Salute to the Greatest Communicator
Mahatma Gandhi was the
greatest communicator that the mankind ever had. No one in history or in
current times would ever match Gandhi’s communication skills. Nor will there be
anyone in times to come.
One word from him –
Satyagraha - would make the nation stand still. Remember, those were the times when
social media did not exist. The Internet of mobile telephony wasn’t even
thought of. Even the telephone was rare. Yet, Gandhi’s message would spread
faster than a forest fire and set the British rulers’ machinery on fire!
He would go on a hunger
strike for a cause. He would observe Maun
Vrat whch no leader would question. His silence used to speak millions of
words. If you recall the scene from Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi on hunger
strike during Kolkata riots, you will recall the power of his silence. I still
keep watching the movie whenever it is telecast on any channel. I have a DVD in
my library.
Two words – Quit India
– made the Raj shiver and they were forced by the nation to leave within three
years.
Patience was his key
word or the mantra. He must have under terrific pressure to
decide on mass
action to force the Brits leave. With the likes of Subhash Chandra Bose trying
to force him to support Japan during the World War-ll to kick Britishers out,
one can understand the youth pressure that he had to face. Yet he would not budge.
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Our generation and the
generations to come have a lot to learn from the great man – Mahatma. I have a
strong feeling that those who criticise his style of leadership or his
philosophies would not equal even his small toe nail!
I have been personally
witnessing many leaders trying to advocate us to be worthy of Gandhi. In fact,
right since Gandhi’s Centenary in 1969 my generation has been witnessing all
deliver big talks about the Father of The Nation with little or no dedication.
Unfortunately, we have
forgotten the Mahatma. We remember him and pay token respects only during Gandhi Jayanti. Isn’t it really sad that
certain people remember him for the ‘dry days’ which used to be for an entire
Saptaah, now reduced to October 2 and 8.
Corrupt politicians
refer to Bapu for the Rs 500 currency note.
In such a shameful
scenario, we at PRCI have decided to remind ourselves and the society at large
about the greatest man, the master communicator.
Any number of words
would not suffice to describe the greatest communicator.
Let’s read what
various communication professionals think of him as they pay their respect to
him.
Enjoy reading and keep
remembering the Mahatma!
-B N Kumar
Editor
Flat on a Railway Station to
Father of The Nation
By David Franklin
Who would have thought that pushing a frail
Indian out of a train at Pietermaritzburg station could lead to the British Empire
being sent packing from the world’s second most populous nation, some years later?
Yes, we all know that the incident at Pietermaritzburg
was the defining moment in turning Mohandas into Mahatma.
The apostle of non-violence gave the world a
most potent weapon; one that put fear in the hearts of regimes unafraid of
facing bombs and bullets. That weapon was Satyagraha (Devotion to truth). It
simply meant that the adversaries were invited for talks and through
non-violence, resisted. To date it has proved to be the most devastating of all
weapons of mass destruction, as there is no defense against non-violent
opposition.
Mahatma, in his childhood, was an average child
with sedate ambitions of becoming a Barrister. In fact, he messed up his very
first appearance in a court.
We will not recount his life here, but as
communicators see, what lessons we can draw to become better in our field.
The three lessons we can draw from his life to
become better communicators are:
· You are the message- We spend a lot of time being a messenger of a message. We make swanky
presentations, have apt positioning statements et al, forgetting a vital truth
that world is not changed by messages, but by the messengers, who live them.
All of us have experienced failure, where we thought the presentation was great
but somehow the client did not buy it.
What was missing? Let’s look at
Gandhiji’s life and see if we can find an answer. When he took up Satyagraha,
he shed more than his clothes. To him, truth was the most important thing. He
purposed that things like fame, fortune, desires, etc will not sway him. In
fact, there was no difference between him and his message of non-violence.
Clients are looking beyond commitment; they are looking for partners
with skin in the game, standing shoulder to shoulder, as they reach out to
their TG. Partners who are willing to stake their reputations along with clients.
In fact, most of the time clients put money where our mouth is. But are we sure
where our mouth is?
· Don’t just reach, preach- Once the message is decided, we spend time and money to carry out
research to find the best target audience. Then we use various channels to
reach them with our message. Do you think, it is the most effective way?
