CHAPTER 3 MAJOR COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES USED BY GANDHI

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 3 MAJOR COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES USED BY GANDHI 85

2 1. INTRODUCTION If we peep into history of the last 100 years, it is difficult to come across a political personality who could achieve such a great success in the art of communication with the masses. How did Gandhi achieve such a unique identification with the masses at large? What were the major techniques he used as a successful communicator? How could he create faith in people? What role did such techniques play in establishing him as a successful communicator? In what ways did Gandhi's communication techniques differ from his contemporary leaders? An effort will be made to seek answers to these questions in this chapter. The technique of satyagraha, which Gandhi discovered and organized in South Africa, was a major technique and the base of Gandhi's techniques. It brought Gandhi a major success. This factor, a substantial success in South Africa, was an important one for Gandhi as it filled him with confidence and zeal and encouraging him to wield this weapon in India on a wide scale effectively, reaching the Indian people not as their leader but as their companion. Actually, South Africa played a significant part as his laboratory, where his first experiment was carried out with great success. He organized the ilhterate Indians who had settled in South Africa as indentured labourers. Gandhi organized them, and with their help carried on a non-violent struggle with a large measure of success.» After his prolonged stay in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India in By that time he had bloomed into a full-fledged political leader, ready to challenge and shake a mighty and powerful British Empire by his newly found weapon of Satyagraha. However, he had not yet decided his future course of action. According to his habit of going into minute details in every issue before understanding any action, and before coming to certain conclusions, he studied the Indian political situation, which was quite different from the South African in the advice of Gokhale. He did not intermingle with Indian politics for many years despite his 86

3 marvelous success in South Africa. In the meantime, he carried out local struggles on the agrarian issue with great success. It can be said that Gandhi's communication techniques emerged and developed only in South Africa. But it must be remembered that they were not developed by themselves, that Gandhi had made conscious and strenuous efforts towards this purpose. His techniques, reformed and improved through his experiments and experiences, which he undertook for this purpose. In its way, South Africa played a very pivotal role, by providing a proper ground and stage for his work, where he cultivated tremendous ability to establish relationships and contacts. Gandhi applied various communication techniques deliberately to mobilize the masses for the freedom struggle. The techniques which Gandhi exerted, varied from time to time and situation to situation. He did not present his techniques in the form of impersonal, religious or moral codes, but as a series of personal experiments. The purpose of this chapter is to identify and examine the major communication techniques Gandhi used during his pubhc life in South Africa and India, on a more or less wide social scale, to procure people's faith and response for fighting various injustices, and to achieve various ends. An attempt is made in this chapter to understand the fundamental basis of Gandhi's communication techniques, his techniques of propaganda, of satyagraha, and the technique of winning the heart of the people with the Gandhian mode of communication. 2. FUNDAMENTAL BASIS OF GANDHI'S TECHNIQUES 2.1 Truth and Non-violence 87

4 "Ahimsa (non-violence) and Truth are my two lungs. I cannot live without them"^ Gandhi said. Truth and Non-violence were fundamental principles of Gandhi's life, his activities, and his coramunication techniques. Satya and Ahimsa are specifically religious terms. They are the fundamentals of life, and have been so recognized for a very long time. But the unique thing about Gandhi was that he applied them in day-to-day life. According to him, the philosophy of truth and non-violence has to be expressed not merely by individuals in their personal life but also in social relationships. For Gandhi, personal and public Ufe were not different. In the same way, he did not distinguish religion from politics. According to him the individual's life should be governed by the principles of truth and non-violence in every sphere of life. Gandhi was not satisfied only with words. He did not insist on seeing truth or discussing it. He wanted to practice truth. As Gandhi would have it. Truth must find expression in practice and in actions. That is why, throughout his life, whenever he had to say anything to the people, he came out with a practical program of work. He believed that man can develop himself and assinoilate thought only through action. Therefore, whenever he wanted to have a particular thought accepted by the people, he would think within himself, and bring out something that was practical and concrete. In order to reach the essence of truth, Gandhi identified himself with the whole of humanity. He did not want to conceal anything from the world. Whenever he felt that he had committed any fault, of any nature, he would come out and tell the whole world about it. Thus he was in pursuit of the truth in the whole company of the world. When he gave any program to the people, he was intensely pragmatic. He said that he believed in God, but to the poor man God can appear only in the form of bread! Therefore, unless you are able to give bread to the hungry, you cannot teach them any religious principles. Gandhi first experienced these principles himself. Then only did he teach them 88

