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Politics of Identity and

Gandhi

DEC. 7, 2012

It is the irony of the day that most of the thinkers

are assuming that change in the system will

automatically bring about change in the individual.

But we have witnessed that the more we are laying

stress on having good governance and a democratic

system, the more corrupt, unconscious and

undemocratic individuals we are producing.

Opposing this, Gandhi said it is not the system

which will bring about change but it is theconscious and self-realised individual who will

ensure all change. Gandhi insisted that we must put

our effort at the individuals sphere. If an individual

is good and conscious enough then the wholesociety will automatically be transformed. Without

having good individuals we cannot even imagine
http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article3033.html


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about constructing any societal set-up.

Issues of Debate

CONTEMPORARY thinkers like Amartya Sen(Identity and Violence I) and Bhikhu Parekh (A

New Politics of Identity) have presented a notion of

Global Citizenship. For them, in this global world

order, our identity is neither universal nor local;instead it is global. Bhikhu Parekh says that global

interdependence requires us to act in the spirit of

human solidarity and activate our human identity.

nd this requires us to energise and consolidate

our shared humanity. For this, both of them with

equal voice raise their claim for global ethics and

global value system.

martya Sen writes: There is a compelling need inthe contemporary world to ask questions not only

about the economics and politics of globalisation,

but also about the values, ethics and sense of

belonging that shape our conception of globalworld.1 This sense of global belonging can be

developed with the help of dialogue among


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Modernist Descartes says: I think, therefore I am.

But postmodernist Baudrillard says: I consume,

therefore I am.3 In such a consumerists and

capitalist scenario, where 20 per cent countries are

dominating over 80 per cent of the world resources

,4 is it easy to develop this sense of belonging and

to conduct a smooth global discussion and public

participation? Is it possible to think about Global

Justice and Global Morality? I think we must see

farther than the objectives of Liberal Democracy.

ctually, the question of Identity, Global Morality

and Global Ethics must be discussed beyond themainstream of politics. The question of Identity is

not a subject of politics. And here lies the

importance of Gandhi. The way he talked about

inclusive and coherent identity has its own

relevance in the present world order.

Gandhi on Identity

IN fact, the notion of Identity in Gandhianphilosophy can be understood from three different

perspectives: Individual Identity, Social identity


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and Spiritual Identity.

Individual Self: In Gandhian philosophy, the

formation of Individual Identity is a process, which

starts from birth and moves on throughout his life

unto his death. Unlike the postmodernist ideas of

death of man and end of metaphysical being,

Gandhi speaks about a conscious living being.

Gandhis subject must answer the questions: whatis he? What is the meaning of his life? And what is

the purpose of his being? Whether he confronts,

ignores, or remains unaware of these questions, an

individual cannot reject them as irrelevant. It ismans destiny to find answers to these questions.

He cannot find answers in conformism or in

totalitarianism. The answers to these questions are

uniquely discovered by each individual as he gains

self-knowledge through self-transformation. The

central human concern is self-knowledge.

Contrary to the postmodernists notion, in

Gandhian philosophy there is no death of theindividual. Instead, there is a self-realised, self-

conscious and autonomous individual who wants


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to govern himself; resists any source of domination,

whether in the controlled tradition or in the

modern liberalised world order. Gandhis

individual is a very conscious being. Gandhi holds

no text and economic process can claim to possess

a truth that displaces the autonomy of the

individual.

Once Gandhi was asked: what is truth? [He replied]difficult question; but I have solved it for myself

by saying that it is what the voice within tells you.

How then, you ask, different people think of

different and contrary truths? Well, seeing that thehuman mind works through innumerable media

and that the evolutions of the human mind is not

the same for all, it follows that what may be truth

for me may be untruth for another, and hence those

who have made these experiments have come to the

conclusion that there are certain conditions to be

observed in making those experimentsIt is

because we have at the present moment everybody

claiming the right of conscience without going

through any discipline whatsoever that there is so

much untruth being delivered to a bewildered


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world.5

In clear terms Gandhi said that its not easy to hear

your inner voice. As the process of self-realisation,

which is the ultimate aim, is not easy. On Gandhis

account, it can be realised via two approaches:

either though social service or through spiritual

practice.

