Is Gandhian Mode of Protest (Satyagraha) still relevant?

Satyagraha is the method of resistance and mass movement developed by Gandhi during his days in South Africa and later epitomised in India during its freedom struggle against British Empire. Satyagraha was developed as a broad term for techniques of civil disobedience, non cooperation, hunger strike and protest. Satyagraha is a portmanteau of the Sanskrit words Satya (meaning "truth") and Agraha ("insistence", or "holding firmly to"). For Gandhi, Satyagraha went far beyond mere "passive resistance" and became strength in practising non-violent methods. Later on Satyagraha went to become the most successful resistance technique and inspired many other great leaders like Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and others. Not only it led to freedom of our country but also created a cadre of thousands of activists for whom it became a mode of life and they were there to shape India's future in right form to ensure not just independence but also to the face challenges that a newly developed nation face.

However it was felt that today's youth is detached from those Gandhian methods and satyagraha is losing its appeal as the last successful mass movement after Gandhi is itself more than 30 years old when JP movement gave tremors to the government during 70's which later on resulted in internal emergency and since then we haven't experienced any mass movement on satyagraha lines, which probably led people and political scientists to believe that satyagraha and Gandhian methods are obsolete.

A century is enough time to deface and corrupt any concept. And this is what happened with 'satyagraha', conceptualised and experimented by Mahatma Gandhi in Johannesberg, Champaran, Dandi and other places as in a survey on Gandhi done by BBC in 2007 on Indian youth shockingly revealed that -

Quite a number of students shockingly pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi would have been entirely forgotten today but for the holiday given on his birthday on 2nd October.

It's cool And they have seen it in lago rahe munnabhai.

They also said that Mahatma Gandhi is being humiliated year after year, by several corrupt and dishonest people holding positions of power and authority, who preside over meetings to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanthi day.

The students of present generation who have only heard about Mahatma Gandhi find it extremely difficult to relate Mahatma Gandhi's teachings to the present day happenings. The consensus opinion amongst the students appear to be that the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi has been lost in India, though it should not be lost.

The survey reveals that although children don't know about Gandhi, yet they have positive attitude about him which is because of his non violent protests about which students know from their history text books, and they seems to know very less about the civil disobedience due to lack of mass movements in present generation and admission of Gandhian values only in letter but not in spirit by present leadership of country. They know about it, yet they don't know it as they have not experienced it and they need a mass movement to be educated about it and be made aware of it. At the end the report points out that in fact in today's world of violent conflicts and vengeance mindsets Gandhi is even more relevant as it was also reflected by the grand success and support for Lage Raho Munnabhai which was based on application of gandhian ideas to present generation.

"I cannot imagine the World or Society or Family without existence of truth, nonviolence, love, simplicity, freedom, service and equality". If these values are out dated or not relevant today in this world, then Gandhi philosophy is also the same.

If this is not relevant, then what is relevant today?

Gandhi always said, "do what I do" and "my life my message". Gandhi also said I have implement these values and whenever any person implement these values, he will get the same result, anytime and anywhere.

Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and so many others were inspired by Gandhi and implemented Gandhian values and achieved the same result. Vinoba Bhave carried out Bhoodan movement after Gandhi to solve land problems when naxalism was rising in Andhra Pradesh and he was successful during that time. I think, we have failed to implement above values and philosophy in our life. Therefore, we are the ones who failed to live up to Gandhian morals and ethics and not Gandhi.

We must always remember that it was satyagraha which made Gandhi what he was and not the other way around, had it been a personal philosophy than Gandhi's death could certainly have led to its eclipse, but since it was the ideology which was supreme it did lasted even after Gandhi's death and is still equally relevant today as it was during the time of Gandhi himself. The way it is being successfully used by the social activist Anna Hazare to raise the youth of country against corruption to sought Jan Lokpal Bill, which is aimed at elimination of corruption by punishing the guilty clearly shows its relevance and strength and the way masses and particularly the youth have turned in favour of him just shows the relevance of satyagraha and non violence in modern time.