5 to others, and not by words but by action. Thus, the idea of truth in thought, word, and deed, has been a central and basic idea of Gandhi. For him, truth was to be found in expression, in deeds, and in action. Gandhi was never satisfied with words but only with action. He felt that absolute truth can be attained through the service of humanity. Thus, his intense search for truth led Gandhi into the field of politics. He saw no difference between politics and religion. "Those who say that reugion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means."^ He identified God with truth and religion with obedience to the living law of love (Ahimsa). For Gandhi, truth was the end and non-violence was the means to achieve it. Truth can be attained only through the way of non-violence. Truth was the sovereign principle for Gandhi. According to him the path of truth, which is straight, narrow and sharp, becomes easier and quickest for them who strictly adhere to this path. Gandhi says further, "The seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of truth."^ The seeker of the truth must be free from anger, selfishness, hatred, etc. otherwise truth is impossible to attain. Gandhi says, "Truth is God" and "God is Truth."^ Everything around us changes, but 'Truth' (God) always persists. Thus, Gandhi had ineffable faith in God (Truth). He says, "I cannot really recall a single instance when, at the eleventh hour. He has forsaken me."^ Gandhi also said, "I have seen and believe that God never appears to you in person, but in action which can only account for your deliverance in your darkest hour." As stated above. Non-violence (i.e. Divine Love) and Truth, according to Gandhi, were divine forms of God. He had incarnated both of them in his heart by living his life accordingly. Non-violence, as an ideal, has been preached by saints from very ancient times. Gandhi believed that he did not discover anything new, that the concept 89

6 of Ahimsa is as ancient as the hills. What was new, was not these principles of truth and non-violence, but their application. Gandhi revived and implemented them in modern times not only in pohtics but in day-to-day life. This weapon of non-violence, forged for fighting wrongs, is in fact his greatest achievement. When Gandhi wanted to achieve a national revolution through truth and nonviolence, there were many who scoffed at the idea, considering it beyond human capacity, and therefore unpractical. But, by using it in the freedom struggle, Gandhi demonstrated its possibility, and converted many doubters to his belief. Thus, Gandhi's Ahimsa is active and not confined to religion, but he has provided practical approach to non-violence. His life was a constant, unceasing endeavour in seeking the truth by the means of non-violence, both of them at individual social planes. Gandhi was an uncompromising votary of truth and non-violence. He says, "For me non-violence is not a mere philosophical principle. It is the rule and the breath of my life."'^ For Gandhi, truth was God, and the only way to reach this end was non-violence. Thus, truth is the end, and non-violence is the means. Gandhi wrote, "Ahimsa and truth are so intertwined that it is practically impossible to disentangle and separate them. They are like the two sides of a coin, or rather of a smooth unstamped metallic disc; who can say which side is the obverse and which the reverse?"^ Further, he says, "Ahimsa is the soul of truth."^ According to Gandhi, 'Truth' and 'Ahimsa' are incomplete without each other. They are supplementary, and so it is impossible to separate them. Gandhi's Ahimsa is not a negative concept but a positive one, a soul force emerging from love. He was of the opinion that, "The real love is to love those who hate you, to love your neighbour even though you distrust him?...of what avail is my love, if it be only so long as I trust my friend?"^" About the power of Ahimsa Gandhi says that, "The more you develop it (non-violence) in your being, the more infectious it becomes, till it overwhelms 90

7 your surroundings and by and by might over sweep the world."^^ Thus, Gandhi's non-violence is practicable for everybody, even child can practice it. Gandhi had a living faith in truth and non-violence. His Ufe was a struggle to assimilated them in day-to-day affairs, and these principles were deep rooted in his actions and political techniques. The great point about Gandhi is that he realized in practice the theoretical implications of religions that have been known and with us from their beginning. What distinguishes him is his seriousness and awareness of incarnating these great ideals of Truth and Love (Non-violence) in Ufe. He could not sit at peace tiu he suggested particular actions or lines of conduct on which to proceed. He always came out with a practical approach. What is practicable for him, should be practicable for all. It is his greatest contribution, that he made us understand it by setting examples that it is possible to incarnate these great ideals within the world of narrow loyalties and artifices. 2.2 Sincerity and Moral Principles Nehru writes, "It was the utter sincerity of the man and his personality that gripped. He gave the impression of tremendous inner reserves of power."^^ Sincerity and moral principles were the base of Gandhi's techniques. He was very sincere, very open about everything in which he believed. He championed high moral principles, high political principles, and the truth. Because of these qualities, he was able to communicate his feelings very easily. There was nothing he wanted to hide or change. He wanted to express exactly what he felt. According to Arun Gandhi^^, (Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), his sincerity and truthfulness made him very open-hearted, and a good communicator. He said, "Whenever you speak sincerely, even in a political situation, people appreciate it and they listen to you and follow you. But if your reputation is poor and you are not sincere, you say one thing and do another, then nobody will rely on you. For Gandhi it was the other way round. He did exactly what he told others to do. When he wanted 91

