Gandhiji as A Post Modernist Thinker: Timeless Philosophies Shaping the Country’s Ideals
- Posted on February 12, 2023
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- By Akta Yadav
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Gandhiji:-
What is Modernism and Post Modernism? Post Modernism refers to a line of thought which rejects Modernism and has an ambit, even more wider and visionary than Modernism. To understand Post Modernism, one must first understand Modernism. Modernism refers to development through rapid urbanization, industrialization and embracing Western cultures. However, Post Modernism is a step ahead. Mahatma Gandhi or Gandhiji is an exemplary post modernist leader from India. Here are some of Mahatma Gandhi’s post modernist ideas:
Gandhiji
Mahatma Gandhi’s Attention Was Primarily on Indigenous Development
While some leaders of Congress such as Nehru looked at the massive backward indigenous population of India as an encumbrance upon the country, Gandhiji looked at the indigenous population as the country’s largest strength. Nehru laid stress upon urbanization projects such as dams and hydroelectric power plants, however, post modernist Gandhiji promoted the development of cottage industries and indigenous business. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Machine is the chief symbol of modern civilization; it represents a great sin.” Gandhiji did not influence tribals to abandon their villages and move to the cities for work, rather post modernist thinker Mahatma Gandhi asked them to stick to their cultural heritage and work hard for their indigenous businesses which furthered the objective of ‘Make in India’.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Idea of ‘Ramrajya’ and Community Development
Mahatma Gandhi often said that when he visualizes his idea of ‘Ramrajya’, he sees many villages working in coherence with each other’s strengths and weaknesses and in partnership with each other to fill the voids in development. His idea was that of community development, something that was never heard of in the era of the freedom struggle where freedom was the immediate need of the nation. Such visionary approaches re-establish Gandhiji as an ultimate post modernist thinker.
Linkage Between Satyagraha and Ahimsa
A unique post modernist philosophy propounded by Mahatma Gandhi was that Satyagrah (insistence on what is true) and Ahimsa (the greatest duty of man) are so deeply interconnected that the two facets cannot be separated by any means. Gandhiji said that all people carry some Truth in themselves and the Truth cannot be wholly known by a single individual. In order to reach the ultimate Truth, one must strike conversations with the other rather than resorting to violence to establish one’s own viewpoint which one perceives as the ultimate Truth.
Everlasting Impact of Mahatma Gandhi’s Post Modernist Ideas
Many of Gandhiji’s post modernist ideas have been implemented in modern day’s governmental plans such as the scheme of ‘Make in India’, ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan’ and India’s attempts to maintain non violent diplomatic ties with other countries. The philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi irrespective of the time period and circumstances in which they were propounded have been proven to be timeless in nature.
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