Review By Zia Uddin

tidylink@yahoo.com

May 14, 2003 

The personality chosen by Dr. Khalid for his presentation today was perhaps one of the best known in undivided India, and as rightly pointed out by him is also perhaps one of the most controversial of his time. He who preached non-violence as his core philosophy of dealing with life’s issues was perhaps very violently aflame within himself, for otherwise why would he have to go to so much trouble to demonstrate his steel nerves and adamant behavior. Was it for his self-fulfillment or for the rest of the world? 

Dr. Khalid has hit the nail on the head by saying ‘Gandhi tried different ways to resolve his conflicts between his emotional, social, political and spiritual lives….’ Certainly Gandhi was an extremely rational and sensitive soul yet if he was   emotional is questionable, because though he grasped and understood the scheming and connivance of others he rarely gave it up himself. He may have demonstrated his unbounded rationality but did not show much sentimentality.

Dr. Khalid then goes on to acclaim that ‘great people not only have greater conflicts but are able to do great work in spite of their conflicts.’ If one reflects on the saying – that some people are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them; one wonders where Gandhi fitted.  It seems great people are those who see conflicts of life differently and then fight them to prove a point to themselves. In the whole process their own achievements are perhaps just a by product of the laws of ‘cause and effect.’ The cause of their agitation may be beyond control but its remnants spread like splinters setting afire many others they come in contact with. Dr. Khalid has demonstrated this very aptly when he says, “ I believe that Gandhi all his life struggled with the conflicts between different aspects of his personality, between his traditions and his dreams, between his religious values and political ideals.” Only a person of Dr. Khalid’s background as a psychologist by profession, an analyst by nature and a humanist by choice, would be competent to tackle the issue he has chosen. Perhaps Gandhi himself was probing these depths when he said, and I quote;  ‘ Abstract truth has no value unless it incarnates in human beings who represent it by proving their readiness to die for it.’   Gandhi went through life trying to prove it and finally did die as   he professed.

Gandhi’s conflict between his physical body and his metaphysical spirit is visible throughout his life’s various episodes. Under the heading ‘FAMILY DILEMMA’

Dr. Khalid has narrated how it started at an early age and that a very early marriage was to play a vital role in this domain. Gandhi is shown here to be in extreme self-torture for not being with his father in his last moments but for being with his wife instead. One imagines  that the  ‘Grand Old Man’  would have understood  the doings of nature in as much as that man is perhaps not able to avert some ones death, but may be instrumental to contribute in another’s life. Gandhi seems to have seen it in a different light for he thought he was blinded by lust.  Dr. Khaild has perhaps gone to the core of the problem by pointing out that ‘Believers of Tantric Mythology believe that sexuality helps people discover their spirituality, while Gandhi, like many Hindu sadhus and Christian saints believed that sexuality was an obstacle in discovering spiritual enlightenment.’ The imperative question that comes to mind is that if every one were to shun the natural affinity of sex as lust where would all the beautiful sentiments attached to it go, and where would one seek pleasure and solace?

Dr. Khalid then goes to show the very strict and forbidding environment Gandhi came from and which left an indelible mark on his personality. It is his conflicts between inculcated belief and rational thought that the mahatma could not resolve, and lived experimenting and examining them all though his life. The conclusion he came to is summed in his won words. “ I believe that the sum total of the energy of mankind is not to bring down but to lift us up and that is the result of the definitive, if unconscious, working of the law of love.”

Dr. Khalid’s next heading of ‘CULTURAL DILEMMA’ cover that period of Gandhi’s life where his resolutions and beliefs are put to test in real life situations. It is all very well to propound theories and ideas in a limited and familiar environment but their proof of universality and adaptability have to be proven in divergent circumstances. Examining the belief in unusual and demanding situations not only gives credence to the believer but also to the belief itself. Gandhi however saw it in an other light, for he said. “ The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may have grown at a given moment. And if this is the correct view of freedom, our chief energy must be concentrated upon achieving reform from within.”

Dr. Khalid explains Gandhi’s political dilemma by saying ‘ Gandhi struggled with his political views.’   Well!  This is in complete consonance with the nature of the man. However, Gandhi would confound the world by giving proof to the famous Urdu saying     ‘saanp bhi mur ja aye, aur lathi bhi na tootay’ when he   propounded the ideology of  ‘non-violent civil protest’.  In this he married the subtle slyness of docility with the masterful harness of strength of the masses. 

In the next heading of  ‘IDEALS AND DREAMS’   Dr. Khalid has summed up the essence of Gandhi’s modus operendi by saying, ‘ As I was studying Gandhi’s autobiography, I felt that when Gandhi could not resolve his conflicts, he found refuge in avoidance.’

Now whether Gandhi did this because he was a non-violent man, and that confrontation would promote violence—against his very philosophy—or was it his political acumen? Who is to decide?

Gandhi however seems to have had a universal view of things for he once said. “ I do not believe that the spiritual law works on a field of its own. On the contrary, it expresses itself only through the ordinary activities of life. It thus affects the economic, social and political fields.”

Towards the end of the article Dr. Khalid gives a pointer by saying  ‘ It is also ironic that a prophet of peace died a violent death as he was murdered when he was offering prayers. He did not realize that religion and politics are a dangerous combination.’

How so true. But then, is it not also   true that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.   In the end only balance is the key.

In the closing I would like to make the observation that Dr. Khalid’s article is overall a hint for the reader to look at influential personalities like Gandhi, Tagore and all the rest from other angles besides only the biographical. The reasons behind the way great men think and act are themselves educating and motivating and prompt the progeny towards greater heights. That Dr. Khalid’s article is an approach in a different direction makes it its captivating property. The simplicity of narration is its visible feature and coaxes the reader to rapidly pace along to the end.  In my opinion it is smooth for every palate and would be read with relish.

( For this review I Consulted and  relied upon various sources on the   Internet )