Imagine you are an NGO working for
the downtrodden. What is the point, then, of having a roundtable or a seminar
in a five-star hotel, whose vicinity your target audience cannot even imagine
approaching?
Gandhiji, left everything and lived
among the people, he hoped to set free. He reached them and preached among
them. They saw the messenger become the message and the most powerful empire of
that time was brought to its knees.
We must spend time in connection
with our TG at their home grounds. They must see a commitment in our message to
them.
In today’s connected world, it means
reaching communities and becoming a part of them. More than being a part of the
digital influencers. This is more than just influencer marketing or digital
marketing. It is the digital equivalent of Satyagraha.
Once this happens, there will be a
quantum shift in the way the TG sees us and our clients.
· Give it time- Allow
your strategy and message time to unfold. Don’t go for short term fixes. These
result in great output and hardly any outcome. Once clients see us become their
message and evangelists, they will not complain.
Though Satyagraha started in late
1890s, it was only in 1947 that India became independent.
This was the Communication Trident that Gandhiji used effectively to become one
of the most influential persons of all times. In 2011, he was among TIME magazine’s Top 25 Political icons of all
times. (The author is President, Concept
PR)
Walking with Gandhi to Master Communication
By Dr T Vinay Kumar
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In a gentle way you can shake the world
Does this famous quote
ring a bell? It has all the essence of ‘communication’ and was said by the
father of the nation,Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Nope, we are not talking about
him in terms of politics but as a communication bigwig. Scooping up lumps of
his achievements as a freedom fighter, on closer look, it is not that hard to
see that Gandhi worked on the principles of communication.
There is no doubt that
to taste the flavours of the success of communication, it has to happen
two-way. But, it doesn’t end here. The most crucial fact is that the message or
information has to create an impact in the minds of people/customers. For this,
one need to have sufficient emotional intelligence, cohesion and clarity,
empathy, confidence, respect, listening skills, open-mindedness and oh yes,
don’t forget to ensure a positive tone of voice.
Did you know that
Gandhi was once an anxious public speaker? Yes, it is said so. Flashback--
Scene 1:A ‘Vegetarian Society’ meeting at a restaurant in London. Gandhi (then
a law student) was to give a speech on the benefits of vegetarianism.
Scene 2: Gandhi is prepared
to narrate the speech. But, when it is his turn to speak in public, the shadow
of panic engulfs him. Unfortunately, he manages to speak only a line from his
speech and fails to speak further. Someone else from the group has to continue
to read out his speech further.
However, Gandhi wasn’t
willing to give up. He later said. “‘My hesitancy in speech, which was once an
annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught
me the economy of words.” For a man constantly surrounded by people, having
communication skills was mandatory.
Nothing Beats Determination
Mahatma Gandhi also maintained a resolute written communication. He wrote
regular articles and on March 24, 1930, it is said that he produced seven
articles for ‘Young India’.
Gandhi
saw to it that he made effective use of media. He once stated: “The true
function of journalism is to educate the public mind, not to stock it with
wanted and unwanted impressions”. Gandhi's speech during his visit to The
Hindu manifested his philosophy and vision of journalism.
“I have, therefore, never been tired of
reiterating to journalists whim. I know that journalism should
Gandhi’s communication
skills transformed India’s freedom struggle from one waged by a small elite,
urban group into a mass movement in which millions of Indians from every
stratum of society enthusiastically participated. He was aware that to reach out
to the hearts of the people living in the rural areas was through the age-old
oral traditions such as public lectures, prayer meetings and padayatras (walks).
Haven’t many of us
heard “actions speak louder than words?” In Mahatma Gandhi’s case, he led several
movements as part of his freedom struggle. In a nutshell, actions fall under the
category of communication.
· Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation
Movement in 1920. With the support of the Congress and his invincible
spirit, Gandhi became successful in convincing people that adhering to
non-cooperation in a peaceful way is the key to attaining independence.