8 people to do something, he did not explain them by words but by action. He first did it himself and then he asked people to do it." Sincerity of conviction is the first condition and fundamental base of Gandhi's techniques. He always said that one ounce of action is better than a ton of theory. He said that if you want to carry out an idea, become a personification of that idea. There are many examples of how he became possessed of an idea. Pyarelal, the secretary of Gandhi, says about him^^, "When he went to East Bengal, Gandhi said, 'I want to enter into the hearts of the people, and until and unless I do so, I cannot move them.' Do you know what he did? At the age of seventy-eight, he sat down to learn the Bengali language, and no matter how busy he was and how short of time, he did his Bengali lessons like a schoolboy Diplomacy means to use words, not to express what you say, but to conceal what you have to say. This is a thing Gandhi shunned all his life. He always told even the unpleasant truth." Though that was always in a pleasant manner. Gandhi was completely convinced of his work, and was prepared to accept all the responsibilities for it. While there was violence in Chauri Chaura on February 4, 1922, Gandhi accepted his moral responsibility for it. He believed that in the satyagraha campaign there was no room for violence, and so he postponed the movement. He never said he had preached only for non-violence, and if some violence happened he was not responsible for it. He never tried to escape his responsibility. An intensive and inside-out account of the Chauri Chaura event has been given recently by Shahid Amin.^^ It uses a subaltern point of view, and a metaphor. The people involved in this event called themselves Gandhi's volunteers, who were, so to say hypnotically influenced by his name. They conducted at least some of the picketing activities for foreign clothes, etc. even if they had not fully understood Gandhi. How did such a crowd turn so violent suddenly? Amin provides many 92

9 interesting insights into that phenomenon, reviewing the background happenings in the Gorakhpur district at that time, and also by going into the detailed background of the actual people involved, especially their leaders. By interviewing some of the persons involved, and their relatives, he deduced how Gandhi's message was understood or misunderstood by the people and peasants in that area around that time. He finds that the name and influence of Gandhi were so great in that area that no other local or national leaders were even mentioned! However, this Gandhi was not what he was as Amin notes, but a Gandhi of their own imagination and conception. Actually, Gandhi was for a day-long visit in the district on 8 February 1921; numerous myths and super natural happenings were associated with this visit by the people, as Amin describes them. For example, one of the women, Navjadi, describes a huge python rising into the sky, and various other strange happenings were seen too. This visit had certainly a great impact, and gave rise to fantastic rumours about his 'message' as understood locally. His name lent itself as a label for all sorts of public meetings, pamphlets, and of course the magic word 'Swaraj'! This went on, and gathered momentum till the main event took place. Thus, Sarju Kahar, the servant of the thanedar of Chaura, testified that, "two or four days before the event he had heard that Gandhi Mahatma's Swaraj had been established, that the chaura thana would be abolished, and that the volunteers would set up their own thana." Actually, the high court judges found it remarkable how this name of 'Swaraj' was linked with the name of Gandhi, which was everywhere in evidence and in the statements made. All sorts of names such as 'Gandhi Swaraj' 'Mahatma's Swaraj' etc. became very popular and the phrase, "Gandhi's Swaraj has come" was used to initiate all sorts of actions. Actually, when the event happened, the police had sought to recover lost ground by firing, and the crowd had began brick batting and plumbing the policemen. Leaders like Lai Mohammad and Meghu Tiwari were reported to have shouted, "Kill the 93

10 sister-fucker- policemen, Swaraj has come. Burn the thana, until the thana has been burnt and the police have been killed there will not be Gandhi's swaraj!" All these happened before the Chauri Chaura riot and the rest is history, Gandhi owning full responsibility for what had happened. Because of his sincerity and moral stature, Gandhi could estabush tremendous credibility and faith in the masses, and even in his opponents. According to Arun Gandhi, because of Gandhi's sincerity and moral standing, people had tremendous faith in him. When you reach that sort of moral power, there is no question about people following you. But when people know that the leader is lying, or not going to do what he insists on for others, he is immediately discounted. That is what we note today. Politicians make out speeches, but nobody believes them. Right from the start you know a poutician is lying. He has no moral standing at all. It was not so with Bapu, because he was absolutely sincere and true in everything he did. In all those satyagraha campaigns, he always informed every one concerned before launching them. He would even inform the administration about what he was going to do, why he was going to do, and when and where he was going to do it. So, he was able to build a rapport even with the administration of the opponents. This way, he had developed a moral stature and ability to get people to follow him. 2.3 Self-purification Gandhi was a great moral leader. He repeatedly emphasized self reform and self purifications as a means of changing the hearts. For Gandhi, Swaraj was literally self-rule and self-control. It was a movement of self-purification, ^^ and satyagraha was a "great movement of national purification."^^ The unique thing about Gandhi is that he did not commend techniques for self-purification by mere precepts but by examples. In satyagraha movements, or even in his Ashram, whenever he felt something was wrong, or if some violence broke out, he saw 94

