GANDHIJI AND HIS RELEVANCE IN TODAY'S "I, ME, MYSELF" TIME

By Ruma Dubey

2nd October for many Indians means a lot of things – a holiday to laze and relax, the day the sale begins at Khadi Bhandar,  a day when TV channels get patriotic and show some ‘desh bhakti’ movies and radio stations play a few ‘desh’ songs and for many, it is woefully a dry day!  Children know it is Gandhi Jayanti, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.  But like children, most Indians though knowing it is Gandhi Jayanti, have forgotten the relevance of this day and the man.

Gandhiji has today become a mere face on the currency notes we spend faster than we earn and most of his ideologies have been buried deep, saying that they have become irrelevant in today’s changing and modern times.  And the very political party which was started on the principles of Gandhiji is today not even a rough caricature of all that which the Mahatma stood for.

For India Inc, Gandhiji and his principles does not seem to hold any significance. Vijay Mallya showed his love for the country and the Mahatma by buying some auctioned memorabilia of Gandhiji, which included his iconic round-rimmed spectacles, for Rs.9.3 crore. Yet buying his spectacles has not opened Mallya’s eyes to honesty and simplicity, the hallmark of Gandhiji. Well, Gandhiji had said, “alcohol is not the answer to all questions” and Mallya has been quoted quipping, “Alcohol is not the answer to all questions  but if you do not get the answer, it helps you forget the questions.”  Therein lay all the difference.

Honesty, integrity, simplicity and non-violence, irrespective of the changing times can never go out of fashion. Nothing is constant; all things change but not these principles.  And in true sense, if India Inc scours the principles and life of the Mahatma, there are innumerable lessons which can be learnt and incorporated for better and effective leadership. Just as the Bhagwad Gita is stated to be the book of life, many ideologies of the Mahatma are adapted from the Gita and thus can never become irrelevant.

Irrespective of whether his stand on Kashmir was right or wrong, honestly, have we ever had another leader like him who could bring the entire country together and start a revolution to get people their right? Let us not mix up Anna Hazare and his brief stint here as they are two completely different issues. Yes, Hazare struck a chord because he followed Ganhiji’s method of fasting to get attention and make a change but the similarity ends there, at least for now.

If one takes the time and has the patience and conviction, on reading the books of Gandhiji, it becomes amply clear that he was truly a leader who could inspire – he was a master strategist and had a clarity of the goal he needed to achieve. He thought differently, swum against the tide and invented new means to achieve the end. Especially in today’s India, where there is a serious crisis of leadership, Gandhiji as a concept, an idea has renewed significance.

Gandhiji spun the khadi wheels to clothe the poor but at the same time, it provided employment to scores of people. Thus when we talk of unemployment, how many companies in India think of dual ibjectives – making money while doing good for the poorest of the poor. Although khadi makes only 1% of the textile industry, it employs 20 lakh people. Thus for a labour intensive country like ours, where unemployment is a root cause for many evils in the society, Gandhi’s ways were far ahead of his time. Those who say that Gandhi’s time is over, his ideals are passé, should have a rethink – his ideals and ideas are the future, based on two principles – non violence and non existence. And to think that today we need to force corporate governance on India Inc?

Gandhiji held firm to his values even in times of pressure and this is something which companies can try and imbibe. To constantly learn and grow was another aspect – Gandhiji learnt and read when in prison, using the time to grow rather than waste it on mere contemplation.  More importantly, he could take criticism positively and used it to correct himself wherever necessary. Can companies do the same?

All companies strive to satisfy the customer and therein lay the crux as stated by Gandhiji, “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”  Do any of us today feel that companies treat us well? Maybe India Inc should begin by first adopting this plain truth of the Mahatma; rest all will automatically fall in place.

Last but not the least, size does not matter what matters is conviction. Gandhiji was frail and old, used a walking stick but his conviction in his cause was enough to send shivers down the mighty British. Yes indeed, “ bande mein than dum, vande mataram”