesters were brutally beaten by 2,500 British-led Indian police officers. These British actions spurred an international outcry in policy changes. “Cause when I see your blood / And the bits of your broken tooth / It gives me proof that I need / It's the proof that you bleed / And its a revelation.” Even though Britain tried to harm the people of India, it backfired by spurring a cultural revolution, led by Gandhi.

Track 5. Temple of the Dog – Hunger Strike

Temple of the Dog. “Hunger Strike.” Temple of the Dog. A&M, 1991.

“The blood is on the table / And their mouths are choking / But I’m growing hungry.” Another non-violent means of resistance Gandhi used was hunger strikes. He not only led hunger strikes against British colonizers, but also in attempt to unify his own people. There was long-standing tensions between the Hindu and Muslim population in India. In 1947, Hindu and Muslim relations had peaked into the merciless killings upon the borders of East Bengal and Beliaghata in East Bengal (Tharoor). Ghandi, by sitting with the Muslims (a Hindu himself), generated “public shame and outrage” for those who took part in the communal violence. “Gandhi broke his fast as weeping rioters laid their machetes at his feet.”

Track 6. Dr. Ghazal Srinivas - Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha

Srinivas, Dr. Ghazal. “Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha.” No Label, 2008. Originally aired on Etv2, retrieved 14 Sep. 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAyAt3o94o



This is a tribute song that focuses on Gandhi’s philosophical and spiritual idea of satygraha, which means holding firmly onto truth. He once said, “we can protest and teach people to resist and make it clear to the Government that it cannot look us in this manner” (Pinto 2). Vivek Pinto, a scholar of Gandhi, reflects on the Gandhian value system, 50 years after his death, by noting that his principles are still relevant today for the health and vitality of the Indian economy; specifically in Agriculture (1). Gandhi’s message of strength in non-violent resistance has had a profound impact on leaders in India and worldwide.