Mahatma Gandhi and Human Security

          While violence imperils human security non-violence best guarantees and sustains it and even expands its scope and enriches it. The active non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi took birth in Pietermaritzburg station of South Africa after he was thrown out of the first class compartment even though he had a valid first class ticket to travel. It constituted by far the most creative and constructive exertions in the human history for security and justice. He responded to the insecurity he confronted with the resolve to ensure security for those who faced discrimination by employing non-violent method of struggle. His fight for the rights of Indians in South Africa by shunning force and ill will was a fight for human security. Indians were denied of their rights primarily because of their better ability to do business for earning their livelihood. Their engagement with business was an engagement for ensuring their economic security.  Britain was famously described by Napoleon as a nation of shop-keepers. The British settlers and authorities of South Africa known for their entrepreneurial skills felt threatened by the success achieved by Indians in employing their calibre and talent in the domain of trade and commerce. All kinds of restrictions were imposed on them to impair their ability to do business. Even shifting of business from one place to another was considered as the starting of a new business which could be undertaken only with the approval of the authorities concerned. Eventually they were barred to start business ventures on the ground that Indians had no right to do so. Mahatma Gandhi’s first Satyagraha was a Satyagraha for restoration of rights of Indians to do business which was essential for their survival and security.

Gandhi indicted exclusion threatening human security

Exclusion and discrimination threatens human security, lowers human spirit and damages human dignity. The British policy of denying Indians their legitimate rights was as much an assault on human security as the practice of untouchability which put people in seclusion on the basis of birth and deprived them of their humanity. It was an affront to religion, human dignity and security. Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent struggle was as much a struggle for our independence from foreign rule as it was for eradication of untouchability. His Constructive Programme containing eighteen points can be justly described as a Programme for Human Security. It was prepared for achieving India’s independence. By including in its scope the issue of eradication of untouchability Mahatma Gandhi was locating its significance in the context of our liberation from colonial rule which constituted a mighty step for the safety and security of our people.

Diversities as a source of human security

Unity of people professing diverse faiths and the level of religious toleration cultivated by them for achieving peace, harmony and reconciliation testifies to their commitment to human security. The European continent ravaged by too many wars in the name of religion put human life in danger. It started a new era of religious toleration in seventeenth century. It became an important factor for unleashing human potential and the growth of science and technology.  The secure atmosphere resulting out of co-existence of people pursuing different creeds is, thus, essential for progress and prosperity which can guarantee human security. Mahatma Gandhi’s stress on communal harmony brought out his vision for a social order which would promote goodwill and amity among people. His articulations, that he did not want India to be wholly Hindu, or wholly Islamic or wholly Christian but wholly tolerant with all its religions coexisting side by side, are of enormous significance for safeguarding the architecture of inclusive society which promotes human security. In other words, we need to celebrate diversities for protecting human society. Any measure against diversity is a measure in support of violence and bloodshed. More modern studies are now emphasising that fostering diversities helps regenerate human ability and create quality human resources.

Removal of fear a factor for human security

Twenty first century has been often described as the century of fear due to spread of terrorism. Bigotry and fanaticism arising out of excessive focus on one particular religion and identity remained at the root of terrorism which has caused so much death and destruction in many parts of the world. It is important to fight against the fear psychosis which threatens mental peace and jeopardises secure environment. In fact element of fear gravely affects human health and mental peace. It is important to cultivate a sense of fearlessness to lead a healthy and peaceful life. Sarvatra Bhaya Barjan, removal of fear, one of the points in Mahatma Gandhi’s eleven vows is now being stressed by medical fraternity for restoring mental well being of people. Professor Anurag Shrivastava of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences stated during a discussion that Mahatma Gandhi’s emphasis on removal of fear can become a crucial component of the strategy to ensure healthy living. His innovative interpretation of Gandhiji’s thought in the context of a healthy and secure life is truly inspiring. The fact that a doctor is getting tuned to Mahatma Gandhi’s thought to make people conscious of quality health speaks volumes for an approach for human security which is beyond material dimension of life.

