The document emphasizes the importance of teaching students about Mahatma Gandhi's principles and ideologies in today's context, highlighting how his teachings on truth, non-violence, and perseverance remain relevant. It argues that understanding and practicing these values can address contemporary issues like mental health and environmental crises. The author urges educators to instill Gandhi's teachings in students, reinforcing their significance through historical and modern examples of successful leaders influenced by Gandhi.

1. IS IT IMPORTANT THAT STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT THE PRINCIPLES AND LIFE OF
GANDHI TODAY?
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it
makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even
if I didn’t have it in the beginning” - The Story of My Experiments with Truth by MK Gandhi:
an Autobiography
I read this book as a part of my school summer vacation project; I bought it from National
Gandhi Museum, New Delhi. At the age of 12, I did not understand the meaning of so many
things Gandhiji wrote about life and the ways to live it. But when I received a copy again at an
awards ceremony during college, I re-read it to understand better from his perception. It blew my
mind and amazed me that the problems we are facing now have solutions to them in this very
book written decades ago.
Students nowadays know Gandhiji as a part of their history textbook curriculum or a face on
Indian currency or Father of the Nation or a man on whose birth anniversary they have national
holiday or Dry- day, a disappointment for many! After the release of various movies on his life
by many Indian and foreign directors, our generation could only relate and understand his life
ways and teachings from the movie ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’. Students should have knowledge
not only about his birth date and parents’ names but the principles for which he lived until his
assassination.
If we go through leading and local newspapers,we could see many articles like Gandhi @ 150,
people finding ways to commemorate this day by organizing competitions, flash mobs, leaders
making new promises etc. our honorable Prime Minister, Modiji even inaugurated Mega- Gandhi
Solar Park at UN headquarters on 25th September, 2019 ; showing one of Gandhiji’s principles of
Sustainable Living.
Looking at the present state of affairs in India, the birth place of MK Gandhi, one would
probably declare that Gandhism, whatever the term may mean cannot have any relevance in this
21st century. But is it really so?
Teach our children and students in schools, homes to practice and speak truth. Lies can be
comforting, but path of TRUTH ALWAYS TRIUMPHS. Ask the students to implement this in
real life and not just in examination answers and essays, they when once will see the results, will
use this principle eventually.
In real world, Gandhiji was a shrewd politician, he himself said, you can call me a politician
trying to be a saint and objected if told otherwise. He told the beliefs which he was asking people

2. to preach were as old as the hills. Non- violence (Ahimsa), humanity, etc. are what even Jesus
Christ and Gautama Buddha asked people to observe.
As students we should not only have Environmental Studies (EVS) as the subject to pass the
examination but ‘ Cleanliness’ (swacchta) should be carried out in different regions , beaches,
major tourist spots, etc. inculcating the ‘practice what you preach’ in today’s time. Gandhiji did
not want it to be merely a mission with his spectacles as the logo for it and leaders posing with
brooms to just show off, but he wanted this Nation to be a clean and better place for the coming
generations.
It is very important for the students to learn principles of Gandhiji like ‘perseverance’; it was
not in a single day that he sat for a dharna and Britishers left. It took a mind stronger than body,
majority of teenagers nowadays suffer from mental health issues like stress, depression,
competitiveness ; they are the ones who should pay heed to such values of having patience and
not giving up attitude, so that we can fight the issue of rising number of teenagers with suicidal
tendencies.
We should tell the students and answer their queries as to why should we be learning his living
ideologies by giving them examples of great leaders and influential people like Nelson Mandela,
Dr. Martin Luther King, His Highness Dalai Lama, Barack Obama etc. all over the world have
learnt and tried to follow him and received great success, because our generation needs proof
before accepting any practice.
Gandhiji said “Good travels at snail’s pace. Non -violence is a tree of slow growth. It grows
imperceptibly but surely. Mere goodness is not of much use. Goodness must be joined with
knowledge, courage and conviction. One must cultivate the fine discriminating quality which
goes with spiritual courage and character”. He lived in his Kuti (now in Wardha, Maharashtra)
which was made completely out of biodegradable substances, it was cooler in summers and
warmer in winters, and this should be learnt. The nature of global industrialization and
environmental crises has brought more and more people to the same conclusion.
Earlier in 1992, the United Nations Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro had put the seal of “official”
recognition on the term ‘SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT’
By 1987, most of what Gandhiji had warned against was already a reality. Millions of Indians are
caught in tension packed lives in crowded filthy cities. Most Indian villages have receded still
further form the dream of creative self-sufficiency (Svavlamban) and progress of all
(sarvodaya). Farmers have become completely dependent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides
which are destroying the soil and poisoning the food chain. Yet even when thousands were killed
by the gas leak at Union Carbide’s pesticide plant at Bhopal in 1985, some policy makers saw
this tragedy as the price of progress.

3. As natural resources are dwindling, drinking water scarcity is a major threat in states like
Chennai. Teachings like cultivation of organic fruits and vegetables in small portions of your
houses, saving water and avoiding wastage of food are very essential part of Gandhiji’s life
which we are learning the hard way.
If we say that 21st century is the century of common man, then we can see that Gandhism has
even more relevance in this age. We may borrow Gandhiji’s own words on Ahimsa and say that
Gandhism is only for courageous people. Students are future of our nation and they should
definitely learn the principles and teachings from life of MK Gandhi.
I would like to conclude with a tribute to Gandhiji that Albert Einstein gave: "Generations to
come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this ever in flesh and blood walked
upon this earth".
SUBMITTED BY:
DR.RITU GUPTA
PG 1ST YEAR
(STUDENT CATEGORY)
PEOPLE’S DENTAL ACADEMY, BHOPAL (462037)