Non-violence will not work in today’s world :-
- Before discussing the applicability of non-violence in present times let’s discuss: Was it successful in the past?
- Gandhiji organized the first Satyagraha in 1906 in South Africa. It was an 8-year long struggle. Though through Satyagraha, Gandhiji and his followers were able to win some rights but it failed to bring an end to all oppressive laws and cultural norms against Indians and people of other races.
- It failed to bring Swaraj within a year as promised by Gandhiji, in spite of the untiring labour by the common people and an expenditure of more than a crore rupees. (At that time 1 rupee was equivalent to approximately Rs 300 of now).
- It failed to win the Bardoli peasants what was promised to them by the leaders of Satyagraha (Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi).
- Giving Indian independence credit to Satyagraha would be wrong. Had World War II not happened, India would have remained a British colony beyond 1947.
- The result of Satyagraha was: Failure. And it always won us compromises, which was misunderstood by a victory. To win total independence, compromises are never the stepping stones.
- Though not a fan of Winston Churchill for the atrocities on Indians he was responsible for, but he rightly said: “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in it’s mouth.”
- Bhagat Singh was also of the view that “There can be no just negotiations between the powerful and the weak.”
- Non-violence is never a solution to the terrorists coming from POK to Kashmir or operating from POK itself, ceasefire violations by Pakistan and militants trained and supported by China in the northeast. They are our enemies. We are by no means to obliged to win their hearts and should speak with them the language they choose. The Indian Defence Forces should establish such massive fear among the foreign terrorists that they should tremble with fear even by the thought of harming Indians.
Non-violence will work in today’s world :-
But it does not mean that we should resort to violence for all of our problems. The methods should depend according to who are we tackling to.
- Non-violence will be a good solution to the problems of Naxalism and Kashmir. We need to make them feel cared for, as they are our own citizens, they are ‘Indians’. The government should emphasise on education and health care facilities in these areas rather than increasing the number of security personnel. One cannot win their hearts by animosity and curbing their voices with the power of arms.
- International community is working towards solving issues among countries through dialogue and is trying hard to prevent violence. Because of the emphasis on non-violence, we haven’t witnessed third world war yet.
- Through non-violence, we can bring change in criminals too. By making prisons as reformative centers and bringing change in them through peaceful ways can make our society a better place to live in. Tihar central jail proved it.
- Gandhiji’s quote – ‘An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind‘ reminds us the importance of non-violence irrespective of the times we live in.
Conclusion :-
Whether to go with violence or non-violence depends on the problem/enemy we face. If we are concerned about the person in front of us and we want to establish a truce and live together, non-violence is the way to choose. But if it is the opposite and we want to get rid of an establishment, an armed movement is what is required.
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