Mahatma Gandhi’s Lasting Impact
Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Across India, Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on 2 October to honor the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who led the struggle for independence from British rule. Gandhi’s name now transcends boundaries of race, religion, and nation. He has emerged as a visionary voice for the 21st century.
Gandhi remains a role model for today’s youth. Leaders like Nelson Mandela and James Lawson drew strength from his principle of non-violence. Martin Luther King Jr. mobilized oppressed communities in America using Gandhian methods. Barack Obama, too, regarded Gandhi as a personal inspiration and kept his portrait in his office.
Gandhi’s thought was wide-ranging. He wrote on hygiene, nutrition, education, and labor, and remains a central figure in the history of Indian journalism. His ideology was simple yet profound—universal in scope and timeless in relevance. If his principles were not effective, the world would never have conferred on him the title of Mahatma.
Although Gandhi’s ideas faced criticism, their moral force remains intact. His teachings continue to stress honesty, truth, and non-violence. For him, the means mattered as much as the end; only through righteous means could just ends be achieved.
Gandhi placed emphasis on practical education, believing that lessons rooted in experience encouraged active participation. Today’s education system, still overly focused on theory, could draw from this vision. Gandhism is not just a philosophy but a way of life—marked by simplicity and non-violence. The new generation, hungry for moral guidance, still waits for leaders who can help them rediscover these values and responsibilities as free citizens.
The celebration of Gandhi Jayanti is not just about remembrance. It is about spreading Gandhi’s philosophy and reinforcing the relevance of non-violence in a turbulent world. His highest priority was communal harmony. He sought to transform hostility into tolerance and mutual respect, laying a foundation for national integration.
Albert Einstein once remarked of Gandhi: “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a man as this ever walked this earth in flesh and blood.” When Gandhi fell to an assassin’s bullet on 30 January 1948, the world was stunned, as if another Christ had been crucified. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in his immortal tribute, said: “The light has gone out of our lives.”
Yet Gandhi’s light has never truly dimmed. He inspired millions through his example of sacrifice, simplicity, and service. He sought not just to end colonial rule but to establish swaraj—true self-rule—founded on moral regeneration. He remains one of history’s rare figures whose personality shaped an entire epoch.
The world continues to endorse his vision of peaceful conflict resolution, whether at the regional, national, or international level. Gandhi’s legacy is not confined to the past; it offers humanity a path forward. Men like Gandhi are born once in an age, and their ideas remain immortal.