11 his own fault, and fasted for self-purification. Such a self-purification was an integral part of his satyagraha. Thus, he always laid stress on self-purification. He considered prayer, fasting, pledges, silence, etc. as the means of self-purification. We discuss some of these below in some detail. A. Fast and Prayer Fast Fast was the most potent weapon for Gandhi. For self-purification, Gandhi exercised this weapon to resist injustice and convert evil-doers. According to him, fasting is a fiery weapon, and can be undertaken only by those who have no selfishness, no anger, no lack of faith or impatience. In a pure fast, there should be infinite patience, firm resolve, perfect calm, and living faith in God. "Such a fast has to be based on unadulterated truth and Ahimsa",^* says Gandhi. This weapon should not be exercised for selfish purposes or personal benefits and it cannot also be undertaken mechanically or by imitation without previous adequate preparation. For fasting, complete self-purification is required. Gandhi called it coercive fasting and unhesitatingly advocated resistance of such fasts, he said, "If a man, however popular and great he may me, takes up an improper cause and fasts in defense of the impropriety, it is the duty of his friend (among whom I count himself), fellow-workers and relatives to let him die rather than that an improper cause should triumph so that he may live. Fairest means cease to be fair when the end sought is unfair."^^ When fasts are undertaken in the expectation of 'fruits', it fails, and does not give inner joy which a genuine fast provides. Thus, the weapon of fasting cannot be lightly wielded. If can be resorted to by a skilled person for a righteous cause, as a duty, and one ought not to be deterred from right actions when one is sure of their rightness. Let us listen to Gandhi on how fasts work: "This fasting quickens the spirit of prayer, that is to say, the fasting is a spiritual act, and therefore, addressed to God. The effect of such action on the life of the people is that, where the person fasting is at all known to them, their 95

12 sleeping conscience is awakened."^" When fasts are undertaken frequently, it becomes a mechanical action, and looses its efficacy, especially when undertaken without the necessary deliberation. The purest fast (satyagrahi's fast) should be undertaken as the last option or alternative when all other means of obtaining justice fail. Moreover, a fast cannot be undertaken against an opponent or enemy, but it can be for those whom you love. Otherwise, the fast would be construed as a coercion, and become counter productive. An expiatory fast can only be undertaken in compassion and not in anger. In this manner, Gandhi has laid down certain qualifications and discipline even for undertaking penitential and public fasts on behalf of wrong doers! he conceived it as a "potent weapon in the satyagraha armoury", not to be taken up by everyone, because capacity to undertake it is not a qualification for everyone. Gandhi believed that fasting keeps one close to God, helping to realize one's own faults and failing, limitations and short comings. He has also pointed out how his Rajkot fast had become tainted for lack of watchfulness. Gandhi drew the lesson from this fast that practitioners of a fast have to be infinitely watchful and prayerful. Otherwise, even a little carelessness can damage a good cause.^^ Most of Gandhi's fasts were for Hindu Muslim unity. His fasts were intended to stir the conscience, and remove mental sluggishness. Whenever he fasted, it had a magic effect throughout India and it affected tremendously all kinds and all levels of people. The purpose of his fasts was purification of the hearts of the people. The purpose of his fast was spiritual, and was proposed to elevate the soul. The fast was not in the least a means to coerce his opponents, but to purify his self as well as his opponents. Here, we can ask whether Gandhi was crazy to go on frequent fasts. No, perhaps not, and one should consider his philosophy of fasting to know whether it was appropriate or not! Perhaps it was the most effective way of holding on to a grim situation. The following incident might show 96

13 the difference, in the method of holding the situation, between Gandhi and other leaders. Nehru came to Calcutta when there was a severe Hindu-MusUm riot, and some people told him bad words, hearing which Nehru came out of his car, got very angry, and shouted at them! Here was the difference between Nehru and Gandhi. Nehru used his authority and anger to deal with the crowd. While Gandhi always tried to treat them with love and affection. Thus, Gandhi's fasts were a technique of winning the heart, and also a means of conxmunication, a means of complete purification for individuals, for reaching the hearts of the people. These fasts were performed only for those persons who had love and sympathy for Gandhi, and who loved him. There should be a chord of love between the practitioner of a fast and those for whom the fast is proposed. Gandhi used many such techniques, such as fasting as the means of his communication. He was always with the masses, as one of them, and that is why he acquired a remarkable hold on the psyche of the masses. He knew the Indian people were religious. He never tried to do anything which went against their Dharma; on the other hand, their creed was maintained and enriched by Gandhi. He could make use of the people's faith positively which made his communication more smooth, easier and understandable, because the ideas which he conveyed were known by the people, and they were familiar with these ideas. In this way, Gandhi used the fast as a very effective means of communication. When he fasted, the news of his fast permeated Indians through oral communication. Those who read told those who could not read! In this context the opinion of a scholar is noteworthy. J.S. Yadav22 has made the very important point that anything unusual is news, and news travels fast! People came to know that Gandhi was fasting, and why he was fasting. He thus became the focus of attention. In this way, he forced the people to think about the issues which mattered most to them. 97

