Mohandas Gandhi

Salman Rushdie is a famous novelist. His novels, Midnight Children and The Satanic
Verses won him worldwide name as well as opposition.

In the essay Mohandas Gandhi, Salman Rushdie writes about the critics of Gandhi. He
also records the strengths of him.

The Apple computers in America used Gandhi’s black –and- white photograph to
advertise apple computers with the caption, “Think Different.” Rushdie says that all along his
life, Gandhi was against modernity and technology. He practiced simplicity- pencil instead of
typewriter, loin cloth instead of suit.

Richard Attenborough made a film on Gandhi. He portrayed Gandhi as a saint. Gandhi’s

philosophy of non-violence is highlighted in the movie. Even in South Africa the anti-apartheid
movement was influenced by Gandhi’s non-violence.

However the English novelist, G.V.Desani, criticizes him as Action-slave -fascination-

Moon Grocer. Gandhi wasn’t afraid of the British yet he was afraid of darkness. He struggled for
unity of the country. But he couldn’t keep Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the Indian National
Congress. He could neither prevent the supporters of Gandhi when they attacked Jinnah for
calling him “Mr.Gandhi” instead of “Mahatma.”

Sarojini Naidu criticized that it cost the Nation a fortune to keep the simple Gandhi living
in poverty. Though Gandhi wanted to develop villages, he was always depending on billionaires.
He could not control the riots and murders inspite of his hunger strike.

Though Gandhi tried to improve the standard of the untouchables, they looked upon
Ambedkar as their leader. Ambedkar was a rival of Gandhi.

Gandhi fought for the freedom of India. He was against modernization. Yet his own
disciple Nehru promoted modernization. His passive resistance could work only in India, not in
Germany.

British writer Patric French says that Gandhian non-violence did not bring freedom to
India. The British gave independence on their own. Sunil Khilani says that Gandhi envisaged a
religious country. But India became a secular country.

Ved Mehta, a writer, says that the modern technology cannot be stopped even by
C.Rajagopalachari who was an associate of Gandhi.

However Nehru and Indira Gandhi praise Gandhi very much. Nehru praises him for his
quest for truth and Indira Gandhi says that his life was his message. Albert Einstein, Martin
Luther King Jr., and the Dalai Lama followed his peace movements. Gandhi now has become a
citizen of the world. His intelligence is used now than his piety.