· Mahatma Gandhi was
considered as one of the best negotiators among world leaders. Gandhi’s concept
of conflict resolution was based on nonviolence. He used the method of satyagraha to resolve all conflicts be
it personal or some kind of tough international conflict. The main objective of
Gandhian satyagrahawas to change the
opponent’s mind in a peaceful way. He did not consider any one as his enemy. That was the message that he communicated
through his actions.
Gandhi and Public Relations
Mahatma Gandhi’s communication and organizational skills besides his
striking personality can be set as an example for PR professionals. Beyond
doubt, he was able to have a good innings in terms of communication. But what
is yet again worthwhile to note is that he was his own PR agency. Gandhi knew
whom he should consider as his target audience and sculpted his communication strategies
accordingly. While today one cuts a poor figure without mobile phones,
television and other sources of technology for communication, Gandhi's message smoothly
reverberated all over the country sans modern technology. Several centuries back Aristotle in his book Rhetorica - the oldest and detailed book
on human communication – had defined rhetoric as the art of persuading the
audience, identifying character of the communicator, his sense of logic and
ability to rouse emotions as the three key factors in successful communication.
Aristotle, perhaps, was the first person in the history of mankind to
articulate the secrets that lead to successful communication. However, it took
a person like Mahatma Gandhi to practice it for the first time that too in a
non-violent way.
Let me conclude with a quote
of the great man :
“I realized that the
sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper press is a great power,
but just as an unchained torrent of water submerges whole countrysides and
devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves but to destroy. If the
control is from without, it proves more poisonous than want of control. It can
be profitable only when exercised from within. If this line of reasoning is correct, how many of the journals in the world
would stand the test? But who would stop those that are useless? And who should
be the judge? The useful and the useless must, like good and evil generally, go
on together, and man must make his choice.”
(The author is
President-elect, National Executive, PRCI)
Gandhiji – Life Lesson apart from
Liberty
By Jairam
N Menon
Saints are
supposed to be solemn people. Political leaders are supposed to be so caught up
with the earnestness of nation-building that they would never have time to step
back and jest. Our school textbooks seem to have gone along with this trope and
built a uni-dimensional image of the architect of our freedom struggle. The
encomiums have become trite over time – father of the nation, apostle of
ahimsa, crusader of the downtrodden…. What remains hidden in this numbing avalanche
is another Gandhiji – the Gandhiji who knew when, how and why to tell a joke.
American writer
Pearl S. Buck said: “Gandhi was not only a saint, he was a humorist. The two
are not often in combination but when they are, the creature is invincible.” The
fact is, apart from freeing from India from colonial rule, the smiling saint
also told us – long before happiness gurus and quick fix philosophers got into
the act – that we should free ourselves from the anxieties that burden our
everyday lives.
Gandhiji fulfilled
the least stated but the most important requirement of a good communicator – he
struck a rapport with those whom he addressed. He joked with almost all his
visitors. For instance, when American photographer Candice Bergman complimented
the residents of Sabarmati Ashram for being able to spin their own clothes,
Gandhiji chuckled and said: “In my case, it’s not much of an
accomplishment.” Self-deprecation is
almost non-existent in political circles today but Gandhiji could joke against himself because
he didn’t share with other world leaders the desire to impress and
overawe. Louis Fischer has elaborated on
this difference. When he sat in the room
with Gandhiji, he was not nervous, intimidated or overawed by a powerful
personality. Instead Fischer said he felt he was “in the presence of a very
sweet, gentle, informal, relaxed, happy man.”
The Mahatma must
have gone through life without really hating a soul. Of course, he had
opponents by the score but he was too essentially good spirited to bring
himself to harbour any malice to those who would not agree with him. ‘It is hateful to hate’, said Tagore, and
Gandhiji crystallised that belief. The absence of malice is a great balm for
the soul.
Gandhiji also
had a wonderful sense of balance. He proved to the world the significance of
the things in life that we consider trifles, and the limited importance of the
all those things we consider momentous. A story, probably apocryphal, goes that
at a critical point in the discussions between our national leaders when the
deliberations seemed to have reached an impasse and everyone was weighed down,
Gandhiji held up his hand. “Now it’s time,” he said, “for me to milk my goat.”