14 Perhaps, Gandhi is the only leader who first used fasting very effectively for political purposes. Normally, it is proposed for a religious purpose only. It is a great contribution of Gandhi that he did not discriminate religion from politics, private life from public life. Prayer Gandhi said, "I humbly claim to be a man of prayer"^^ He also added, "Even if I were cut to pieces, I trust God would give me the strength not to deny Him and to assert that He is."^^ Gandhi had unflinching faith in God. Actually, the roots of Gandhi's faith in religion, prayer, truth and non-violence lay in his childhood. Prayer, for Gandhi, is not simply worship of God or lip-homage, but a direct communication with the God that springs from the heart, therefore without need of speech or any sensuous effort.^^ Gandhi said, "It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without heart."^ According to him, prayer is not possible without a living faith in the presence of God within us.^^ Prayer does not mean vain repetition, and it must come from the heart.^^ Further, Gandhi said, "Prayer requires a living faith in God"^^ He believed that prayer is indispensable for the soul as food is for the body. He said that one can live without food for a number of days, but for a man, believing in God, it is not possible to live without prayer.^'' Gandhi gave utmost importance to prayer by stressing the practice of complete withdrawal of the mind from outward things. He said that people, who don't find it possible, must practice it, even though it might be only for a few minutes, since there is no realization of God without constant practice. Gandhi reveals his faith in God as follows: "I have never found Him lacking in response. I have found Him nearest at hand when the Horizon seemed darkest - in my ordeals in jails when it was not at all smooth sailing for me. I cannot recall a moment in my life when I had sense of desertion by God."^^ What is required for prayer is a perfectly innocent heart incapable of evil.^^ For Gandhi, prayer in 98

15 the conventional sense had very little significance. To him, prayer had to be a part of one's Ufe. he could claim this, saying, "No act of mine is done without prayer."^' Prayer for him remained the best device to identify truth. He believed that prayer has no meaning unless one's mind is free from violence, hatred, jealousy and spitefulness, or it should at least endeavour to overcome all these in prayer. Gandhi believed it would keep one in the path of truth and non-violence, and also helps to bear suffering. It will strengthen one's conviction that he is safe under the protection of a supreme power. He also believed that it is not intelligence, but the principle of love which can lead one to God. He called prayer, his greatest weapon.^"* He said, "As time went on, my faith in God increased, and the more irresistible became the yearning for prayer. Life seems to me dull and vacant without it."^^ He even went to the extent of saying that, "he who does not pray is certainly a loser."^^ Gandhi has regarded silence as an important part of prayer. He had a faith that "the prayer of a pure heart never goes unanswered."^^ He considered religion and prayer the most effective devices, and believed that heartfelt prayer is the most potent instrument which helps to overcome cowardice and bad old habits.^^ Fearlessness also comes from faith in God and prayer. On Gandhi's death, while paying him compliments, Nehru said, "Fearlessness was his greatest gift and the fact this little bundle of bones was so fearless in every way - physically, mentally - it was a tremendous thing which went to the other people too and made them less afraid."^^ Gandhi instilled in people a firm faith in God and prayer, taught them to be free, frank, honest, forthright, detached and self-sacrificing. He made prayer an essential part of life. According to him, prayer is for remembering God and for purifying the heart. For him, religion did not mean to profess but be practiced in daily life. He believed that worship, prayers are more real than other activities. They are not superstition but the most potent weapon of action. He says, "The fruit of heart prayer is far more potent than action, so called."^" 99

16 For Gandhi, prayer and fasting were two sides of the same coin. He relates fasting and prayer, saying that "there is no prayer without fasting. A complete fast is a complete and literal denial of self. It is the truest prayer.""*^ He takes fasting in the widest sense. Prayer and fasting were spiritual devices which were advised and exercised very effectively by him to overcome one's pride, selfishness, self righteousness, vengeance, etc. To be free from all these, presupposes humbleness and purity of heart. Thus, prayer and fasting were so intertwined in Gandhi's life that it can be said his life was prayer. He used traditional techniques like fasts and prayers as the most potent instruments of mass action. He used to invoke the blessings of the Almighty before launching satyagraha movements. B Vows and pledges Pledges and vows, for Gandhi, were of special importance, and a matter of religion throughout his life. He believed in taking rows (vrata). He also believed that if vows are observed in a proper way, they strengthen our will-power, but if they are taken too frequently and violated then they undermine determination power, and it's efficacy to resist evil is ajso reduced. Gandhi's life was disciplined, but he did not believe in hurting the body. He believed in the philosophy of action, and his pledges and vows were powerful instruments to achieve his goal. Anyone who woxild like to achieve a definite higher goal must impose a certain self-discipline. The pledges, for Gandhi, were meant to achieve such a purpose. He seems to have developed his attachment for vows and pledges from his mother. She used to take vows, and fast occasionally. Gandhi himself repeatedly took vows, and they had become categorical imperative for him. According to Gandhi, vows help us in carrying out our intentions which he regards as strong reinforcement. He exercised them as a device in his satyagraha campaign. When he led his satyagraha campaign against the Rowlatt Acts for the first time in India, he had declared that if we are true to our pledge, even such 100

