Man of the Century

I am sharing this blog about the Greatest Human Being of this Century and my Country India.

 I dedicate this blog to my Hero Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

But, before I talk about that person, I want to give a brief recap of India’s journey from the foreign rulers to starting to self rule in 1947. Let’s look at the Indian history in brief.

The southern state of Kerala had maritime business links with the Roman Empire from around 77 CE. Islam was introduced in Kerala through this route by Muslim traders. Muslim rule in the sub-continent began in 712 CE when the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in Southern Punjab in modern day Pakistan, setting the stage for several successive invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 15th centuries, leading to the formation of Muslim empires in the Indian subcontinent such as the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.

Beginning, mid-18th century and over the next century, large areas of India were annexed by the British East India Company. Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after which the British provinces of India were directly administered by the British Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid development of infrastructure and economic decline.

There were few people who shaped-up the entire human race, left a message and influenced whole mankind. One of them was MK Gandhi.

He fought the British with non-violence and civil resistance. Around the same period, the world was witnessing other extreme personalities like Hitler, who were killing thousands and thousands of human beings.

Albert Einstein said, “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”

I want to present some of my view as in the eyes of MK Gandhi.

Leadership:

I have never come across a person with such a high level of leadership like Mahatma Gandhi. The following statement by him shows what leadership is all about.

“Leadership I suppose at one time meant muscles but today it means getting along with people”

 Economic Development: ‘India’ lives in its villages. But today’s progress seizes lands from the villagers for industrial development. I am not against industrial development. But, the lands that were used for agriculture few decades back have now been converted to commercial development. This shows that agriculture is slowly dying and the back bone of our country is losing its strength. I just want to quote what Mahakavi Bharathi said “even if one person doesn’t have food to eat, the entire world will be destroyed”. Despite having food stored in government go-downs, people go to sleep with half filled stomach.

Spiritual / Religion: Gandhiji considered Hindus and Muslims as his two eyes, but today the level of tolerance and understanding amongst various religions is at question and is threatening the very fabric of this great nation. Political parties are also using religion as a means to divide people for their narrow political gains.

Violence: Today, we are all revealing violence through words, deeds and actions in some way or the other. We are becoming a highly intolerant society. Mahatma beautifully quotes on non-violence as below:

 “When I have become incapable of evil and when nothing harsh or haughty occupies, be it momentarily, my thought-world, then, and not till then, my non-violence will move all the hearts of the entire world. I have placed before me and the reader no impossible ideal or ordeal. It is man's prerogative and birthright.

 Re-calling seven deadly sins mentioned by Gandhiji:

1. Intolerance is a personal failure to accept reality

2. Intolerance is a failure of intelligence

3. Intolerance is an error of judgment about Ultimate Truth

4. Intolerance is an error which breeds psychological disorder

5. Intolerance is an error which breeds social disorder

6. Intolerance is an error which breeds political disorder

7. Intolerance is a pragmatic failure: it doesn’t work

Mahatma Gandhi silently took the entire man-kind to a different level of consciousness through non-violence.

I am listing some of his thoughts here and I feel they will be applicable till such time the human race exists in this planet.  

1.    Change yourself.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

2.    Forgive and let it go.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

3.    Everyone is human.

“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

4.    Continue to grow and evolve.

”Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”