Gandhi's  desire to live for 125 years flagged the issue of higher life expectancy as a factor for human security

Longevity of life is one of the key indicators of safety and security enjoyed by human beings. Life expectancy at birth is, therefore, a sensitive index of development of any society and standard of living of people. Longer life expectancy in all the developed countries of the world is a measure of the well being enjoyed by people there. It determines the quality of life and human security. The life expectancy of Japanese people is more than 80 years. It is well known that such long life span informs us that Japanese people have access to high quality health care, good and healthy food, quality education and  peaceful and life giving environment.

It is educative to know that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to live for 125 years. He aspired to do so at a time when India’s life expectancy was below 30 years and millions of people were dying of hunger and poverty due to several factors one of which was recurrence of famines across the country. On several occasions he wrote about his desire to live for more than hundred years. He was one of the healthiest persons in the world. His life was shaped by non-violence and discipline. In the midst of communal carnage following the partition of India he regretted that his wish to live till the age of 125 years would not fructify if people continued to kill each other in the name of religion. In nurturing such a vision to lead a life for  125 years he was aiming to take India beyond the level of all developed countries. It was a challenging goal. Nothing is  impossible for some body who considered  non-violence as the weapon of the brave. In fact, his ardent yearning to live for more than hundred years  was a yearning to provide that kind of human security which would combine in a balanced manner both the material and spiritual components of life.

Gandhi stressed on control of palate and healthy life as a factor for human security

In the 21st century world we learn from a report that there are more people in our planet who are overweight than those who are hungry and have no access to food. It is a sad commentary on human society marked by production of plenty of food and unprecedented development of science and technology. One fully agrees with Nobel Peace prize winner Professor Muhmed Yunus of Bangladesh that in twenty first century world poverty should be there in  the museum and not in society. Is it a fact that some people are threatening human security by over eating and consuming more energy and delicious food?  While human beings have to eat to live,  life cannot be reduced to the goal of eating tasty food. It is here that Mahatma Gandhi assumes significance. He stressed on Aswad, which meant avoiding tasty food. In fact, Aswad formed part of his eleven vows. He was talking about Aswad and leading a life by not eating tasty food at a time when Indians and majority peoples of the world were deprived of opportunities to get food. In today’s age of alarming spread of heart disease, hypertension  and diabetes primarily due to modern lifestyle based on reckless habit of eating and devoid of physical exercise, doctors are suggesting people to avoid too much of oily  and fatty food which are eaten by them to satisfy their palate. By following Aswad principle of Mahatma Gandhi we can control our palate  and lead a healthy life which is getting increasingly threatened by lifestyle diseases. By avoiding tasty food we can avail of opportunities to lead a secure and healthy life.

Health of people and their security is promoted and ensured by preventing disease. A curative strategy which most of the hospitals are adopting will aggravate crisis for leading a healthy life. Too many hospitals are proving to be a curse on human security. Mahatma Gandhi had written in his seminal work Hind Swaraj that mushrooming of hospitals is no sign of civilisation. Once when he was asked to inaugurate a hospital he refused to do so and requested that he would be happy to participate in any event to close down the hospital after its work to eradicate the disease was over. If prevention of disease is prerequisite for human security then what is required is adequate sanitation and hygiene all round us. When plague broke out in Johannesburg in 1903 Mahatma Gandhi wrote in the Indian Opinion that people’s habits of throwing dirt and garbage everywhere created conditions for the  rats to flourish and infect them with plague. It was an insightful analysis of a disaster which he understood it in terms of deficit of sanitation and hygiene. Throughout his life he gave importance to the cultivation of practices to keep our homes, body and surroundings clean. He described sanitation and hygiene as the alpha and omega of corporate life. He was of the firm opinion that “….ignorance and neglect of the laws of health and hygiene are responsible for the majority of diseases to which mankind is heir”. He included two items in his Constructive Programme concerning sanitation. While one dealt with Village Sanitation, the other focussed attention on  Education in Health and Hygiene. Let us recall the incidence of plague which erupted in Surat during last decade of the twentieth century. It posed huge danger to health and security of people not only of that city but of the whole country. A leading English daily of our country Times of India reproduced some of the writings of Mahatma Gandhi on plague. It educated us about his vision to keep India clean and to keep people free from most of the diseases. A few months before India became independent he wrote that “If we keep our backyards unclean our Swaraj will have a foul stench”. After more than six decades of our independence we are still unclean and unhygienic. Shri Jayaram Ramesh, while discharging his responsibilities as  Minister of State for Environment, said that if there is a Nobel prize for unclean habits it would be awarded to India. We have to scale up our efforts to keep our ambience tidy and neat. The Nirmal Gram Pursaskar instituted by the UPA Government to recognise the standard of cleanliness in our villages serves the vision of Mahatma Gandhi who interpreted and understood human security from the point of view of purity of our surroundings. The Swatcha Bharat campaign launched by the NDA Government aims at removing unhygenic conditions in our society and country.  Unfortunately today, in the words of famous community surgeon of Maharashtra Dr Antia:  “Illness has become an industry for some people”. Such an approach celebrates commercial instinct to generate more profit and endanger human security and health. Let us rediscover Mahatma Gandhi who once said that within a democratic form of governance an ordinary citizen had as much right to enjoy clean water and air as those who had the mandate to rule.

