Lessons we must learn as we remember Ghandi’s murder
DEAR EDITOR,
In a few more hours, we will observe the 73rd anniversary of the murder of Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi, the famous and highly respected Mahatma.
On the early morning of 30 January 1948, on his way to daily prayers, 36-year-old Hindu extremist Nathuran Vinayak Godse shot and killed Ghandi.
The world was shocked as we tried to come to terms with the irony of killing Ghandi.
The irony is that he lived his life offering non-violence but violence was used against him.
But as we reflect on the irony, there are significant lessons that we all, especially Guyanese, need to benefit from.
First, be wary of the extremists among us and be able to identify them. They have always been and continue to be a danger, and we saw this manifest itself in the US in Washington on January 6, 2021 and we have them in Guyana.
I remain hopeful that, despite humanity’s inability to learn from our experiences, we will learn lessons.
The hope is that we, as a Nation, can overcome this serious weakness.
Second lesson: We must learn as humans to help ourselves out of every difficulty.
Ghandi, after earning his law degree, spent 21 years in South Africa, where he encountered the injustice and arrogance of the apartheid regime in South Africa with the support of the superpower in Western Europe.
The available information suggests that the Mahatma focused on improving the conditions in which Indians and colored people lived in South Africa.
As Immigrants, their horrific and unacceptable conditions were similar to those experienced by Immigrants who came to Guyana starting after 1834.
Some students have criticized Ghandi for ignoring the state of black Africans in South Africa.
I do not necessarily share this criticism, because here comes the lesson.
Ghandi was a Hindu and therefore had empathy with his kith and kin in South Africa and the mixed group, which was described as color.
The lesson is that people should not expect outsiders to deal with their suffering and discrimination.
It is the duty and responsibility of those who fall victim among men and women to provide leadership by articulating their cause and being willing to sacrifice.
If the victims are unable, unwilling or too lazy to stand up and fight, they deserve inferiority in the scheme of things in the state in which they live.
This is the law of human nature.
Third lesson: Ghandi like Mandela, Martin Luther King (Jnr), Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan, Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, Fidel Castro, Mao-Tse-tung, Emmeline Pankhurst, etc., were all relatively young people when they researched against the injustice of imperialist-like domination.
A lesson for our young people.
In all our political and social institutions, in a few cases, the young must throw away this philosophy of entitlement. We urgently need young people at this stage of our development.
However, it must be young people who are willing to sacrifice personal and other sacrifices, in order to fulfill their desire, to play a leading role in national affairs.
They must be overwhelmed with traditions and take advantage of past experiences to advance education, in and out of the classroom to excite where there is wrongdoing, no matter who the perpetrators are.
Confident that only this process can earn them the reward of relief and leadership.
Lesson Four: as humans we have to practice and come to believe the value of tolerance and respect for the culture and beliefs of others, and beyond that, take note of this profound statement by Ghandi G “I have come to the conclusion since long ago all religions were true, and also, that they all had some error in them, and while I held my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism, so we cannot pray unless we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu. but our inner prayer should be Hindu, it should be a better Hindu, a Muslim, a better Muslim, a Christian, a better Christian. ”End of quote.
This is an important lesson as we celebrate the life and death of the Mahatma.
We must be passionate and proud of who we are, whether it be black, brown or white, but that should not allow us to demonize or feel that the other man’s religion and cultural practices are inferior to ours us.
The extremist who killed Ghandi was upset because Ghandi tried to put Hinduism, Christianity and Islam on the same footing.
Recall once, when asked an aggressive question, Ghandi said, “Yes, I am also a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist and a Jew, and so are we.”
The lesson here, only tolerance and knowledge of your entire environment will allow us a peaceful path to move forward.
Lesson Five: we must never become frustrated and give up the fight for what is right.
Today, many Indians in South Africa do not know much about Ghandi because the education system keeps Ghandi’s work hidden.
This generation is taking corrective measures.
Fortunately, after 1994, when Nelson Mandela became Prime Minister of South Africa, the apartheid laws were dismantled and black, color, Indians and whites were given equality.
At all times, when observing people of different appearance, hair texture or orientation, we must judge and deal with people, not based on any of those divisive conditions but solely because of their diligence, hard work, their study and good character.
Here are some of the lessons we have to learn as we remember Ghandi’s murder.
For the young people I listen to on television, I’m happy that many of them think ahead and can be considered genuine patriots. Let them keep up their good work.
Correctly,
Hamilton Green