17 a mighty government as that of the British had to yield. His emphasis was on pledges, and by doing so he wanted to introduce the religious spirit in politics. In fact, Gandhi was practical enough to see that such vows and pledges did not become a blind obsession in themselves and he was always aware about the higher purpose which they were supposed to achieve. Thus, when he wa5 sick, he finally agreed to take goat's milk, though he had pledged earlier not to drink milk, at least not that of cows or buffaloes. In fact, sometimes vows helped him to become more practical, and to obtain better unification with the masses. An example was to hmit the total number of food items to be taken in a day, because many areas he visited were very poor, and he did not want people to go out of their way to arrange food for him. Gandhi insisted that pledges must be taken willingly and should not be imposed on us from outside. Pledges must come from within ourselves. The pledge is basically the confirmation of one's ideas and ideals. It should make people realize the inner spiritual power, which was always the aim of Gandhi for himself as well as others. That is why he devised a set of vows for all satyagrahis. This was a powerful technique Gandhi used, to remind people all the time about their basic political and moral purpose. His South African struggle had in fact begun with an important meeting, where he asked people to take definite pledges and vows, as is well-known. In fact, his entire struggle was built on a foundation of pledges, which were oaths to God. In Gandhi's satyagraha campaigns, pledges played an important role, and this bestowed a sacredness to his activities. He wanted the satyagrahis to take the following pledges on 29 January 1930:^^ "We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people, as of any other people to have freedom.. 101

18 We hold it to be a crime against man and God to submit any longer to a rule that has caused disaster to our country." Thus, pledges played an important role in carrying Gandhi's message to the people. C: Silence For Gandhi, silence is a part of discipline in the votary of truth. He mentioned his visit to a Trappist Monastery in South Africa, by which he was impressed, and from which he learnt a precious lesson of silence. He felt by experience that it is also essential to surmount weaknesses, such as proneness to exaggerate, to suppress and modify the truth, wiuingly or unwilungly. Gandhi does not take silence in an inert sense, but silence means not to utter a single word without thinking and measuring it. His experience was that during the period of silence he could best hold communion with God. Basically, it was taken as a means to relieve the sense of pressure, but afterwards he found that it had become a physical and spiritual necessity for him. He says, "And now I feel as though I was naturally built for silence"^^ He considered that if silence is observed in prayer, it becomes more powerful. He writes, "I believe that silent prayer is often a mightier (force) than any overt act."*^ In fact, Gandhi deliberately explored many different techniques for communication with the masses. Silence was also used as one such technique, which Gandhi explored in his public life. Sometimes he would go to huge mass-meetings, and instead of saying anything, he would just keep silent, sit quietly with folded hands. This silent communication contributed more towards explaining his mind and feelings. This way, he communicated with and touched the hearts of the masses. His silence proved as powerful as his speech in mobilizing them. It is well-known that Gandhi used to practice silence on every Monday. He had a deep faith in the inner voice, and this inner-voice, he believed, was cultivated-by observance of silence. 102

19 For Gandhi, political communication was nothing else, but the communication of truth. What is the definition of truth? Gandhi says, "For him it is the deep inner voice, which comes out from a pure heart."*^ In order to be able to hear such a voice you must reduce yourself to zero. For Gandhi, silence was an instrument, a necessary discipline which would enable him to listen to this inner voice, the voice of truth. Before going to the public at large, and before leading major political movements, Gandhi always wanted to arrive at the truth first for himself. With such a purpose, he always carried out a deep analysis within and to do it successfully silence was inevitable for him. Silence always a basic pohtical instrument and a powerful technique for Gandhi. 2.4 Harmony in thought and action It was one of the qualities which won followers for Gandhi. Joseph Doke writes, "As for Mr. Gandhi, I have never known him to preach what he was unwilling to practice."'*^ He always tried to teach the people not by mere preaching but by action. Gandhi says, "I am a worker, not a preacher. I will teach you the path of action."^^ The strength of his character was this perfect harmony in his thought and action. Actually, his life was a living example of unity in thought, speech and action, and that is why he could say that "My life is my message."^^ Can we say the same thing for ourselves? There was, in Gandhi, a total integration of thought and behaviour. He spoke what he thought, and he did exactly what he spoke. There was a consistency between thought and action. Whatever that appealed to his intellect, Gandhi transformed it into action. He was greatly moved by seeing the drama of Harishchandra, and resolved to be truthful. He became a votary of truth. This consistency of his character won success for Gandhi. It was also a very strong factor in making his communication very powerful and effective. It also made his communication easy and understandable. People saw him acting, and they also joined him in the task. Because of this quality, he was attracting 103

20 his friends. There were many leaders around that time who were superior to Gandhi in intelligence, however, who had also accepted his leadership. The main point is that he told them exactly what he thought and felt. His life was constituted on the base of action. He calls his autobiography 'Experiments in truth'. He has impartially presented those experiments, and as a result the experiences he gained for the benefit of society. He has presented these experiments through his speech, behaviour and articles, so that they can be useful for any lover of truth like him. Thus, his whole life is a record of practice, but Gandhi never sat down only for thinking. He never thought for the sake of thinking. In fact, his thinking was created as a result of the reaction to some particular situation. Thinking was based on action, and its reaction. Thus, thinking, action and reaction were an on going process. Gandhi says, "It has been like that only in my Hfe: I always thought while working. I never took out a special time to think. In fact new ideas may not come that way. As for myself I would just get entangled into a thought circle.'"'^ Gandhi never discriminated between his public and private life, but his practice remained the same for both. He once said, "I have never believed that the personal life of a leader does not affect his public life. If my personal life does not follow high principles, then I cannot be an effective public servant. My private activities cannot but influence my public activities. I do believe that many mishaps in the world arrive because of a mismatch in pubhc and personal behaviour."^" Gandhi firmly believed that a man who does not do or cannot do things by himself, cannot make other people do them. He said, "A man can never influence others on what he has not implemented, or is not capable of implementing, however loudly he may talk about it."^^ His behaviour (action) was a mirror of his mind and thought. The medium of Gandhi's communication was mainly action. 104