Women's security is human security

It is said that women’s rights are human rights. By slightly modifying it one can say that women’s security is human security. Development promotes human security. It is now understood that if development is not engendered it would be endangered.  Mahatma Gandhi wanted participation of women in every sphere of life as a co-sharer and equal partner for accelerating our productivity, purifying our public life and ensuring peace in society. He understood women as better protagonists of non-violence and    affirmed that his experiment with non-violence would be an instant success if he got the willing support of women. If non-violence promotes human security then women’s participation in diverse areas  would bolster and qualitatively improve human security.  Sensitive writings emanating from prominent academic think tanks project that sufficient representation of women in governance would make this world more peaceful and less aggressive. In fact a more peaceful and less aggressive world is more conducive for human security. Efforts for better representation of women in every sphere including legislative bodies is a step to realise the vision of  Mahatma Gandhi for human security.

Inequality as a threat to  human security and balanced food for all a cause for healthy living

The accelerated pace of globalisation at the heart of which remain neoliberal policies has resulted in higher level of inequalities causing frustration and dejection among vast masses of ordinary peoples across several countries and endangering human security. Internationally acclaimed  thinkers and economists have published monumental books on Inequality depicting the widening gulf between common people and a small section of the rich and wealthy and the danger it posed to security, social stability and harmony. In the  book “Capital in Twenty First Century” its author Thomas Pickety very graphically analysed the alarming levels of inequality in the world. Yet another landmark book “The Price of Inequality” written by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz stressed on the point that economic progress and advancement would be arrested due to massive gap in income between the privileged few and majority of People.  An article from the London Guardian on inequality in income described it as a ticking time bomb. It is educative to know that Mahatma Gandhi focused attention on inequality as a propelling factor for violence and cautioned that there would be  bloody violence  if riches and power confined among a few are not shared among all people. In his Constructive Programme authored by him in early 1940s he stressed on removal of inequality without employing force and violence. He wrote that his idea of non-violent society would be a misnomer without what he called "solid foundation of economic equality". But he added that "Economic equality must never be supposed to mean possession of an equal amount of worldly goods by everyone". Then he added that, "It does mean, however, that everyone will have a proper house to live in, sufficient and balanced food to eat, and sufficient khadi with which to cover himself. It also means that the cruel inequality that obtains today will be removed by purely non-violent means".

Gandhi wanted a higher science for human security

Finally, one would say that by criticising modern civilisation Mahatma Gandhi was upholding the cause of human security. A book entitled Surviving the Century: Facing Climate Chaos published by the World Future Council based in Germany notes that modern urban and industrial civilisation has put at stake not only the human life  but also the very existence of the planet earth. Gandhiji analysed the problem of modern civilisation based on multiplication of wants and desires and turned to the villages of India to find  answers for human security. He accepted and admired science which could build a bridge over river Ganga. But he said that he was in quest for a higher science which could build implements for village people. The higher science must  reduce  the carbon footprint of those who pollute the most and enable us to  speak for the earth community by becoming  non-violent, respecting  nature, promoting  sustainability and doing  justice to the poor. All these aspects  were central to Mahatma Gandhi and we need to turn to his world view for the cause of human security and the larger cause of the security of the planet earth.

The author served as Officer on Special Duty and Press Secretary to President of India late Shri K R Narayanan and had a tenure as Director in Prime Minister's Office and Joint Secretary in Rajya Sabha Secretariat.