Regaining the Mahatma’s legacy

The United Nations has declared 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence. The world has recognised Gandhi as an apostle of peace. A total of 102 countries celebrating Gandhi as a global icon of non-violence and peace have installed his statues. He is one of the 10 most outstanding personalities born in the last two millennia, about whom the highest number of writings have appeared.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated publicly that Gandhiji is a global icon, and his memorials and abode in Ahmedabad, the Sabarmati Ashram, will be transformed into a world-class memorial. An ambitious plan of Rs 1,200 crores is in progress. The top leadership of India cannot afford to abandon Gandhiji. It is understood clearly that Gandhiji is India’s global face. Hence, he continues to be referred to.

Our prime minister has directly referred to Mahatma Gandhi in six out of 17 speeches in foreign Parliaments from November 2014 to September 2025. He has, on umpteen other occasions, referred to Gandhiji indirectly. He has used Gandhiji for international branding. Talking about sustainability and equity, he has referred to Gandhiji’s basic principles. Gandhiji’s message of vasudhaiva kutumbakam is often found in the prime minister’s international addresses. It has been serving him well in his diplomatic purposes.

In the country, too, he launched 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' on 2 October 2014. Very recently, he has been vocal on swadeshi. Symbolism is at its height. Entering the check-in section at Terminal 3 of Delhi International Airport, one can hardly miss the display of a huge charkha — the spinning wheel — weighing four tonnes and made of Burma teak. The tablet below the charkha, installed between gates 4 and 5, clearly mentions Gandhiji's contribution.

On the occasion of its installation, the prime minister said the charkha would serve to remind travellers of India’s timeless heritage and the value of sustainability and harmony that it stood for. He has appealed to citizens of the country to embrace khadi. At Ahmedabad International Airport, a traveller arriving from anywhere in the world cannot miss a small exhibit titled 'Gandhi-ji ke Pad Chinha (Gandhiji’s footprints)'.

But in the country of his birth, the one he lived and died for, a hate campaign has also been honed during the last 25 years. Gandhiji has become a person to be hated.

He is hated for his alleged partiality toward Muslims. His 15 years of relentless action to remove untouchability are mocked. He is condemned for ignoring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He is made responsible for Bhagat Singh’s hanging. His contribution to the country’s Independence movement is marginalised. ‘Father of the Nation,’ a title conferred by Bose, is ridiculed. Sections of social media run amok, destroying Gandhi in the minds of us Indians.

‘Gandhi’s Gujarat’, once a popular adage, is a negative concept today. Manifest and concealed violence born out of poisonous hatred have taken over countless minds and hearts. Hardliner Hindu mobs move freely with hardly any restraint from the protectors of law. 

It is unnerving to learn from various quarters that Navaratri garba festival organisers face hard questions from mobs about how many passes and tickets have been issued to Muslims. While the dance performance is on, the mobs want to check for Muslim participants.

Earlier this year, rising instances of what was called hate speech were reported — 1,165 instances in 2024, compared with 668 a year earlier, at events such as political rallies, religious processions, protest marches and cultural gatherings. Hate speech peaked during the election campaign last year, the report noted.

Gandhiji spent a significant part of his life fighting caste-based violence both manifest and structural. Despite his sharp differences with Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who led the struggle for Constitutional rights of Dalits, Gandhiji continued his campaign to remove untouchability from the minds and hearts of people. Have we, as Indians, not failed both Ambedkar and Gandhi? The so-called upper and superior castes leave no opportunity to insult, condemn, exploit, rape, injure, and kill Dalits even in 2025.

Hate campaigns are orchestrated and politically motivated. The minds behind such attacks are deceitful. The caste mentality plays out to the fullest. The haters want to make Muslims in India the ‘lowest caste’, to be subjugated and relegated to menial work. They should rot in poverty and destitution and leave the country under duress.

Do we, the citizens of Bharat, realise that by hating, condemning, discriminating, hurting, and killing, we are creating an atmosphere of animosity? Any direct, concealed and structural violence gives rise to strong sentiments and bitterness that are at the root of counter-violence.

Let us understand that when a section is targeted and boycotted, and when people and the State play this deceitful game, the condemned groups will be driven to the wall. Breadwinners of such communities, when not given fair opportunities, will be forced into a corner. This is the breeding ground for a new cycle of hate and violence that can consume India.

Mahatma Gandhi, a global icon of non-violence, dedicated his life to ending caste-based violence and promoting Hindu-Muslim unity, yet his legacy faces vilification in modern India through orchestrated hate campaigns. Despite his efforts to eradicate untouchability and foster equality, Dalits and Muslims continue to face discrimination, exploitation, and violence, betraying both Gandhi’s and Dr Ambedkar’s visions.

Social and political forces marginalise minorities, treating them as the 'lowest caste' through boycotts and exclusion, fostering an atmosphere of animosity and potential retaliation. Gandhi’s philosophy of satyagraha — emphasising truth, non-violence, and global unity — inspired worldwide movements but is under threat in India by those distorting history for narrow gains. To honour Gandhi’s 156th birth anniversary, India must reject hate, embrace interfaith dialogue, and uphold justice to heal divisions and secure a peaceful future.

Dr Sudarshan Iyengar is former vice-chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, the university founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920

Article courtesy: The Billion Press