Deification is an Indian disease.
Hello everyone,
Literature teaches us to look at every aspect of the work or any Individual. When we explore any work, we must consider all the aspects of that work for better understanding. I had recently completed the book Satyana Prayogo, in which there was an allusion to three works. Apart from that, we are going to see two other works in this blog.
The first work mentioned in the book is 'The Kingdom of God is Within You', a book by Leo Tolstoy talking about the spark that always lies within you. However, Gandhi tries to find it outside. At the end, after reading and being inspired by Tolstoy, he accepted this. Most probably, this work had a great impact on Gandhiji's life.
In addition, the second work is 'Unto The Last'. Gandhi summarised Unto The Last like this: The good of the individual is contained in the good of all. John Ruskin criticises the industrial revolution. He inspired Gandhiji's South African revolution. Even Gandhiji said that it is impossible to put this book aside once he has started it. While reading articles on the influence of Ruskin on Gandhi, I came across the information that Gandhiji published pamphlets named Sarvodaya," which was a Gujarati addition to Unto the Last. Thus, for Gandhi, 'Unto The Last' would mean only the uplift of the last.
Moreover, the third work is 'Civil Disobedience' by Henry David Thoroeu. This work has a deep impact on Gandhi and all the resistance. Thoroeu was a transcendentalist, believing in self-reliance. ' Devine experience is inherent in the everyday'. He compared the government with machines. In the book, he criticises the government of Massachusetts by saying it is harmful.
Additionally, the government is more interested in commerce and agriculture than humility. And it's not desirable to cultivate respect for the law, which should be broken. Not only did he say that voting for justice and wishing for justice are equally ineffective, but he also refused to pay for texts. This idea and way of resistance inspired Gandhiji for all the resistance.
Now let us take a look at the movie based on the biography of Gandhi. It was directed and produced by Richard Attenborough. This is a biographical movie released in 1982. This movie presents major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian leader who stood against British rule over his country. He was dedicated to non-violence. Eventually, his actions became internationally renowned, and his gatherings of passive protest moved India towards independence. This movie has different interpretations. This movie gained worldwide fame and was accepted by everyone.
The famous writer Salman Rushdie wrote an essay on this movie named 'Attenborough's Gandhi'. He interprets it in a different way. The wish to see India as a fountainhead of spiritual and mystic wisdom, it can be vision after making this movie.There is a leader dedicated to the ideas of poverty and simplicity who is Gandhi. Sometimes they become too good for the world. Furthermore, revolution can and should be made purely by submission, self-sacrifice, and non-violence alone. In this statement, Rushdie emphasises other factors that play a crucial role in revolution.
Salman Rushdie said that Attenborough compared Gandhiji with Christ. In the film, they didn't talk about the calibacy (Bramhchrya) practise of Gandhi. He also described his fondness for billionaires. In the film, all the major characters didn't justify Patel as a clown, Jinnah as a count Drecula, Nehru as a disciple, and Boze as a guerrilla If we look at the depiction of the Amritsar Jaliyawala massacre, then in the movie, General Dayer received a grand welcome. Due to this, Tagore returned his knighthood.
Nathuram Godse, a member of the RSS, blamed Mahatma Gandhi for the partition of India. In the movie, he represents the crowd, which was false. This insight is depicted as political, not mystical. Rushdie described freedom fighters as follows: " They won because they were smarter, craftier, and better fighters than their opponents."
"Rich men have always had a weakness for holy men, for saints."
In sum, we have different views of one individual. If we look at the influence of works in Gandhiji's life, we come to know that literature has a great impact on an individual's life. Not only that, different people have different interpretations of any work. As we can see in the movie and the critical essay upon that movie.
Thank you.
Work Cited:
1. Rushdie on Attenborough's Gandhi.
2. Wikipedia pages on Civil disobedience: The Kingdom of God is Within Youn Unto the Last, Gandhi movie.
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