Gandhi, the father of our nation, although was not a philosopher in the true sense, but his ideals have been the guiding light for the nation.
a) Modernity-
Gandhiji was against the notion of modernization in as per the Western ideologies that fostered greed, aggression and indulgence. His idea of modernity was realized in "Ram Rajya", a socialist concept of self-sustaining economy, ecological harmony, and brotherhood & concern for one another.
b) Religiosity-
Gandhi rejected the complexities of rituals, social hierarchies & priesthood. Instead, he viewed religion as a medium of self-transformation & evolution by giving new meaning to religious practices such as fasting, austerity etc, which were not aimed at attaining moksha but being better human beings. His experiments with truth challenged the Brahamincal practices of castesim, pollution, elitism.
c) Science-
Contrary to the popular misconception, Gandhi did not reject modern sciences, but sought to humanize it, non-violent and of relevance to the poor masses. His ideas gave preference to rural cottage industries rather than modern heavy industries.
d) Spirituality-
Gandhi used spirituality as a basis of social change by incorporating love, forgiveness, compassion, equality, selflessness, un-complained suffering etc. which later gave shape to 'Passive resistance’.
Relevance in today's world
1- Violence perpetrated in multiple forms such as terrorism, domestic violence, insurgency, intolerance etc.
2- Deep rooted corruption in the system.
3- Negative effects of globalization, automation increasing rates of unemployment; skewed economic growth etc.
4- Erosion of rural economy due to persisting agrarian crisis, farmer suicides etc.
5- Ecological misbalance, climate change, loss of habitats & mass extinctions etc.
CONCLUSION:
Thus Gandhiji principles of Passive resistance, Non violence, brotherhood & harmony have withstood the test of time and are still relevant in the modern world.
