Q&A: 'If truth is relevant, Gandhi is relevant'

Like Mahatma Gandhi and his own father, Mahadev Desai, Narayan Desai - activist and writer - is a great communicator. Gandhi Katha is his masterly narration of Gandhi's life and ideals. Desai, 82, spoke to Amrith Lal during the 50th presentation of Gandhi Katha in New Delhi:

Is Gandhi relevant in today's Gujarat?

Is truth relevant? If truth is relevant, Gandhi is relevant. If truth itself is not relevant, neither is Gandhi. If love is irrelevant, so is Gandhi. Truth and non-violence is Gandhi. Prohibition and removal of untouchability are associated with Gandhi, of course. But they, according to me, are the incidentals of Gandhian thought. Truth and non-violence are the essentials. These incidentals have to be in the direction of his essentials.

Do we care for the essentials of Gandhism? How do you explain the violence in today's life?

There are different types of violence: One, the violence in the minds of people; two, violence that is evident like bomb blasts, riots, or even war; third is the violence that is latent in the structure itself, which oppresses people.

In Gujarat, i feel there is still - I am using the word still purposefully - a lot of polarisation between communities, especially between Hindus and Muslims, particularly among middle-class and higher-middle-class people.

The poor are not concerned. But there is a lot of polarisation among those who are opinion makers in Gujarat. And that attitude is the worst kind of violence. The evident violence is much less than what was there in 2002. But you see that kind of calm almost always before elections because such unrest doesn't help in winning elections.

Structural violence has been there even before. We can't blame any one person or a party for that. It is the violence of the whole system, almost taken for granted. Unfortunately, people are used to it. They think it is natural. The way we live has a lot of effect on the society that is being created. It is not only wealth, but also the way wealth is displayed that adds to the structural violence.

Gandhi thought that religion and politics could not be kept separate...

What Gandhi tried to do was to spiritualise politics. How far he has been successful is for history to decide. The crucial point in that was the emphasis on ends and means. He was very particular that the means must be in line with the ends.

So, how do we fight the misuse of religion in politics?

That will depend on individuals and my way is Gandhi Katha. I try to give an alternate picture. At this age, i can't lead a political movement. Other people could do something else. I could summarise that way under four different headings:

Conscientisation, making people conscious about the situation; organisation, getting people organised; fighting injustice; and creating new models. That's the way. We have to find out ways to implement them.