Author:
Publication: The Hindu
Date: February 13, 2003
URL: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/02/13/stories/2003021300350800.htm
Dr. Hari Om, Professor of History,
University of Jammu and member of the Indian Council of Historical Research,
writes:
In her article "The killing of Gandhi"
(Feb. 4), Supriya RoyChodhury says that I have nowhere referred to the
murder of Gandhi in the history portion of the `Contemporary India' (Class
IX). She also asserts that "there is no reference... to any other aspect
of his life and ideas" in the textbook.
As for the first point, I have acknowledged
in the past on more than one occasion that I committed a very serious mistake
by not reflecting on the murder of a world leader such as Gandhi. I am
admitting my mistake once again in public print and in an unambiguous language.
At the same time, I would like to
point out that this omission was not deliberate. My major problem was the
time and space constraint. I had to write the history portion in less than
eight months and cover a period of no less than 400 years in the 64-odd
pages, which also include nearly 40 illustrations and detailed exercises.
It was impossible for me to include each and every development in the limited
space available to me as one of the authors of `Contemporary India.' Another
problem was the font size. Since the textbook is meant for class IX, the
font size has to be bigger. This is the policy of the NCERT and I had to
go by it. What does all this further mean? It only means yet another limitation.
But to advance these arguments, under no situation should it be taken to
mean that I am in any way questioning Supriya RoyChowdhury's well-founded
concern and anxiety.
However, what shocked me was her
allegation that I have ignored Gandhiji's unique, spectacular and highly
inspiring contribution to the national movement. I have not done so. In
fact, no student of history can afford to do so. Even a cursory glance
at the textbook would be enough to rebut her charge. Gandhi has figured
prominently in chapters 4,5 and 6 and for obvious reasons.
It would be only desirable if I
quote a few portions from the textbook, which deal with the ideas and role
of Gandhi. As a matter of fact, I have been left with no other option but
to take recourse to such an approach in order to put things in a perspective.
In Page 34, I have written "However,
the most important and epoch-making development in the post-1909 period
was the return of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from South Africa in 1915.
He had returned with a new technique of mass struggle, called Satyagraha.
But between 1915 and 1918, he did not play any active role in the Indian
political life under the advice of his political guru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
During this period, he simply studied the prevailing condition in the country.
He got so moved by the poverty of the masses that he adopted a life of
simplicity earning the title of Mahatma... Soon he started applying his
technique of non-violent Satyagraha to local mass struggles. These include
his fight for the rights of the Champaran (Bihar) indigo cultivators, Kheda
(Gujarat) peasants and Ahmedabad textile workers. Gandhi identified himself
with the weaker sections of the society and emerged as a moral force in
the Indian public life. The success of these three localised experiments
thrilled the whole nation and Gandhi emerged as a rallying point for patriotic
elements in the country... "
Again, read page 35. It says: "The
Congress, under the unique leadership and guidance of Gandhi transformed
itself from an elitist body into a mass organisation reaching to the village
level. The apparent gulf between the urban elite and rural India was bridged
and a new Congress came into being. Women and depressed classes joined
the Congress, thus making it a mass movement. The Congress in its new avtar
launched a massive non-cooperation movement all over the country. In a
way, Gandhi snatched away the initiative from the British, who had been
setting the political agenda for India after the failure of the 1857 rebellion.
The British authorities found it difficult to match Gandhi's unconventional
methodology and unpredictable moves."
"On 16 August, 1932, the British
Prime Minister announced his Communal Award. It not only provided communal
electorates for the Muslims and the Sikhs, but also for the members of
the depressed communities. Gandhi and the Congress condemned this award
as a sinister plan worked out to weaken the freedom struggle. He was of
the view that the Communal Award was designed to destroy the Indian society
and play the Hindus against the Hindus. Gandhi, who was the Yervada jail
that time, started an indefinite fast on 20 September 1932 to force the
British Prime Minister to withdraw that part of the award which was applicable
to the depressed communities. The action of Gandhi created a commotion
throughout the country. The people got extremely worried for their great
leader. This led to the signing of the Poona Pact (between Gandhi and B.R.
Ambedkar) on 25 September 1932. It recommended joint electorates with reserved
seats for the members of the depressed communities. The British accepted
this Pact and Gandhi broke his fast" (Page 44).
"... On 8 August 1942, the Congress
passed a resolution in Bombay and made a fervent appeal to all Indians
to launch Quit India Movement under the leadership of Gandhi. The most
remarkable feature of the speech that Gandhi made at Bombay on 8 August
was that he asked the British to quit India immediately and `leave India
to the care of God and anarchy.' One more significant aspect of his whole
scheme was his slogan `Do or Die.' This slogan was aimed at inspiring the
Indians to lay down their lives for the cause of the country and break
the chains of Indian slavery... " (Page 53).
"Gandhi was away at Calcutta when
on 15 August India won independence. He was busy there in restoring communal
harmony between the Muslims and the Hindus. When the Ministers in the West
Bengal Government met Gandhi with a view to seeking his blessings on the
Independence Day, Gandhi told them: `Be humble, Beware of power. Power
corrupts... Remember, you are in office to serve the poor India's villages"
(Page 57).
But all this constitutes just a
small part of what I have written about Gandhi. The history portion of
the textbook contains several other details on the role of Gandhi in the
country's struggle for political redemption.
