Gandhiji’s many ways of understanding ‘genius’, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• Mahatma Gandhi's writings reveal a nuanced understanding of the word "genius," applying it to both exceptional skill and individuals.
• His earliest recorded use of "genius" was in 1888, marveling at the construction of the Suez Canal by Ferdinand de Lesseps.
• Gandhi later used the term "evil genius" to describe the British Asiatic Department in South Africa and Sir Michael O'Dwyer in the context of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• He praised Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the "genius of swaraj" and acknowledged Rabindranath Tagore's "poetic genius" and "creative genius" for establishing institutions like Santiniketan and Visva-Bharati.
• Gandhi considered Shrimad Rajchandra, a Jain poet and philosopher, as a genius without specific qualification, recognizing him as a spiritual mentor.

Detailed Insights:

• The word "genius" originates from Latin, meaning "divine inner power," and Gandhi used it in both its classical and modern English senses.
• The Suez Canal, completed in 1869, was a monumental engineering feat connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, significantly shortening maritime routes.
• The 1956 Suez Crisis involved Egypt's nationalization of the canal by Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to an Anglo-French-Israeli invasion.
• The concept of "evil genius" (malignum genium) was notably explored by French philosopher René Descartes in his 1641 work, Meditations on First Philosophy.
• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, where General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on unarmed civilians in Amritsar.
• Sir Michael O'Dwyer, then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, supported Dyer's actions, which Gandhi criticized as an "evil genius" at play.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak famously declared "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it" in Belgaum in 1916, advocating for self-rule.
• Rabindranath Tagore founded Santiniketan in 1901 as an experimental school, later expanding it into Visva-Bharati University in 1921, and also established Sriniketan for rural reconstruction.
• Shrimad Rajchandra (1867-1901) was a significant spiritual influence on Gandhi, known for his profound insights into Jainism and his philosophical poetry.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Swaraj: A term meaning self-rule or self-governance, encompassing both political independence from British rule and individual self-mastery.
• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: A pivotal event in the Indian independence movement where British troops fired on a peaceful gathering, leading to widespread condemnation.
• Suez Canal: An artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, crucial for international maritime trade.
• Divide and Rule: A political strategy employed by the British in India to maintain control by fostering divisions among different religious and social groups.