FAST-UNTO-DEATH: FROM THE MAHATMA TO MEDHA

A time to compare mahatmaji and his so called followers. Do these people really understand the power of this weapon and do's and dont's for the use of it ? Read these excerpts ...

People like Medha Patkar must realize that their fasts have been hypocritical and not Gandhian. The Mahatma was pitted against constitutionally irresponsible and unrepresentative alien rule. The situation today is very different.

Mahatma Gandhi experimented with truth. Human life was his laboratory, love his instrument and appeal of the heart his language. He knew well the distinction between a devout religionist who spread the fragrance of love and amity and a religious fanatic who fuelled enmity. He fought the tyrannical system, but with no enmity to those who built it. He preached and practised non-violence of the brave, not the coward.

The hunger of his fasts stirred the conscience of the nation and extinguished the fires of hate. As he perfected the technique of satyagraha, the prison gained the glory of a palace; the scars of suffering became the badge of honour. The Mahatma was pitted against constitutionally irresponsible and unrepresentative alien rule.

Mahatma Gandhi viewed “fasting unto death is the last and the most potent weapon in the armoury of Satyagraha. It is a sacred thing. But it must be accepted with all its implication. It is not the fast itself, but what it implies that matters. A Satyagrahi should fast only as a last resort when all other avenues of redress have been explored and have failed.

“Ridiculous fasts spread like plague and are harmful… It is common knowledge that the best of good things are often abused. We see this happening every day. If a man, however popular and great he may be, takes up an improper cause and fasts in defence of the impropriety, it is the duty of his friends and fellow-workers and relatives to let him die rather than that an improper cause should triumph so that he may live. Fairest means cease to be fair when the end sought is unfair.

“Fasting quickens the spirit of prayer, that is to say, the fasting is a spiritual act, and therefore, addressed to God. . Such a fast is undertaken in obedience to the dictates of the inner voice and, therefore, prevents haste. Fasting cannot be undertaken mechanically. It is a powerful thing but a dangerous thing, if handled amateurishly. It requires complete self-purification, much more than what is required in facing death with retaliation even in mind. One such act of perfect sacrifice would suffice for the whole world. Such is held to be Jesus' example.”

Medha’s insistence on immediate stoppage of work on the dam was perverse. Work on the SSP dam has been suspended off and on for approximately six or more years at the instance of the NBA. This itself has complicated issues by weakening the oustee’s resolve to move, swelling numbers and preventing rehabilitation, which entails steady emotional adjustment to the new dispensation after the initial phases of relocation and resettlement. ....