And so the all-important
arguments of the day had to be suspended for a little chore. One can imagine
the temperature coming down, everyone involved re-setting their approach to
each other and equilibrium restored. It was the Mahatma’s gentle reminder to his
followers to balance the little things in life with the large.
Gandhiji’s life
is full of the messages we have heard a million times – to be truthful, to
abstain from violence and to stand up for your rights. But amid all these
important messages, we shouldn’t forget that our smiling, tireless Bapu also
taught us how to take it easy, and yes, take time off for a chuckle. (The author is a
Mumbai-based Communications Consultant)
Blast from the past
Mahatma’s Historic Visit to J & K
By O. P. Sharma
Mahatma Gandhi, a symbol of non-violence, truth and moral values paid
a 4-day historical visit to strategic and sensitive Jammu and Kashmir State
during a crucial period in first week of August, 1947 and played a pivotal
role. This was his life’s first and the only short visit in Kashmir which gave
some turning points to course of events on the eve of Independence as well as
thereafter by providing much-needed healing touch to the people in this
sensitive and strategic border State.
The Father of the Nation always had his hand on the pulse of the
people and his gospel of non-violence, truth and sincerity of purpose had
already won the hearts of masses in Jammu and Kashmir as elsewhere in the
country.
The visit was at a very momentous period on August 1-4, 1947 and had
much historic importance for Jammu and Kashmir as well the entire country. It
was a significant event then in 1947, but a spotlight on it now is also of much
relevance for the people in this part of the country. Gandhiji’s message of
peace and harmony has always stood the test of time and is so still very much
relevant in our time now.
Historical Visit: The Indian
National Congress leadership- Gandhiji, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad,
Sardar Patel and other stalwarts - had been source of inspiration and ideology
during the movement in Jammu and Kashmir for attainment of responsive and
democratic governance in place of the monarchy. The struggle in Kashmir was
spearheaded by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who stood by the high principles of
peaceful method and uphold the Hindu-Muslim unity at all cost. The Sheikh was
imprisoned at the time of the Mahatma’s visit.
On August 1, 1947, Gandhiji reached Srinagar, the summer capital of
Jammu and Kashmir State, to an affectionate welcome and grand reception by
Begum Akbar Jehan wife of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and about 500 women social
and political activists. He freely met the masses in Kashmir then. The Mahatma
did not address any public rally during his three days stay in Srinagar but
held two prayer meetings during which he gave expression to his ideas, impressions
and idealism and at the same time highlighted the supremacy of the masses.
Gandhiji made some famous observations which assumed historical
significance: First, the Amritsar Treaty of 1846 under which Kashmir was given
to Maharaja Gulab Singh was termed by him as “a sale deed”. He admired the
masses for their exemplary role during the freedom movement as also in
maintaining exemplary Hindu-Muslim unity at a time when there were dark clouds
of strife and observed that he saw “a ray of hope” in Kashmir despite communal
frenzy elsewhere on the sub-continent. Gandhiji also frowned on illumination
when strategic Gilgit area was reverted by the British to the J&K ruler and
curiously observed and prophesied that Gilgit area will be ultimately
“snatched”. His word proved true in less than a year as Gilgit was annexed by
Pakistan.
Complex Situation: After
enactment of Indian Independence Act by British Parliament on July 17, 1947,
the Paramount powers of the Crown over rulers of Indian States was to lapse
from August 15, 1947 and Lord Mountbatten called upon the princely States to
join either of the Dominions- India or Pakistan- by deadline of Independence
Day (August 15, 1947). There was pressure on the ruler from Muslim League led
by Mohammad Ali Jinnah who propounded two-nation theory while the people of
Kashmir led by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah totally rejected the two-nation theory.
The Maharaja of J&K State was unable to take decision in this complex
situation.
The J&K State’s then Prime Minister, Ram Chand Kak, was removed
within a short while after Gandhiji’s meeting with Maharaja Hari Singh during
the visit.
Mahatma Gandhi was all praise for the tallest leader of Kashmir,
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah for his adherence to communal harmony, deep concern
for down-trodden masses, democratic aspirations and nationalistic views. The
Sheikh and his party, while firmly rejecting the two-nation theory, had
consciously sided with the ideals of peace, progress, democracy and secularism.