21 He believed in immediate action once the principle was clear. His action played a very significant part in communicating his thought and feeling. This truthful and harmonious character had attracted the people of all levels, from intellectuals to the lowly, and distinguished Gandhi from his contemporary leaders. Here, it is appropriate to note what ordinary people think of Gandhi to-day. Harsukhbhai Mehta ^^ (a businessman) says, "Practice of the announced principles is a basic prerequisite. Preaching without practice causes no influence. Practice is the main and the most powerful thing. Only talk without practice does not yield much. This thing Gandhi implemented into practice. In Gandhi there was no dissociation of theory from practice." Mehta clarified his view that if you are eating your food, and you tell the other person to fast, then how can it be implemented? There is no point in preaching without practice. This was not a problem with Gandhi. He always came forward and took the initiative. His actions and his consistency in character became a means of communication. His practice-oriented communication played a prime role in expressing Gandhi's views and in making them effective. Today, politicians are not willing to practice what they claim to believe in, and what they preach to others. They say one thing and do another. There is no harmony between their thought and action, while Gandhi did exactly what he told others to do. In fact, he first did it himself, before asking people to do it. This way he could make people follow him and work. It was because people knew that when Gandhi said something, there was no question about it. It was always true. In this regard, Arun Gandhi (Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi)^^ had quoted one very familiar incident, which is relevant here. A child was asked by a doctor not to eat sugar because of health reasons, and the child's parents continuously told the child to stop eating sugar, while they continued to eat it. So the child did not listen to them. After sometime, very exasperated, they cam.e to Gandhi 105

22 and said, "Please tell this child something. He is not allowed to eat sugar and in spite of our telling him so he does not stop eating it." Gandhi told them to call on him after ten days. When the child visited him, Gandhi spoke to him and the child listened. Then the child stopped eating sugar. The parents asked Gandhi, " How did you do this?" His reply was: " Before I told the child to stop, I had to stop eating sugar myself. For ten days I have not eaten any sugar." Preaching without practice cannot be effective. Gandhi never recommended anything that he did not do himself. This is the basic difference between Gandhi and today's politicians. They don't do what they say. That is why people do not rely on them, and what they say does not have any effect on the masses. Going back to Harsukhbhai again, he felt, "How can a plan to remove poverty be successful if it is made always in five stars hotels? Despite the lack of modern communication in those days, Gandhi's ideas reached the masses. Whatever propaganda you run on T.V. and so on, how does it matter, when the whole thing is false right, from the base! However loud you play it, and shout, what results can be expected? Technology can make only noise. It cannot affect the masses." Nehru has rightly said about Gandhi, "During his long life, full of hard work and activity, and novel adventures out of the common rut, there is hardly any jarring note anywhere. All his manifold activities became progressively a symphony, and every word he spoke and every gesture that he made fitted into this. So, unconsciously, he became the perfect artist."^'^ This way, Gandhi's thought and action always worked together, and were in tune with each other. 2.5 Credibility Gandhi had established tremendous credibility, and he could do this despite having no oratory. This is because oratory is not needed for such a purpose. What is needed to communicate is credibility. Gandhi had created such a system. He developed a hierarchy of workers in an expanding way, spreading out from 106

23 inside the group. He created a mass-line approach, and employed it in his political activities. He was a very great symbohc communicator, and a very practical man. He converted personal experiences into public issues. He was a frail person but still there was something unique about him. Credibility was the base of his communication. Gandhi's whole pohtical technique was dependent on creating common mass appeals. Further, one has to be a credible source to become an effective communicator. Gandhi could establish enormous credibility among the masses by approaching and identifying himself with them in every possible way. He always went to their level, and talked to them. It is obvious that effective communication can be possible only when there is strong credibility. An example which is relevant here is that people sometimes see B.B.C. news, and believe it more than our own national news! Why is that so? Because it is more credible. Gandhi was a transparent person. His truthfulness, sincerity and harmonious character made the people always completely convinced about his intentions and purposes. M.P. Gandhi^^ (an economist) who was in contact with Mahatma Gandhi for decades, emphasized his truthfulness. To make this point clear, he stated, "Gandhi woidd never deviate from truth an iota. If I say different things to different persons, then I might forget later what I told to each one, but that person remembers what I told him earlier. So it will create much confusion. If I say a half truth, how can people know what is the truth and what is the lie in that? Ultimately, people will not trust on me." This was not the problem with Gandhi. He never spoke equivocally, and that made him a completely truthful person in the minds of the people. He was very open, extremely honest and truthful. People listened to him, and followed him. Why? It was because of his sincerity and truthfulness. People had tremendous faith in him. They knew that he was not selfish. When he said something, it must be true, that was the faith he inspired. There was no question about it. In all his satyagraha campaigns, Gandhi informed his opponents even before launching it. 107