The gandhian constructive programme was illustrative and with the changing times and situations, new programmes, new ideas and innovative approaches will have to be incorporated to fulfil the aims and aspirations and needs of the present generation. Gandhi has shown us the method and path to follow. The details have to be worked out by each generation, keeping in view the vicissitudes of time and circumstances. Gandhi was never dogmatic and he was ever changing in his experiments with truth. Following operations of methods, fearlessness and commitment to the basic ideals of Gandhi, we have to plan our programmes and chalk out strategies which are relevant to our times. It is the people's initiative and people's power and social action that would strengthen democracy and Gandhism.

INDIAN POLITY MCQs

1. Which of the following is not in the State List under the Constitution of India?

A. Fisheries

B. Agriculture

C. Insurance

D. Betting and Gambling

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2. The constitution of India borrowed the scheme of Indian Federation from the Constitution of

A. USA

B. Canada

C. Ireland

D. UK

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3. Social equality means

A. each person should perform the functions according to his status

B. no effort should be made to modify the existing social system

C. no person should be made to suffer a position of relative inferiority in relation to other person due to differences in caste, race, religion, etc.

D. special effort to improve the lot of weaker section.

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4. Which one of the following statements regarding Judiciary in India is correct?

A. Supreme Court of India is free from the control and influence of legislature and executive

B. Subordinate courts are at the head of the Judiciary hierarchy of the State

C. The Chief Justice and other judges of the High Court are appointed by the Governor in consultation with the Chief Justice of India

D. A High Court can withdraw a case from a subordinate court and can deal with the case itself if it is satisfied that the case involves a substantial point of constitutional law.

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5. Which one of the following is in the concurrent list in the Constitution of India?

A. Population Control and Family Planning

B. Public Health and Sanitation

C. Capitation taxes

D. Treasure trove

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6. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:

List I(Features of the Indian Constitution)	List II(Borrowed from)
a. Fundamental Rights	1. U.K.
b. Parliamentary system of Govt.	2. U.S.A.
c. Emergency Provisions	3. Ireland
d. Directive Principles of State Policy	4. German Reich
	5. Canada

	a	B	c	D
A.	2	4	5	1
B.	5	1	3	4
C.	2	1	4	3
D.	1	2	4	3

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7. Which one of the following comes under the jurisdiction of both the High Court and the Supreme Court?

A. Disputes between the Centre and the States                              

B. Disputes between the States inter se         

C. Protection of the Fundamental Rights

D. Protection against the violation of the Constitution

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8. Which of the following statements regarding the Constituent Assembly are true?

1. It was not based on adult franchise.

2. It resulted from direct elections.

3. It was a multi-party body.

4. It worked through several committees.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

Codes:

A. 1 and 2

B. 2 and 3

C. 1 and 4

D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

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9. Which one of the following determines that the Indian Constitution is federal?

A. A written and rigid Constitution

B. An independent Judiciary

C. Vesting of residuary powers with the Centre

D. Distribution of powers between the Centre and the States

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10. Who among the following are appointed by the President of India?

1. The Chairman, Finance Commission

2. The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

3. The Chief Minister of a Union Territory

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:

Codes:

A. 1 only

B. 1 and 2 only

C. 1 and 3 only

D. 2 and 3 only

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Role of Media in Democracy

Democracy without media is like a deaf and dumb. The fourth pillar of the Indian democracy has a major role for maintaining a successful and sustainable democracy in India. As there are so many diversities found in Indian continent so it is sometimes become difficult to maintain a healthy democracy. Media is like a mirror, which shows the society the cruel truth and hard realities of life. The literacy rate of India is increasing day by day, as a result it helps people more to access the newspapers,radio,tv etc. The Indian society has faced a great change after the independence. The media had also a great role in pre independence era. The media has become more active over the years. At the time of election media plays a major role to remind the politicians about their unfulfilled promises. Those who are illiterate they get more information about election, politician through radio and TV which helps them to cast their vote wisely. Television and radio have made a significant achievement in educating rural illiterate masses in making them aware of all the events in their language. Coverage of exploitative malpractices of village heads and moneylenders has helped in taking stringent actions against them by attracting government employees. The media also exposes loopholes in the democratic system, which ultimately helps government in filling the vacuums of loopholes and making a system more accountable, responsive and citizen-friendly. A democracy without media will be functionless like a vehicle without wheels. It is the age of information and technology. Information is knowledge and knowledge is the power.  As media disseminates information so it is making people more powerful. We get the pulse of the world events with just a click of a mouse. The flow of information has increased manifolds. The perfect blend of technology and human resources (journalist) has not left a single stone unturned in unearthing rampant corruption in politics and society. We all are well aware of what tehelka did. The impact of media is very vital not only in Indian society as well as in the world. Excessive coverage sensitive news has led to communal riots. The illiterates are more prone to provocations than the literates. Constant repetition of the news, especially sensational news, creates in panic in the mind of the common people. Commercialization has created a stiff competition in media. In order to outdo each other print media has often gone one step further in publishing articles, cover stories, etc. on sex. Another most burning issue about the degradation of ethics in print media is the issue of paid news. Certainly it gives wrong information about a political leader in a positive way to get votes. Common people become victims of it easily.  Media acts like a watchdog in a democracy that keeps government active. From being just an informer it has become essential part of our daily lives. With the passage of time it has become a more matured and a more responsible entity. The active participation of citizens is very much essential for a healthy democracy. Ideally, the media should keep citizens engaged in the business of governance by informing, educating and mobilising the public. In many new democracies, radio has become the medium of choice, as it is less expensive and more accessible. FM and community radio have been effective instruments for promoting grassroots democracy by airing local issues. The Internet has also a great role for a vibrant democracy.  Now a days most of the people are using internet as a result they are accessible to instant news on various things. The media can also help build peace and social consensus, without which democracy is threatened. The media can provide warring groups mechanisms for mediation, representation and voice so they can settle their differences peacefully. The media can play a positive role in democracy only if there is no hard pressure from government or any political party. There should also be mechanisms to ensure they are held accountable to the public and that ethical and professional standard It is the time of 17th century when the media’s role became prominent in democratic governance. The media shape public opinion, but they are in turn influenced and manipulated by different interest groups in society. The media can promote democracy by among other things, educating voters, protecting human rights, promoting tolerance among various social groups, and ensuring that governments are transparent and accountable. On the contrary media can also play antidemocratic roles as well. They can sow fear, division and violence, instead of promoting democracy. According the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report   for the reduction of poverty the transfer of economic resources to the needy is as important as making information available to the poor so that they can participate more meaningfully in political and social life. After all, the poor cannot assert their rights if they don’t know what these are. If they are unaware of the laws and procedures for availing themselves of their entitlements or the mechanisms they can use to remedy their deprivations, they will always remain poor. Democracy cannot take root if the poor and powerless are kept out of the public sphere. The argument is that effective media are the key as they can provide the information poor people need to take part in public life. Ideally, the media should provide voice to those marginalized because of poverty, gender, or ethnic or religious affiliation. By giving these groups a place in the media, their views – and their afflictions – become part of mainstream public debate and hopefully contribute to a social consensus that the injustices against them ought to be redressed. In this way, the media also contribute to the easing of social conflicts and to promoting reconciliation among divergent social groups.  All these are extrapolations on the media’s role as virtual town hall or public square: by providing information and acting as a forum for public debate, the media play a catalytic role, making reforms possible through the democratic process and in the end strengthening democratic institutions and making possible public participation, without which democracy is mere sham.The reality, however, is that the media in new and restored democracies are not always up to the task. For sure, democracy has been a boon to the press.