During this visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja, Hari Singh and
Maharani Tara Devi, cordially invited Gandhiji to the Palace and had an
elaborate meeting. He was affectionately accorded traditional welcome with Arti
and tilak by the Royal couple and also then young prince, Dr Karan Singh.
Later, the details have been recorded by Dr. Karan Singh in his book titled
“Heir Apparent”. Gandhiji during his visit also had met a number of delegations
and preached his ideas and ideology both in Kashmir and Jammu..
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| Mahatma with Sardar |
Subsequent events have amply proved Gandhiji right in many respects. Gandhi’s
message and teachings still have much relevance and significance for tackling
the real problems still facing the people. By adhering to Gandhian ways, the
solution to all issues can be found and permanent peace, progress and
prosperity attained. Mahatma Gandhi’s 4-day visit on August 1-4, 1947 to Jammu
and Kashmir forms a proud chapter of our history.
The Indian people are without Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation,
for the past 65 years but Gandhiji’s ideals still are like beacon light for not
only the nation but the entire world.
On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it is time to re-dedicate
ourselves to the lofty ideals and high principles of moral values for making
the country including Jammu and Kashmir, a strong, secular country based on
socio-economic justice.( PIB archives 01-October, 2012)
He Communicated Fair Content
Fearlessly. Not the Fake Content!
By
G S Bawa
How is that
whatever we look far, we find in Gandhi? To me, it is only due to the fact that
Gandhi was a complete person Sampuran Vyakti
who lived his life fully; he played every ball as thrown to him with full
vigour and joy and left it to the commentators to judge him rather than self
drum beating. Gandhi believed in
adopting thing into his day to life rather than learning for the sake of
learning, and this was true to Journalisim and Communication too. It was Gandhi only who even converted Silence
into Mode of Communication.
His movements had
not only attracted thousands and lakhs of people from the motherland rather from across
the globe that made him a global leader. This came through deployment of all
the communication tools of that era, that we can think of. And we know there were not many tools at
that time and ‘Social Media’ was certainly not there. At times, we are forced to
confer that he enjoyed better communication response from masses than Anna even
when there was no Social Media ! Mahatma
Gandhi used Print and Mass Communication very
extensively; his mass communication was through large public meetings that he
used to address. Thus, he deployed his
Speeches as mode of communication with masses. But his silent and hidden mode of
communication was influencing his nears and dear and the right the left through
demonstration of his principles by self adoption. Any one who will come in his contact once
will be sold to him for ever. There are
numerous examples that persons came to meet him for a purpose and stayed with
him for ever. There are several
instances where he resisted his reaction until he experienced himself; that is
setting a personal example on whatever he preached or believed. This was a very big tool of Convincing Communication;
probably known to him only. May be, this only was later on adopted by
management schools as Management By Demonstration. Gandhi's mighty pen was also
equally powerful tool in his armoury of communication tools of that era. Gandhi
diligently deployed his pen to any kind of misrepresentation of facts that came
to his knowledge. Gandhi
believed in, that communication shall not be made for the purpose of
communication rather it shall be other way around; that means every
communication shall have a purpose and the same shall be pursued irrespective
of fear or danger. Gandhi’s writing style
was also unique and trendsetting at every stage. Thus its learning from his work; that be on your own, don’t copy others’ style,
create your own style.
Gandhi’s
communications were built upon his understanding about the feelings of the
masses which he used to gather through his daily encounters with the masses; he
used to articulate public feelings in his own expressions and sentiments that
kindled hope and desire among the masses when he spoke about them. Gandhi
had fearlessness in his communication as he was sure that whatever he is
communicating is in the heart of masses and he is communicating on their behalf.
Gandhi was a
persona who even adopted letter writing as an effective mode of communication. He wrote letters to numerous personalities on
every subject that matters in nation
building; on social front too he wrote letters adressing masses on subjects
that matter in character building. Gandhi new the importance of Media very
well. While he was in prision between
1942 to 1944, the ‘Harijan Press’ was completely destroyed and on
Thus, Gandhi was a
complete personality who carried the aura of
Truth & Honesty, Keep it Cool, Simplicity and shunning Violence and
Materialism. Above all he demonstrated
all these high morals through self adoption rather than just preaching.
