Is it Gandhi, Gandhism or Gandhigiri?

Gandhi. Bapu. The Mahatma. The Father of the Nation. When one thinks of him, the image that comes most readily to mind is that of a benign, fragile old man clad in a loincloth, spinning khadi on a charkha. The mention of Gandhi also evokes the imagery of his three monkeys sitting together … one covering his eyes, one covering his ears and the last covering his mouth, representing the proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

But the Mahatma is actually the amalgam of many more parts, concepts and principles, that range from non-violence or ahimsa to satya the truth; from swadeshi self-sufficiency to non-cooperation and civil disobedience expressed as satyagraha; from self-rule swaraj to sarvodaya, the economic model meant for the greatest good of the greatest numbers; to the abolition of untouchability and the re-nomenclaturising of dalits as harijans; from fasts for self purification to hunger strikes for political protest; from the 250 miles Dandi Salt March in 1930 to the Quit India movement in 1942; from ram-rajya to brahmacharya, Gandhi was and remains a human brand far more evolved and far more layered than any other during his time, and ever since.

As the nation celebrates his 150th birthday, Gandhi despite having been assassinated more than 70 years ago, is still everywhere…He is on our currency notes, reminding us day in and day out that he is part of us and our daily lives; he has a major road or a colony named after him in almost every major town and city; every political party and every leader swears by him and his ideals. Mont Blanc launched a ~14 lakh fountain pen commemorating him. Apple created an ad around him 20 years back. And the 1982 Richard Attenborough epic, Gandhi, is one of the most watched biopics ever produced. Gandhi is an evergreen brand. A brand that continues to grow despite the man himself having left our midst so long ago.

Legends invariably give birth to one or another “ism”. But as MM Sankhdher wrote in his political tome, “Gandhism is not a systematic position in metaphysics or in political philosophy. Rather, it is a political creed, an economic doctrine, a religious outlook, a moral precept, and especially, a humanitarian worldview. It is an effort not to systematise wisdom but to transform society and is based on an undying faith in the goodness of human nature.” But Gandhi himself repudiated the very thought and notion of “Gandhism” saying, “There is no such thing as ‘Gandhism’, and I do not want to leave any sect after me. I do not claim to have originated any new principle or doctrine. I have simply tried in my own way to apply the eternal truths to our daily life and problems … The opinions I have formed and the conclusions I have arrived at are not final. I may change them tomorrow. I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.” So, Gandhism is at best an intellectual interpretation of the man, his philosophy, his beliefs, his faith and his thinking. And today seems more an anachronism that crucifies and caricaturises the Bapu, than defines him.

Which really brings us to Gandhigiri, the neologism most colloquially used today to express the idea of Gandhi, The Mahatma as the man of the masses. That the very concept of Gandhigiri was born in 2006 in a Bollywood movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai in itself signals the mass acceptance of this version of Gandhi as being the most current, the most contemporary and perhaps also the most comprehendible. It also signals that the context of Gandhi has changed, in fact has got re-interpreted to mean the same stuff he talked about and championed, but in a framework that is more relevant today. For a gangster who only understood October 2 to be a Dry Day, Gandhigiri went on to take on a new meaning as he addressed and combatted his life situations in conversations with a Gandhi only he could see and converse with. 

The gangster and Gandhi together helped rebrand The Mahatma by simplifying his teachings and showing everyone how the Father of the Nation is still relevant and can make a real difference in our daily lives.
 

Brand Gandhi is today almost ubiquitous and universally well known. But Gandhism, his philosophy and his credo are largely forgotten. Today, it is Gandhigiri, the pop icon avatar of the legend that is the most potent manifestation of both the man and his teachings. Send roses, not spread hate, a la Munnabhai. Wear khadi. It has swag. Even The Complete Man is tom-toming it. Brand Gandhi is transforming. Reformatting and reorienting itself for the next 150 years. Slowly, but surely. Slowly, but significantly. Slowly, but sagaciously.

The writer is an advertising and media veteran Email: sandeep@goyalmail.com