Revisiting Mahatma Gandhi and his principles in twenty - first century with special reference to Raja Rao's “Kanthapura”

The acclaimed Indian writer Raja Rao carved a unique and important position in Indian English writings after publishing ‘Kanthapura’ in 1938. The Gandhian ideology had a profound influence on him. Mahatma Gandhi had witnessed two World Wars. He knew the cruelty and pathetic condition of war. He firmly believed in the principles of non-violence and satyagraha. Through a close reading of "Kanthapura", we can find that the main protagonist, Moorthy presents the ideology propounded by Mahatma Gandhi. Moorthy promotes the practice of non-violence and the love for all in the caste ridden social hierarchy. The spiritual regeneration through meditation and fasting, use of indigenous products like Khadi, considering Truth as God are the instances of inculcating Gandhian ideals among the villagers. Gender is not an issue at all in this socio-political revolution. Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy assumes a new relevance to the young generation of the twenty-first century as it has not known the terminologies of tolerance, forbearance, patience and truth. For the modern man today, fastidiousness is the keyword to get going in the world. He is not bothered by the war ridden society living comfortably in another corner of the planet. This paper will reiterate how Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence and truth is relevant to modern times too.