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Mainstream, VOL XLIX, No 38, September 10, 2011

Non-violence is Mightier than Violence

Tuesday 13 September 2011

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by ANAND MUTTUNGAL

The thirteen-day-long non-violent protest led by Anna Hazare has again proved that non-violence has an upper hand against violence. Non-violence can be understood in two ways: the first is a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle and the second is the behaviour of people using non-violent action to attain a systematic transformation. The general version of non-violence became a pragmatic approach with the application of this religious principle into the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. He used non-violence as a means of struggle to achieve political and social change. The term civil resistance or disobedience has become synonymous with non-violent movements. The civil groups use it to challenge a particular power, force, policy or regime.

All religious traditions propagate non-violence. Jainism and Buddhism have contributed much to the concept of non-violence which included abolitionism, the practice of not eating animal flesh, spiritual practices of no-harm to all beings and caring for the rights of all beings. We find exclusive manifestation of non-violent principles in the Sermon on the Mount by Lord Jesus. He protested against the existing socio-religious system in a peaceful way. His death and resurrection on the third day have qualified his teachings on non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi, who was greatly influenced by the teachings of Christ and many religious traditions, has introduced a pragmatic political sense to this spiritual concept of non-violence. Today it is called the Gandhian concept of non-violence.

The first non-Indian to use the Gandhian form of non-violence was Martin Luther King. He used it to win civil rights for African Americans. César Chávez used non-violence in the 1960s to get the rights for the farm workers in California. The Czechoslovakian youth used non-violent protests in 1989 and called it the “Velvet Revolution” which overthrew the Communist Government. In 2002, Leymah Gbowee, a lady social worker, organised Christian and Muslim women against the Liberian civil war through a non-violent prayer movement which brought an end to the second Liberian civil war in 2003. The latest of all is Anna Hazare’s fasting and non-violent protest.

THE recently concluded thirteen-day fast of Anna Hazare and a whole lot of people following the guidance issued by him through the media is a sign of maturity of the Indian people. It brought Parliament, the political parties and civil society on the same platform. It is true that the Lokpal Bill is not a magic wand to end corruption but the stir it created has declared a war against corruption. The happenings in Parliament proved that India will not forfeit the principles of democracy but the people’s demand is supreme in a democracy. It was a rare blend of coordination between Parliament and the civil society in dealing with the demon of corruption.

Even though an ocean of people took part in the nationwide protest and fasting, no single incident of violence was reported. What surprised the nation was that the people, after attending the offices, colleges and schools, joined the protest and in an unusual way the political parties called for non-violent protests. Funda-mentalist organisations used secular slogans to support the movement. In short, it was a grand gathering of the old, young, children, men and women from all walks of life. It was the voice of the nation standing against corruption.

This latest example of pragmatic use of non-violence has proved that violence falls apart before the might of non-violence. It must be a lesson to the religious and political funda-mentalist organisations that violence in any form has no justification whatsoever.

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