It is believed that Mahatama Gandhi was completely opposed to violence as a principle. However the following excerpts from Mahadevbhai's diary will show that under certain circumstances, Gandhiji found violent means of struggle necessary:
Excerpts from
Mahadevbhai Desai’s Diary- Volume No 4, 13-Nov-1917 to 17-Jan-1919:
Page 139: (Mahadevbhai): “Lashkar bharti [military
recruitment] is the only topic being discussed with all those who are coming to
meet these days. The main points of Lakshar bharti
are:”
(Gandhiji): "…If we help England in this war then instead of England ruling over us we will have an upper hand over England. There is a need for us to get military training…those who wish to learn weapon craft and those who want to learn to hurt/kill, to them I can teach even violence. Those who do not know how to die without killing should learn to kill and then die…’
Page 141-154: Date
6-7-1918: (Mahadevbhai): “To answer a question raised by Andrews that how can a
believer of non-violence advice violence, Bapu had written a letter [Excerpts]:”
(Gandhiji): “…What responsibility do I have towards those who are not opposed to violence but are not ready to fight due to cowardice or due to the dislike of the English? I should not tell them that ‘If you follow my path it is very good but if you do not follow my path then you should give up your cowardice or dislike whatever it may be and fight’? You cannot teach non violence to a person who does not have the strength to kill/hurt…
“…you say that ‘Hindi as a race had given up violence in the past with full knowledge and chose to stand in the favor of humanity.’ Is this historically true? I do not see any of this at all in either Ramanaya or Mahabharata or... Right now I am not thinking of the spiritual aspects of these epics. Divine men have been shown in them as blood thirsty, revengeful, and merciless towards enemies…the narrative of wars in these epics are not any less grandeur then those of today…in the first prayer written by Tulsidas to be sung in the praise of Lord Rama, he has given uppermost place to his ability to destroy the enemies…Take the Musalman period after that. In that period, the Hindus were no less eager than the Musalmans to fight. Only, they were not organized. They had become weak in body and had degenerated due to internal fights. You attribute sacrifice as the quality of this race but there is no such sacrifice recommended in Manusmruti…if one thinks of the principle of compassion towards all the five elements as per Buddhism, then it has failed completely. If folklore is to be believed then the great Shankracharya in order to drive away Buddhism from India had not hesitated to adopt indescribable cruelty. And he succeeded! Take the British era thereafter. Subjects have been compulsorily disarmed but the desire to kill has not gone away at all from the heart. This principle of the Jains has also failed totally…I mean to say that Jains would be as happy as any other people on this earth to see the destruction of enemies…At the most it can be said of Hindustan that here many individuals compared to other countries have done more efforts to popularise the principle of nonviolence with more success. But based on this there is no need to opine that the principle of nonviolence have deep roots among the people…
“I do not agree with you that Hindustan can drive away number of armies descending from the west, east, north or south based on its moral/ethical values alone…
“…when I call upon every Hindi to join the army, I continuously tell him that the reason for joining the army is not to quench the thirst for blood but to become fearless…
“…The meaning of all this is that in exceptional circumstances as a necessary evil, refuge/shelter can be taken in war …if the motive is pure then war can also be turned for the good of mankind…Love, Mohan”
Page 153-154: Mahadevbhai:
“In a letter to Hanmantrao” [excerpts]:
(Gandhiji): “…I know that friends are unhappy with my work of military recruitment drive for both political as well as religious reasons. But I know that both types of my friends are making a mistake of criticizing my work… In following the principle of non violence and having failed to teach non violence to people, I have come to discover that there is no violence in every type of killing, many a times in order to follow nonviolence, it is necessary to kill/hurt. As a nation we have lost the ability to kill/hurt. It is clear that those who have lost the ability to kill/hurt cannot practice nonviolence. Supreme sacrifice lies in nonviolence. Subjects who have become weak and bayli [feminine] cannot adhere to this great practice of this sacrifice. As we cannot say of a mouse that it has sacrificed its power to kill a cat… Though it may sound terrible but it is true that we must make conscious efforts for a long time and get our strength back…In the the case of dacoits too an organized protest and an organized carnage/bloodshed is possible…I strongly believe that our children should be taught the art of self-defense. It is becoming more and more clear to me that if we will not regain the strength of self - defense, then we will remain useless for Swaraj for generations..Servant, M.K.Gandhi”
Page 156:
(Mahadevbhai): “To Dr Mehta 22-7-18”:
(Gandhiji):“Thought a lot before undertaking the task of military recruitment, and decided that this is the biggest responsibility…it is the work of bringing life into the dead. And yet it is necessary to try. It seems people are getting great training out of this work…”
Page 157: (Mahadevbhai):
“To Mrs Polak”:
(Gandhiji):“…I believe that two things can be achieved through our [military] recruitment. We will become brave, we will learn to use weapons a little, and by becoming partners of whom we want, we will be able to prove our ability more by helping them a little …your well-wisher Mohandas Gandhi. ”
Page 180 :( Mahadevbhai)
“Telegram to Surendranath Banerjee. 10-8-’18:”
(Gandhiji): “Dear Brother Banerjee,
Right now I am engaged with the work of army recruitment here…coming to Calcutta means six days will be gone in just back and forth of travel. If I want to do my work with satisfaction then to remain absent for such a long time is not possible for me… Because just now I have got news from the Government that they have accepted my request to open an army training centre and form an army team [unit] in Gujarat. You will agree that I cannot give up this work…In this matter I hold what may seem very strong and queer thoughts, with which most of the leaders may not agree. I believe strongly that by giving up all other work for military recruitment then if not earlier, in one year we will get a fully responsible Government…Servant M.K.Gandhi”
Page 191: (Gandhiji): “Dear Samarth, …I feel that at this time leaders should keep aside all other activities and should put all their efforts in the work of military recruitment …Servant M.K.Gandhi”
Page 242-246: (Gandhiji): “Appeal for recruitment in the Army. Leaflet first. Brothers and Sisters of Kheda District…
“…Government does not give us commission in the army, it does not withdraw the law concerning possession of weapons, it does not open centres for military training; then how can we help? Objections are valid.
“... Government is making a big mistake in not rectifying this. The English people have done many good deeds. God may bless them for it. But in the name of English people, the disarmament of Hindustan by the English officers is a grave sin and if the English officer class does not get warned in time then they will wash away all their righteous deeds. God forbid if Hindustan is wounded and it becomes subordinate to some other people, then the curse of the Hindi people will be inflicted on the English people so badly that…
“…If the Government by not giving or delaying the giving of commission in order to stop us from enrolling in the army or in any other way is stopping us from being of help- even then it is my firm belief that it is absolutely necessary for us to enroll in the army.
“…The Government needs five lakh people for the army. Government will get such kind of people anyhow. If we give this many people, we will get credit…many times recruiting agents are taking people it is heard, that also can be avoided. It is not any less powerful if we get the entire work of recruitment…
“…Kheda district has 600 villages. Every village has a population of over a thousand. If every village gives a minimum of 20 people, then Kheda district will give an army of 12000 people… Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Nadiad 22-6-’18.”
Page:247-249: (Gandhiji): “Military Recruitment Appeal. Second Leaflet:
“It is a month since writing the first appeal. In this period I and associates working with me have gained a lot of experience. Meetings were held at Nadiad, Karamsad, Ras, Kathlal, Jambusar, etc...
“…Hardly 100 people might have enrolled. When I think of this number against the month, it seems very small…
“…By enrolling in the army we will learn to use weapons, we will derive national fervor, and we will become capable of protecting our villages…Your servant forever Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.”
(Translated from Gujarati by
me)
End
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