24 According to Arun Gandhi,56 "This philosophy of informing the opponent about his intentions and actions also played a significant role." He would inform the administration about what he was going to do, why he was going to do it, when and where he was going to do it. So, Gandhi was able to build a rapport even with the administration of his opponents. With this unique technique, he won the faith of the people, and even of his opponent. In the opinion of S.C. Gangal^^, "To win the heart and faith of the people, the basic need is to communicate with them" It was Gandhi's awareness of the great importance of communication. He was always aware of the necessity of communication with the masses. He knew that without the support and involvement of the people his task could not be achieved. Support of the people can never be attained unless you win their heart and faith, Gangal said. "It was Gandhi's genuine identification."^* He merged with the masses as if he was one of them, and people also felt the same. It was his unique identification and ability to communicate at all levels which made him a most credible person. Gandhi's personality, more than anything else, became a symbol of truthfulness for the common people of India. He symbolized the unity of thought and action in his person. 3. TECHNIQUES OF PROPAGANDA 3.1 Establishing public relations and physical contacts Gandhi cultivated his personal contacts by conscious and deliberate efforts. Establishing contacts is the first step for effective communication. Gandhi's success as a political communicator was basically due to his personal contacts, and his physical contacts with the masses. He had a remarkable ability to establish relationships and contacts, which he first developed in South Africa. He mixed with all sections of Indians and made some European friends such as Henry Polak, Albert West, C.F. Andrews, Kallenback and others. In fact, it was for this reason 108

25 that he resolved to stay in Wardha in the center of the nation, for easy and prompt contacts. Instead of living in a city he chose to stay in a village. His choice of the Gujarati language was also one of the factors that served him greatly. He felt that being a Gujarati he could better serve the country through the Gujarati language. When Gandhi returned from South Africa, he stated, "Being a Gujarati by birth and my mother tongue being Gujarati, let me first start with Gujarat. I shall speak to the masses in the languages they know. Through Gujarat, I shall speak to the whole of India."^^ It imphes that he was quite aware and conscious of relationships and public contacts. Even when he went for the Round Table Conference in London he stayed in an ordinary hotel instead of a fancy one like the others. It was the poorest London hotel in those days. Gandhi's reason for choosing it was to make easy contacts with the people in London. Even poor people came and talked to him there. This was his way of communicating with them. He did not spend time only with the important people but found time for everyone interested in meeting him. When Gandhi went to the Round Table Conference, the British Government had employed two spies to keep an eye on him. Gandhi converted even them into his friends! Such was his art in making contacts. In South Africa, Gandhi came into close contact with devout Christians. In fact, it was the great contribution of Gokhale to give him correct directions. He had extracted from the recently returned Gandhi a promise that he would not speak publicly for a year! Gandhi, like Tilak, realized the need to communicate with the masses. He came to know that all the Congress activities were confined to a limited circle. He discovered that the Congress was a drawing room movement. There was a big communication gap between the Congress and the people. Gandhi bridged this gap by personal contacts with the masses. 3.2 Tours 109

26 Although Gandhi had spent his childhood in India, and had returned home regularly, he was unfamiliar with the Indian political situation in 1915, during the first word war. He had been away for approximately twenty-two years, with short breaks. It was a great contribution of Gokhale, who was, at the time, his closest political ally and his mentor, that he had recommended Gandhi not to speak publicly for a year. Because the situation in India was entirely different from that of South Africa. This political respite gave Gandhi an opportunity to travel widely throughout India, to familiarize himself with conditions in the country, and to evaluate the possible courses of action. So, as advised by Gokhale, Gandhi went on a tour in order to study the realities of our country. He saw the abject poverty of our Nation. He started talking with the people in order to understand their minds, feelings and problems. It was his direct communication with the masses which he started in that way. His first task, after coming to India, was to study the of conditions in it. When people came to know that Gandhi was passing through their area, hordes of them besieged him wherever he went. They would bow their heads to the ground, and touch him. People came from far-off villages to be sanctified by seeing or touching him. These tours of Gandhi provided tens of millions of his fellow countrymen an opportunity to see, hear and talk to him. The essence of Gandhi's train tours, which he conducted to personally propagate the message of non-cooperation, lay in the numerous stops he always made at many small stations. As he himself pointed out, in October 1920^": This afforded an expectant and beheving people to come from all quarters within walking reach to meet him. People who were suffering misery and insults flocked to the meetings he addressed at the bigger towns, and many more came to meet him from within walking distance when he travelled into the interiors of the country. His stops at such small stations allowed the people a far better personal view of the Mahatma. Intense travel in very ordinary and difficult conditions had become a 110