Friends,
Today on Mahatma Gandhi’s 66th death anniversary
I am thinking of him and this notion of populism, which seems to be sprouting
all over the world. I am no scholar on the technicalities of populism but in a
general sense it is a rather uncrystallized, aspirational yet increasingly
popular sentiment. Often times it takes the form of reactionary movements where
citizens cannot bear the status quo. Unfortunately, such movements and their
successes have a short life span. The so-called Arab Spring and Ukraine are the
latest examples of this concept. In the Indian context, the spectacular success
of the AAP in Delhi too is giving way to a somewhat chaotic governance making
people wonder if its success in Delhi can really be scaled to the national
level.
In almost all these movements, protests gave voice to some
legitimate, deeply felt grievance. While these movements had broadly defined
ideals they did not have any meaningful roadmaps. Not only that, most of these movements
bypassed key steps in building a sustainable movement that would stay viable
post-victory. And this is where Gandhi comes in.
In 1920, India was in some ways on the cusp of winning
independence as the non-cooperation movement took the nation by storm. Mass
protests were breaking out and after a really long time people saw a national
fervor in the opposition to the British. And then there was the massacre of policemen
in the obscure town of Chauri Chaura and Gandhi withdrew the movement. Many
thought this would permanently deflate the movement. It didn’t. The next ten
years Gandhi spent building elements of nation through this movement. Today’s
protests don’t think they can afford to do that. There is an understandable
impatience. For Gandhi the objective was not just a political change in Delhi
but a transformation of Indian society that post-independence could build and sustain
the institutions a democracy would need. He deeply understood the cultural
evolution Indian needed to go through to, in his own words, be “worthy” of
independence. Most populist movements and their leaderships are not visibly
putting in that effort. I am not being judgmental but critical. I am saddened to
see such incredible amounts of public energy and sacrifice simply not yielding
results.
In 2001, Young India put together this process flow for
Gandhian Nonviolent Transformation (http://www.yidream.org/nvda.shtml) that shows
nonviolent direct action (protests) as one of the final steps in a movement for
change. Today, the earlier steps are getting bypassed and with discouraging
outcomes becoming all too frequent. There was a reason Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. went to India in the late 1950s to better understand the mechanics of the
Indian freedom movement. He understood the importance of methodology. And did
the Civil Right Movement ever perfect the art of nonviolent transformation!
At the highest level, these movements are lacking a vision
that encourages mass participation beyond sitting in a large square and facing
off brutal police action. And when victory is achieved in the short-term the
process of reconciliation is never started. In some cases, it is revenge that
is sought. Gandhi gave a constructive program for every Indian to be a
participant in the movement no matter whom they were or where they lived. The
movement also had a spiritual element that separated the British from their
deeds. The incredible relationship India and Britain developed right after independence
is an outcome of the Gandhian approach.
My request to all those brave souls fighting the right fights
is to not only start articulating a vision for the future but also the numerous
smaller steps you will need to take to sustain your hard fought win.
Institutions on paper are only as good as the culture in which they find
themselves. A cultural transformation is as much part of a political movement
as is change at the helm or in laws. In the end, culture is at the epicenter of
our democratic aspirations that find expression through our politics. True
change has to permeate all three. Just like Gandhi made happen in India and
left a country that 66 years later is still a democracy.
May the Mahatma’s soul forever rest in peace.
Peace.
Rohit.