Gandhi and Fasting: An Analytical Review

In the present era, not only India but other parts of the World are witnessing regular socio-political upheavals and mass protests, often in the form of violence. Violence is now the ‘new normal’ in our society. In this environment, the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, particularly non-violence remind us of the charisma of his historic method of protest, passive resistance (satyagraha). It tells us how a man by fasting, as a part of satayagraha, could change the course and outcome of movements, by his own self-sacrifice without a fig of violence, chaos and bloodshed. Here, my paper entitled Gandhi and Fasting: An Analytical Review, is a study mainly revolving around the backdrop and main events of Gandhin fasting. The paper has tried to establish the possibilities and efficacies of fasting as a means of protest even in present day situations, where violence is the first choice of any protest. I have started with how Gandhi experimented with his fasting and how he subsequently converted this means of self-restraint or penance to the most possible way of conducting passive resistance against socio-political injustices. Besides, the paper looks into the historical preface of fasting and its significance to Gandhian resistances.