(My Rating : 4.5/5)
(The letter was written by Leo Tolstoy in 1908 and in response to a letter sent to him by Tarak Nath Das, the editor of an Indian newspaper ‘Free Hindustan’. In this letter, Tolstoy postulated that only through love and non-violence can Indian people free themselves from English rule. The letter was published in the above mentioned newspaper. Later, M. K. Gandhi got permission from Leo Tolstoy to publish the letter in his own South African newspaper ‘Indian Opinion’. It was also translated in Gujarati and other Indian languages and circulated in India.)
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Tolstoy begins by stating that the oppression of the majority by a minority has always occupied and confounded him. He says it is imperative to look for the causes of such an unnatural oppression and then try to cure it.He points out that this has been the way of life since antiquity. Human beings have always bowed down to a very small minority. The ruling minority has always found some justification for this dominance. Earlier, the justifications were religious and hence were held ‘unquestionable’. Religion recognized the power of a God-ordained ruler like the Pharaoh or the Tsar.
Soon, science took the place of religion and anything scientific was now proclaimed ‘unquestionable’. The scientific justifications for the principle of coercion are as follows: (i) Coercion of humans by humans has existed in all ages. It is a historical law and is necessary for existence of a civilized world; (ii) Survival of the fittest and struggle for existence is seen in plants and wild beasts. It is only natural that such struggle should exist among human beings; and (iii) In public life, the oppression of the few for the protection of the majority cannot be avoided.
Tolstoy says that these pseudo-scientific justifications are not only weak but are absolutely invalid.. When men will free themselves from all pseudo-religious beliefs, pseudo-scientific beliefs, religious preaching and scientific laws, only then the natural law of love will become clear to them.
He says that it is impossible that a commercial company consisting of thirty thousand people can enslave a nation of two hundred million vigorous, clever, capable and freedom-loving people. The numbers clearly indicate that the English have not enslaved Indians but the Indians have enslaved themselves. “If the people of India are enslaved by violence it is only because they themselves live and have lived by violence”.
He advocates love as opposed to violence as the solution to the predicament faced by Indians. He argues that if some people decide to apply violence against others to reach their goals, then the other side may come to the same conclusion and decide to retaliate by violence. “Love represents the highest morality. Love is the only way to rescue humanity from all ills and in it you too have the only method of saving your people from enslavement”, he tells Das.
He quotes the Tamil Tirukkural under the name of Hindu Kural from time to time. “The punishment of evildoers consists in making them feel ashamed of themselves by doing them a great kindness”, he quotes from the Tirukkural. His thoughts and preaching influenced Mahatma Gandhi deeply and led him to start a non-violent struggle for independence.
The book makes you contemplate the true meaning of humanity. The principles hold true even today and I recommend the book as a must read for everyone.
Author: Prajakta Naval
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