RELIGION, POLITICS AND THE ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES OF THE TWO LEADERS
Gandhiji made religion integral to his politics while Netaji, following Swamiji's direction, separated the two entirely. The former, -- somewhat simplistically speaking, if I may be allowed the literary licence to go farther than I ought to in strict historical terms, a feature I here adopt merely to highlight an issue that is contentious to our past and to our present, -- led to Partition while the latter led to integration of a rare order within the INA at a time of vicious communal politics, an achievement which even the Mahatma eulogised.
Gandhiji adhered to the ancient and the age-old concept of the dharma as being the guiding force for governance which he enunciated as his golden principle of Ram Rajya. Netaji, on the other hand, was far more judicious and preferred the modern European concept of the separation of the Church and the State. While the Mahatma thought that ethical considerations in governance derived their roots from spirituality, and in this he must have derived inspiration from Swamiji's lectures and literature, Netaji thought that such open practice of religious reference, if even in the garb of spirituality, the dharma et al, would easily degenerate into divisive religious recourse which would disintegrate the polity. Consequently, while the Mahatma called for mass prayer meetings every evening, Netaji kept the observance of religion to his closet where he stood face to face with his inner being and steadied his concentration and clarity for continued service to the cause of freedom. Gandhiji brought about mass awakening by appealing to the religious impulse with all its concomitant characteristics and consequences while Netaji quickened revolutionary fervour by appealing to the patriotic feelings of the masses and awakening them to the perfidious nature of British colonial rule that had reduced India to ruins in every sphere, and to the urgency of driving the enemy out of the motherland. As to the outcome to the two approaches, history has borne testimony to which we call all testify.
Written by Sugata Bose
Gandhiji made religion integral to his politics while Netaji, following Swamiji's direction, separated the two entirely. The former, -- somewhat simplistically speaking, if I may be allowed the literary licence to go farther than I ought to in strict historical terms, a feature I here adopt merely to highlight an issue that is contentious to our past and to our present, -- led to Partition while the latter led to integration of a rare order within the INA at a time of vicious communal politics, an achievement which even the Mahatma eulogised.
Gandhiji adhered to the ancient and the age-old concept of the dharma as being the guiding force for governance which he enunciated as his golden principle of Ram Rajya. Netaji, on the other hand, was far more judicious and preferred the modern European concept of the separation of the Church and the State. While the Mahatma thought that ethical considerations in governance derived their roots from spirituality, and in this he must have derived inspiration from Swamiji's lectures and literature, Netaji thought that such open practice of religious reference, if even in the garb of spirituality, the dharma et al, would easily degenerate into divisive religious recourse which would disintegrate the polity. Consequently, while the Mahatma called for mass prayer meetings every evening, Netaji kept the observance of religion to his closet where he stood face to face with his inner being and steadied his concentration and clarity for continued service to the cause of freedom. Gandhiji brought about mass awakening by appealing to the religious impulse with all its concomitant characteristics and consequences while Netaji quickened revolutionary fervour by appealing to the patriotic feelings of the masses and awakening them to the perfidious nature of British colonial rule that had reduced India to ruins in every sphere, and to the urgency of driving the enemy out of the motherland. As to the outcome to the two approaches, history has borne testimony to which we call all testify.
Written by Sugata Bose
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