World knew Gandhi, some Indians didn't, and still don't

Our prime minister has made numerous controversial statements, but none is more preposterous than his recent claim that the world only heard about Mahatma Gandhi after the 1982 film about him. This claim, widely reported in the media, was made by Modi in an interview with a news channel.

Notwithstanding the jokes and memes circulating on social media and the sharp retorts by the opposition, it’s crucial to address the inaccuracies of the PM’s statements. Rahul Gandhi, often humiliated by the ruling BJP and its right-wing associates, was quick to tweet: “Only a student of Entire Political Science would have felt the need to see a film to know about Mahatma Gandhi.” Nevertheless, let’s set the facts straight.

Did the world not know about Gandhiji when he was named TIME Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ in 1930? This widely read magazine bestowed him the title ‘Saint Gandhi’. To date, Gandhiji is the only Indian to be featured as TIME’s ‘Person of the Year’ since the magazine began this tradition in 1927.

TIME wrote that Gandhi’s “1930 mark on world history will undoubtedly loom largest of all.” The magazine later included him on its list of 25 political icons.

Nearly 100 years ago, Gandhiji made headlines internationally. Surely, the world knew this ‘apostle of peace’.

Looking back further, as a young lawyer in South Africa, Gandhiji made news when he protested against racial discrimination, drawing attention to the grievances of Indians there. He was instrumental in forming the Natal Indian Congress in 1894, unifying the Indian community into a political force.

Furthermore, after leading the Satyagraha in South Africa and during the Champaran Satyagraha in India, Gandhiji’s friend Charlie Andrews publicised news of these unique movements worldwide.

Gandhiji’s life and teachings inspired many who dedicated their lives to spreading his ideas. In Europe, French Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland was the first to discuss Gandhiji in his 1924 book Mahatma Gandhi, followed by Brazilian educator and feminist Maria Lacerda de Moura, who wrote about Gandhiji in her work on pacifism.

In 1930, Farah Omar, a political activist from Somaliland, visited India, met Gandhiji, and adopted his non-violent philosophy in his campaign in British Somaliland. Similarly, Lanza del Vasto, an Italian philosopher who visited India in 1936, returned to Europe to spread Gandhiji’s philosophy and founded the ‘Community of the Ark’ modelled after Gandhiji’s ashrams.

Gandhiji influenced numerous important leaders and political movements during his lifetime (1869–1948), including Martin Luther King Jr, James Lawson, and James Bevel, who drew from Gandhiji’s writings to develop their own theories of non-violence.

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists, wrote about Gandhiji in 1931, called him a role model for future generations, and credited Gandhiji with creating a humane means for the liberation war of an oppressed country. Others, such as Leo Tolstoy and anti-apartheid crusader Nelson Mandela, were also inspired by Gandhiji’s philosophy of non-violent resistance. The list goes on.

Significantly, barely two years after Gandhiji’s death, the Gandhi World Peace Memorial was set up at Lake Shrine, California, in 1950, three decades before the film Gandhi was released. Since India’s fifteenth year of independence, a statue of Gandhiji has stood prominently at the Plaza Sicilia in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1968, a bronze statue of Gandhiji was unveiled at Tavistock Square, London, by then-UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Memorials and monuments dedicated to Gandhiji can be found in many other countries, including Austria, Denmark, Uganda, Australia, Switzerland, and Singapore.

Mahatma Gandhi’s name transcended the bounds of race, religion, and nation-states during his lifetime and continues to do so after his death. Let alone statues, street names, and other memorials, starting from the early 1960s, around 150 countries have issued postal stamps to honour Gandhiji.

Regarding the film Gandhi, many may have forgotten that it was the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who had the National Film Development Corporation fund the film and become a co-producer. Gandhiji’s great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, recently reminded us of this fact, noting that this encouraged Hollywood studios to back the project, leading to the making of the film and its release in 1982.

While Richard Attenborough’s biopic Gandhi, which won eight Oscars, did popularise Gandhiji and India, Gandhiji was already revered globally for his passionate adherence to the practice of non-violence and his supreme humanism long before the film. Clearly, Gandhiji’s global legacy was not established after the film in 1982.

Finally, one is tempted to ask our prime minister what he or his government has done in the last decade to promote Gandhiji’s legacy worldwide. 

(The writer is a Bengaluru-based independent journalist)