Gandhian Aesthetics (An Old and Rare Book)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

I have gone through a good part of this thesis. It is so well-written that it needs no formal introduction, More-over I have never claimed to be an aesthetician, although my interest in Aesthetics is vital.

In this work the author rightly maintains that Gandhi-Ji refused to consider Aesthetics separately as an embellishment or mere luxury in life. To Gandhiji, religion philosophy, morals, politics and economics were all meant for the liberation and enrichment of life-liberation from all the evils that have unnecessarily gathered round man's life.

When one realizes the full implication of the meaning and purpose of life then comes to him a true realisation of that fuller and richer life he can achieve. With Gandhiji, Ethics and Aesthetics were inseparable. Aesthetics is not a separate department of life. It is another aspect of life without which life would be incomplete.

I had two or three precious occasions when I could discuss Art, Aesthetics and Beauty with Gandhiji. I even asked him strange questions to understand his full conception of Beauty and Art. For instance I once asked Gandhiji whether he thought that beasts could enjoy the beauty of nice flowers. We are all aware that the animals seem indifferent to the shapes and fragrance of flowers and make short work of them along with fruit and foliage. How can we then say that they enjoy the form, the colour, the smell and freshness of flowers?

Gandhiji simply said in answer that we know so little of the beasts that it would be hazardous to give an answer in the negative. If the beasts are capable of love and sacrifice for their young ones, we must admit that they have a soul through which their love functions and encourages them to sacrifice their lives in order to protect their young ones. And if we realize that the animals are capable of love and sacrifice, how can we assert that they are incapable of realizing the beauty of things. We must realize our own limitations in this respect and refrain from making statements, which can at best be mere conjectures about sub-human creatures. (I have not quoted the exact words of Gandhiji, but during our talks I was so keen on ascertaining precisely what his ideas were that I can say that I have quoted him correctly).

On another occasion I said to Gandhiji: Beauty and Art are not identical. You often speak of beauty in Nature, when we want to discuss with you the nature and problems of Art. Nature may be the greatest artist, but when we talk of art, we talk of beautiful and significant things made by man to express his appreciation of significance in form, sound, movement or action. The songs of birds attract us powerfully, but we do not call birds musicians. Birds are not known to have developed expression of emotions through their voice. Photography is no art as it merely records every thing which the camera sees. In painting the artist selects. He ignores things which are insignificant and brings forward the beauty of things which he finds significant. So Art is not mere representation of Nature. It is a creation involving not only a selective, heightening process but also the interfusion of the subjective and the objective.

Did art occupy a significant place in Gandhiji's scheme of life? Did Gandhiji have anything definite to say on abstract problems of beauty and art? What relevance Gandhiji's views have for the crises-ridden man in the Nuclear age? My endeavour in this work has been to present a systematic exposition of these vital questions.

First three chapters contain a synoptic account of the philosophical and historical perspectives of both Indian and Western Art Movements. This was deemed necessary in order to assess Gandhiji's place in the his-tory of Art Movements. The main focus of these chapters has been on the contribution of representative aestheticians and literary figures who participated in the dialogue on the fundamental problems of Aesthetics and Morals. The critique of Art for Art's sake Movement has also been presented so as to study the significance of Gandhiji's views on aesthetics in a definite historical and cultural context. The fourth chapter aims at an analytical exposition and clear formulation of Gandhiji's views on the basic problems of beauty and art. Gandhian aesthetics being the extension of his metaphysics, chapter fifth, therefore, is devoted to the metaphysical foundations of Gandhian Aesthetics. In the last chapter, the need of mobilising the artistic resources of the world for universal peace and brotherhood has been underlined.

In the midst of present day world disorder and spiritual emptiness, the new aesthetics for the Nuclear Age needs be evolved on the lines of Gandhian Aesthetics. This has become all the more necessary due to countless problems of the Leisure Age. If stresses and strains, hysterias and night-marish terrors of the modern man are to be over-come, the prescriptions of Gandhian Aesthetics must be given expeditious attention.

I gratefully acknowledge the debt of all those with-out whose kind help this book would not have seen the light of the day. My thanks are due to, among others, to my collegue and friend Mr. Isa Dass, Reader in English at the Punjab University Post Graduate Regional Centre, Rohtak and S. Manjit Singh Gilhotra, Department of English, Panjabi University, Patiala, for going through the manuscript and making valuable suggestions. I am greatly indebted to my esteemed teacher, Dr. R.K. Kaul, M.A. (Oxon), Ph.D. (London), Professor of English at the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, for clarifying many basic problems concerning art and aesthetics. I am keenly indebted to Shri Krishan Kant, M.P. for intellectual stimulation and encouragement.

Above all, I owe a special debt of gratitude to revered Kaka Saheb Kalelkar for being a constant source of inspiration and for having written the prologue to the book.

I am also indebted to my esteemed friends Shri Jag Mohan S. Johar, Production Manager, Mr. Datta Gupta, Studio and Art Executive and Shri Madan Gopal, Distribution officer of the Department of Advertising and visual publicity for their loving help towards the production of the book. I am thankful to Shri Davendra Kumar Gupta, Secretary, Gandhi Samarak Nidhi for permitting me to make use of the picture of Gandhi, appearing on the jacket of the book, which is the copyright of the Mass Contact Committee of the Gandhi Centenary Celebrations.