Albert Einstein while paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi said, “Generations to come will scare believe that such a man ever tread the earth.” People who have had the opportunity to interact with Gandhi remember his words – “Be the change you want to see in this world.”
When Gandhi spoke to the millions of his fellow freedom fighters in India, he said, “I am asking you to believe, not in my ability to make change, but in yours.” These words stirred up the passion to struggle for freedom in the hearts of the rich and poor alike throughout the country and people did not mind bearing the brutal attacks of the British soldiers. Gandhi’s vision of freedom was democracy, which begins not with the government or with the political parties or with any one politician, but within each one of us.
This is the same belief that Rotary International has with its 1.2 million members worldwide. Rotary evolved during the same period of India’s freedom movement as a working and living centre for citizens who wished to serve the community. Following Gandhi’s ideals, leaders of Rotary during in the 30’s and 40’s set a goal to develop the next generation of citizens. Rotary’s leaders asked each one the members to add their voice and their input in shaping the organisation, much like the collective wisdom which went into shaping the Constitution of India which imbibed the values of Gandhi.
Gandhi went to several parts of India making people part of the freedom movement. He spent years of listening, learning and experimenting to design the most effective way to inspire the people, empower them to change their country into a free nation and to drive out the occupying forces. The Satyagraha movement stands out as a powerful weapon and ultimately this concept of non-violence brought freedom.
Rotary in many ways has been doing constant research in finding out what are the best programmes to suit the needs of the community in different parts of the world. The setting up of The Rotary Foundation proved to be the ideal way to connect to the donors and those who needed help.
Gandhi taught us to put the needs of others above our own. This probably became the motto, Service Above Self, of Rotary International. Rotary believes that people, who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. These words were inspired by Gandhi and Rotarians have nearly eradicated polio from the face of the world.
Gandhi lives through his work and mission in every village and city in India and has inspired many famous world leaders to adopt his philosophy. Rotary lives in over 120 countries and is touching the lives of millions of people to make this world a better place. Gandhi said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” This call for peaceful interaction with the people is the fundamental philosophy of Rotary and its Peace initiatives around the world and the peace scholars who get trained in the concept of peace spread the message and help to resolve conflicts.
While celebrating the life of the great man on his 150th Anniversary, Rotarians who take up great challenges in shaping the community should remember his words, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”