Gandhigiri is a neologism in India which is used to express the tenets of Gandhism (the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, which include Satyagraha and Ahimsa) in contemporary terms. The term became popular due to its usage in the 2006 Hindi language film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai.[Ghosh, Arunabha (23–29 December 2006). " Lage Raho Munna Bhai: Unravelling Brand Gandhigiri: Gandhi, the man, was once the message. In post-liberalisation India, 'Gandhigiri' is the message ." Economic and Political Weekly 41 (51)][Sharma, Swati Gauri. " How Gandhi got his mojo back." Boston Globe, 13 October 2006]
Usage
As a
Colloquialism expression in various languages in India including Marathi, Hindi and Tamil, "Gandhigiri" refers to the practice of the ideals of
Mahatma Gandhi.
It is a
Colloquialism form of
Gandhism.
Gandhism (or
Gandhianism) is a term which attempts to summarize the philosophies of
Mahatma Gandhi. Basic tenets of Gandhism include
satya (truth) and
Satyagraha: "Truth (satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force...that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence."
Gandhi further noted of the term,
Satyagraha,
In this context, "Gandhigiri" is sometimes juxtaposed to "Dadagiri" (bullying)[ Gandhigiri inspires young generation]
Popularization of term
Overview
Lage Raho Munna Bhai is a 2006 Indian
Musical film Comedy film directed by
Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Sanjay Dutt stars in this film as
Munna Bhai, a local don of
Mumbai (Bombay), who begins to see the spirit of
Mahatma Gandhi. Through his interactions with the image of Gandhi, Munna Bhai begins to practice what he calls
Gandhigiri to help ordinary people solve their problems.
Some have argued that the thematic attention to Gandhi's theories in Lage Raho Munna Bhai has both revived an interest in Gandhism under the new term, Gandhigiri in India[ ] and as Arunabha Ghosh notes, "Gandhi, the man, was once the message. In the India of the post-liberalisation brand, Gandhigiri is the message."
Theories for this sudden revival vary. Some have suggested that this phenomenon could be attributed to the film simplifying Gandhi's "lofty ideals" and conveying them "in contemporary, colloquial language.
Gandhigiri-style protests
Since the release of the film, there have been instances where peaceful protests were either dubbed "Gandhigiri" or the protesters have claimed that they have been inspired by the movie. In the
United States during July 2007, piles of flowers were sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office by individuals who were legally in the U.S. but caught in a green card backlog. This was an act of Gandhigiri (or
nonviolence protest) copied from
Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
There have been positive reactions to this event. The USCIS shipped the flowers to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval hospitals. A 15 July 2007 editorial in
The Baltimore Sun argued, "let's hope their protest gets results - because Americans are fortunate to have living among them people who are this ingenious, and this thoughtful of others, and this capable of channeling anger into beauty."
On 17 July, the USCIS announced that "it will accept applications from foreign professionals seeking permanent residency through an expedited process, reversing its earlier decision." USCIS Director, Emilio T. Gonzalez noted of the Gandhigiri protest, "The public reaction to the July 2 announcement made it clear that the federal government's management of this process needs further review ... I am committed to working with Congress and the State Department to implement a more efficient system in line with public expectations."
In India, farmers stage a protest with flowers in the Vidarbha region,
See also
-
Ghosh, Arunabha (23–29 December 2006). " Lage Raho Munna Bhai: Unravelling Brand Gandhigiri: Gandhi, the man, was once the message. In post-liberalisation India, 'Gandhigiri' is the message." Economic and Political Weekly 41 (51)
-
Ramachandaran, Shastri. " Jollygood Bollywood: Munnabhai rescues Mahatma." The Tribune, 23 September 2006.
-
Sappenfield, Mark. " It took a comedy to revive Gandhi's ideals in India." Christian Science Monitor, 3 October 2006.
-
Sharma, Manu. "Gandhigiri inspires young generation"
-
Sharma, Swati Gauri. " How Gandhi got his mojo back." Boston Globe, 13 October 2006.
Notes
