Re-living Gandhian Philosophy and Teachings

Little did the Gandhi family know that the last baby of Putlibai, born in a dark, windowless, ground floor room of the Gandhi residence in Porbandar, Gujrat, would one day become the strong ray of light that would lead the nation suffering at the hands of the British Rule to its independence.

The man who people adoringly called ‘Bapu’, fought endless legal battles, challenged the British taxes and opposed the mighty British rule was a man who in his childhood was considered as a quiet, shy and nervous child. Mohandas was an avid reader of the stories of Shraavana and Harishchandra. The values of these legendary characters left lasting impressions in the fragile mind of this little boy. His early self-connect to stories based on truth and the spread of love as supreme values can also be seen as the virtues he followed even in his adult years, and throughout his fight for freedom. He led the nation to its independence using philosophies like non-violence, peaceful protests, and self-sacrifice as major weapons in his combat for independence.

Before becoming the legendary hero whose ideologies were followed by a nation of millions, and before being bestowed with the title of the ‘Mahatma’, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a simpleton born to a middle class family. He always reckoned that he was an average man with average abilities.

How did this modest man, born in humble circumstances, with seemingly ordinary abilities portray extraordinary virtues and have millions as followers to his ideologies and philosophies? Perhaps there is something in them that the present generation can learn from even today.

Let’s learn from some of Gandhiji’s famous quotes and understand their relevance and usefulness even in today’s times.

“A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.”
Gandhiji strongly advocated spreading love. His beliefs influenced his thoughts. He unwaveringly encouraged peace and harmony. He taught his followers to follow the path of non-violence, and peaceful negotiations against the very hostile British. He practised the path of Satyagraha and influenced millions to practise it with him, ultimately leading to the defeat of British rule, and bringing in the dawn of independent India.

It is important to not only learn the right values but also to inculcate them in your beliefs. Your thoughts form your habits. Many complain that they do not have much time to accommodate all of their daily activities. Many students turn up late for class; submit their projects, assignments or any other tasks assigned to them late. They are haphazard and disorganized in their daily activities. This occurs because a lot of youngsters are not effective managers of time and they end up wasting too much time with friends, using Facebook, WhatsApp, or on other trivial and insignificant things. They become too focused on a particular activity that leaves them with no time to follow their timetable, or complete a particular task on time.

If you believe you can achieve the right balance between leisure and work. That would make the first step to making your beliefs turn into actions. What you could do is plan your time and day ahead. Make it a habit to always be punctual for every appointment, submission, etc. Being punctual, being disciplined and learning to balance social, college and work life will eventually become a habit, finally leading you to being more productive and making it easier for you to reach any of your life goals.

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