Nonviolent and Noncooperation Movements
Nonviolent and Noncooperation MovementsIn my opinion, the Indian struggle for freedom bears in its consequencesnot only upon India and England but upon the whole world.It contains one-fifth of the human race.It represents one of the most ancient civilizations.It has traditions handed down from tens of thousands of years,some of which, to the astonishment of the world, remain intact.No doubt the damages of time have affected the purity of that civilizationas they have that of many other cultures and many institutions.If India is to revive the glory of her ancient past,she can only do so when she attains her freedom.The reason for the struggle having drawn the attention of the world I knowdoes not lie in the fact that we Indians are fighting for our liberty,but in the fact the means adopted by us for attaining that liberty are unique and,as far as history shows us, have not been adopted by any other people of whom we have any record.The means adopted are not violence,not bloodshed,not diplomacy as one understands it nowadays,but they are purely and simply truth and nonviolence.No wonder that the attention of the world is directed toward this attemptto lead a successful bloodless revolution.Hitherto,nations have fought in the manner of the brute.They have wreaked vengeance upon those whom they have considered to be their enemies.We find in searching national anthems adopted by great nationsthat they contain curse upon the so-called enemy.They have vowed destruction and have not hesitated to take the name of Godand seek divine assistance for the destruction of the enemy.We in India have endeavored to reverse the process.We feel that the law that governs brute creation is not the law that should guide the human race.That law is inconsistent with human dignity.I, personally,would wait, if need be,for ages rather than seek to attain the freedom of my country through bloody means.I feel in the innermost of my heart,after a political career extending over an unbroken period of close upon thirty-five years,that the world is sick unto death of blood spilling.The world is seeking a way out, and I flatter myself with the belief thatperhaps it will be the privilege of ancient land of Indiato show the way out to the hungering world.
