Can Gandhi’s legacy save India today? A historian’s deep insights

Seventy-seven years after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, India continues to grapple with the questions he left behind. In a conversation between historian Prof Sudhir Chandra and cultural critic Dr MV Narayanan, the discussion delves into how Gandhi’s vision remains relevant amid India’s growing challenges—intolerance, communal discord, and democratic struggles.

While Gandhi’s assassination is often blamed on an individual or an ideology, Prof. Chandra raises a profound question: Did India itself commit patricide by abandoning Gandhi’s ideals?

India’s birth and an act of patricide

Prof Sudhir Chandra describes India’s independence as a moment of tragic irony. “India was born through an act of patricide,” he states, referring to how Gandhi was killed at a time when his principles of harmony and non-violence were needed the most. Despite his sacrifice for a peaceful and inclusive India, the path he paved was soon forsaken.

This, according to Prof Chandra, does not bode well for the nation. “It is not just the killing of an individual but the rejection of the values he stood for,” he notes, emphasising the tragedy of turning away from Gandhi’s vision of a just and united India.

Gandhi’s vision: More than India’s freedom

Gandhi's ideology was not just about India’s independence but about a larger global structure. His seminal work, Hind Swaraj (1909), outlined a vision where India would lead by example in creating a just and peaceful world.

His concerns were not limited to India but extended to what he called dukhi jagat (a suffering world). Prof Chandra argues that Gandhi’s assassination was a tragedy not only for India but for humankind, as his ideas of non-violence and democracy held relevance beyond borders.

Democracy: Then and now

Comparing Gandhi’s time with today’s political landscape, Dr Narayanan highlights a major shift. During India’s freedom struggle, there was a clear adversary—the British Empire. But today, India’s democracy faces multiple internal challenges— regionalism, identity politics, and communal tensions.

Prof Chandra points out that BR Ambedkar’s warnings about political democracy without social democracy are proving true. Post-Mandal politics saw a rise in democratic fervour, but over time, vested interests skewed the process, leading to a dilution of democratic values.

Constitution under threat?

One of the biggest concerns raised in the discussion is the future of the Indian Constitution. While the Constitution was drafted as an aspirational document ensuring equality and justice for all, political forces have often tried to distort its essence.

Dr Narayanan mentions recent talks about a Hindu Constitution based on the Laws of Manu, which seeks to disenfranchise minorities. Prof Chandra responds by emphasising that the real threat is not an alternate Constitution but the slow erosion of the existing one from within.

Quoting Ambedkar, he states: “With good people, a bad Constitution can work. But with bad people, even a good Constitution will fail.”

Communalisation of India’s psyche

Prof Chandra highlights the case of Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest who was jailed under anti-terror laws and denied bail, leading to his death. He draws a direct parallel between Gandhi’s assassination and the persecution of modern dissenters.

Despite such injustices, there has been no mass movement, no outrage. He warns that the communalisation of India’s psyche has deepened, making it difficult for people to resist authoritarian tendencies.

A glimmer of hope?

While the conversation paints a grim picture, Prof Chandra refuses to lose hope. “Even in despair, I continue to speak. I continue to write. That in itself is an articulation of hope,” he says.

The discussion ends with a powerful quote from his book:

“We who once made Gandhi possible because we believed in him have made him impossible by not believing in him.”

As India navigates its current challenges, the question remains: Can Gandhi’s ideals still guide us, or have we truly abandoned them?

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