Relational Self: Gandhi talked about the relational

identity. In his concept, self and other is a

necessary structure of human consciousness, and

there is no self free from dynamic dialectical

relations with the other. That is why in a unique

structure of Gandhian society every movement is

around the individual self. In Gandhis terms, If

individual ceases to count, what is left of a society?

Individual freedom alone can make man voluntarily

surrender himself completely to the service of

society. If it is wrested from him he becomes

automation and the society is ruined. No society

can possibly be built on a denial of individualfreedom.6


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For Gandhi, the individuals development and

societal development are both parallel to each

other. Gandhis individual is not the non-social,

anti-social individual. For Gandhi, the social is an

essential dimension of self-realisation and

developing a moral and spiritual political order of

constructive self-other relations. In his analysis of

Swaraj and Swadeshi, various constructive

programme were incorporated. Actually, Gandhis

idea of social service is not only limited to field

work and extension activities of these days.

Instead, he included communal unity, removal of

untouchability, prohibition of liquor, khadi, othervillage industries, village sanitation etc. into the list

of social services. Even academicians are social

servants. As new or basic education, womens

education, education in health and hygiene,learning of provincial languages, national

languages were also there in the list of constructive

programme. Economic equality and upliftment of

kisans, labourers, adivasis and lepers also have

their space in a part of the constructive

programme.


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Intentionally, students were kept in the last

chapter. Gandhi had huge hope from students. In

his words, I know that they (students) waste a

great deal of time in idleness. By strict economy,

they can serve many hours. But I dont want to put

an undue strain upon any student. I would,

therefore, advice patriotic students to lose one year,

not at a stretch but spread it over their whole study.

They will find that one year so given will not be

moral and physical, and they will have made even

during their studies a substantial contribution to

the freedom move-ment.7 Gandhi said that the

constructive programme may otherwise and morefittingly be called construction of Poorana Swaraj or

Complete Independence by truthful and non-

violent means. Gandhis individual is a social

relational self. Gandhi resists reducing theindividual to social analysis. Indeed, the

individuals inner voice is often posed against the

social. Gandhi wrote in India of My Dreams, The

greatest service we can render society is to free

ourselves8

ll his 18 constructive programmes are full of


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vision. Gandhi develops the constructive

programme where each and every unit of society

has its valuable role to play. And while performing

their duties they will realise their importance in the

development of society. Like a drop of the ocean an

individual feels proud to share the glory that he

keeps in his bundle of energy to make things

possible at the societal level.9 Thus, in Gandhian

philosophy the individual and society are not

different and contradictory to each other but they

are essentially comple-mentary. The mutual

development of both will serve the purpose. The

individual will serve and in return, automatically,he will get recognition and identity.

Spiritual Self: Then, Gandhi moves towards the

second aspect of the self, that is, Spiritual Self.

Gandhi said that the identification of development

with that of self-realisation is clearly stated in

Bhagavadgita: Man is not at peace with himself till

he has become like unto God. The endeavour to

reach this state is the supreme, the only ambition

worth having. And this is self-realisation. This self-

realisation is the subject of Gita, as it is of all


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scriptures. But its author surely did not write it to

establish that doctrine. The object of the Gita

appears to one to be that of showing the most

excellent way to attain self-realisation.10

Like a karmayogi, Gandhi believes that religion of

self or truth or God is possible only through service

of humanity. Contrary to the self-centric

materialistic, instrumental modern civilisation,Gandhi believes that when an individual does duty

without any passion of gain or reward, then only he

could actualise the nature of god or truth or self in

the real sense of the term. Accordingly, God, Truthand Love mean nothing but service and morality. In

Gandhis words: To me God is Truth and Love, God

is ethics and morality.11

For Gandhi, it is impossible to reach God, that is,

truth, except through love. Love can only be

expressed fully when man reduces himself to a

cipher. This process of reduction (to cipher) is the

highest effort man or woman is capable of making.It is the only effort worth making, and it is possible

only through ever-increasing self-restraint. That is


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why he said that the one seeking truth should be

humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust

under its feet, but the seeker of truth should so

humble himself that even the dust could crush him.

Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse

of truth. That is why evening prayers were essential

in Gandhis various projects. Gandhi assumes that

prayer will make an individual more enlightened

and a sense of brotherhood will develop naturally

among the members of society. Thus, Gandhis

spiritual self believes in eternal oneness, that is, ad-

vaita. He says: I do not believe that an individual

may gain spiritually and those who surround himsuffer. I believe in ad-vaita (non-duality), I believe

in the essential unity of man and, for that matter, of

all that lives. Therefore, I believe that if one man

gains spiritually, the whole world gains with himand, if one man falls, the whole world falls to that

extent.12

Since we are all sons of the same God, we are all

eternally attached to each other. Directly or

indirectly we are getting influenced by our fellow-

beings and also influencing them. That is why


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Gandhi believes in the principle of non-duality. In

his own words, The atman was the same in all men

and could not provide the principle of

individualisation. Although separate and distinct

human bodies were so many different anatomical

configurations of the identical material substance,

were subject to the same laws, displayed the same

basic properties and functioned in the same way.

The body was the seat of particularity not

individuality, a principle of numerical not

substantive or essential differentiation.13

Gandhi also believes that all of us are part of thesame soul. Though all of us are having different

outlook physically, yet spiritually the essence of our

life is one. God is the origin, source of all our

activities. It is only this spiritual force to which we

are bound. That was why Gandhi accepted the

power of spirituality in every movement of our life.

This is the reason why he used to say: The purpose

of life is undoubtedly to know oneself. We cannot

do this unless we learn to identify ourselves with all

that lives. The sum total of that life is God.14


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This shows that either through social service or

through spiritual practice an individual can co-

relate himself with society. And in this process of

relative activity there will flourish a unique kind of

identity. This identity is not something which will

be given to an individual from any external

institution or discourse. This identity is not merely

a honour (given by the state), position (given by the

institution) or recognition (given by the

community). Rather, it is something beyond all

these. It is the yearning by an individual

throughout his life, from his birth to death.

Gandhis subject is neither like the modernist who

says, I think, therefore I am, nor like the

postmodernist subject who says, I consume,

therefore I am; rather Gandhis autonomous,

conscious and self-realised relative subject says, I

own, therefore I am.

Conclusion

THE project (not the politics) of identity is a huge

one where reconstruction of the whole civilisation


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is required. It does not mean that it is a herculean

task. We can start right now with ourselves, with an

individual. But a change is mandatory. To have a

global system is not enough; an individual who is

continuously getting affected through this global

world scenario must also be changed. And it is not

possible merely through a global dialogue; rather

an effort for transformation of an individuals

instrumental nature into a self-realised conscious-

being is the crying need of the hour.

REFERENCES

1. See, Amartya Sen, Identity and Violence: The

Illusion of Destiny, Penguin, London, 2006, p. 185.

2. See, Bhikhu Parekh, A New Politics of Identities:

Political Principles for an Independent World,Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, 2008

(Introduction).

3. See, Jean Baudrillard, Simulations, Trans. Nicola

Dufresne, New York, Semiotext, 1983.


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4. Baldev Raj Nair, The Geopolitics of

Globalisation. Oxford University Press, New Delhi,

2005, p. 40.

5. Krishna Kripalani (ed.), All Men Are Brothers, p.

94.

6. Harijan, 1-2-1942.

7. M.K. Gandhi, Constructive Programme: Its

Meaning And Place, Ahmedabad, Navajivan

Publishing House, 2006, p. 26.

8. M.K. Gandhi, India of My Dreams, Ahmedabad,Navajivan Publishing House, 2001, p. 172.

9. Gandhis tendencies towards collectivism and

egalitarianism are beautifully expressed in the

following words: A drop torn from the ocean

perishes without doing any good. If it remains a

part of the ocean, it shares the glory of carrying on

its bosom a fleet of mighty ships. Harijan, 23-3-

1947, p. 78.

10. Arne Ness, Gandhi and Group Conflict, p. 35.


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11. Parelal, Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase,

hmedabad, Navajivan Publishing House, vol. 1,

1956, pp. 421-422.

12. Arne Naess, Gandhi and Group Conflict: An

Experiment of Satyagraha:Theoritical Background,

Oslo-Bergen-Tromso, Universitets for laget, 1974,

p.43.

13. Bhikhu Parekh, Gandhis Political Philosophy: A

Critical Examination, p. 93.

14.Raghavan Iyer, The Moral And Political Writings

of Mahatma Gandhi, Oxford University Press, New

ork, 1986, p. 28.

Dr Upasana Pandey is an Assistant Professor,

Department of Political Science, Vasanta Collegefor Women (Krishnamurti Foundation India),

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

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