Twenty years back, I had reported to the
American people that Gandhiji was the best person in the world. At that time
he was not a familiar figure in the Western world.
Gandhiji did not achieve the highest place in
this world due to his mental ability or fame. He is neither the commander of
an army nor a conqueror. He is not even the highest authority of the
sovereignty. He doesn’t even have a dignified appearance. But he achieved it
due to his undefeatable will power, by instilling within his countrymen a
sense of pride for the nation and generating awareness among them. He taught
them the habit of self-restraint. He empowered them to acquire independence
and made them worthy of enjoying it. He offered them political independence
along with liberation of their souls. Besides this he liberated the
untouchables from the slavery and sorrow. In the history of mankind this was
the highest feat performed for the liberation of people and will be
remembered for ever. His supreme performance was the propagation of the
principle of ‘non-violent resistance’ and its application as a tool for
establishing liberty, peace and justice in the world.
As an eminent person, Gandhiji can be compared
to the greatest people in the world’s history. Like Wilfer Force, Garrison
and Lincoln, he was the great liberator of the slaves. As a proponent of
‘unfaltering love’ he can be remembered with Saint Francis, Thoro and
Tolstoy. He can also be counted among the greatest Messishs of all times,
along with Laotse, Buddha, Zarathustra and Christ. But besides all this, his
eminence lies in his being an excellent human being and an excellent person.
In one of my books I have written about him, “He is very polite,
sophisticated and very affectionate. He has an unbeatable sense of humour.
He possesses an alluring simplicity. He is the lord of peace. He has the
heart as soft as a flower but his physique is as tough as a diamond. He
possesses a transparent power of concentration and his worship of truth is
unfluctuating.