Thus it’s a learning from Gandhi; Communicate
Fair Content Fearlessely - Not the Fake Content. (The author is Former General Manager, Public Relations, and Head of
the Department, Airports Authority of India)
The Maha Communicator
He gave us the ITM Theory!
By S K Kaul
One man cannot do right in one
department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other
department. Life is one indivisible whole -Mahatma Gandhi.
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India has produced many great communicators in past like Lord Buddha ,
Guru Nanak, Swami Dayanand, Aadi Sankaracharya and Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi’s developmental practice of communication made him Mahatma, as
well as father of communications. His major contribution in communication has
been development of ITM theory of Gandhian Public Communication with the
combination of three types of media - Interpersonal media Traditional folk
media and Modern mass media to reach both urban and rural masses with the message
of freedom struggle.
Let explain ITM. ‘I’ stands for Intra and personal communication based
on spirituality, meditation, prayer meetings, public meetings, and word of
mouth, ‘T’ represents traditional folk art
media(songs,dance,drama,Bhavani,street plays) and M relates to mass media (
newspapers, radio, films). He developed ideas for Satyagraha, non-violence,
truth and education. Ghandhi ji used his novel method of non-violence and
Satyagraha , as communication against the greatest imperialist power on earth . He was one of
the most profound and original thinkers that modern age has produced.
More than anyone else, Mahatma Gandhi recognized communication skills are the most effective
tools to shape public opinion and mobilize it for popular support. He was
successful because he had a latent skill in communication that surfaced in
South Africa where he started during 1903 “The Indian Opinion”. Gandhi’s
journalism / communication belonged to an era where there were no modern mass
communication gadgets. He did make use of his mighty pen to convey his heart to
millions of his followers and admirers across the globe.
The difference between what we are doing
and what we're capable of doing would solve most of the World's
problems.- Mahatma Ghandhi
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Gandhiji did make the best use of the nationalist press and his own
journals. Young India, Navjeevan and other periodicals to reach the masses in
every nook and corner of the country. He also knew that the secret of reaching
out to the hearts of people living in the rural areas was through the age-old
oral traditions as also public lectures, prayers meetings and padayatras
(walks). He used all the available means of communication channels of the time
to give a new direction to the national struggle and assumed the inspiring
leadership on the national scenario and won the freedom through the unique
technique of non-violence, Satyagraha, Dandi March, truthfulness. The pledge of
Poorna Swaraj taken by Indians on 26 January 1930 and Dandi March of 200 miles
in a period of 24 days from March
12-April 6,1930 were shining examples of Ghandiji's communication exercise
to unite crores of people. He used
internal personal communication of sending or receiving of a message
between or several individuals whether verbal, handwritten notes to touch the hearts of millions. The
Gandhian techniques of communication in the freedom struggle had great impact
on the Nehru Government in informing and educating the public on democratic
values.
Gandhiji made his personality felt through the columns of Young India
and other periodicals. The impending change was visible from the very
beginning. He turned those into his “views papers” ventilating his point of
view .The Young India sold more copies than the combined total circulation of
several other newspapers in the country. There were not only new thoughts,
simple but stylish language and a fresh air of fine quality of journalistic writing.
Gandhiji never underestimated the important role of newspapers, media
(then radio was under British Government control and the television channels
were non-existent- not to think of Mobiles / Internet or Social Media) He would
scan through all the newspapers and reply suitably to any misrepresentation or
distortion of facts.
Gandhiji was an effective communicator, he was fearless and eloquent with his words. He
used all the available means of communication channels of the time to give a
new direction to the national struggle and assumed the inspiring leadership on
the national scenario and won the freedom through the unique technique of non-violence.
(The author is Consultant, Management
Strategies, e –commerce, Public Relations and Secretary General of PRCI)
Public Relations And Mahatma Gandhi
By Suresh Gaur
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| Gandhi with Frontier Gandhi |
In year 2011 Public Relations Society of America
(PRSA) led an international effort to modernize the definition
of Public Relations. Under the ‘Public
Relations Defined’ banner, PRSA initiated a crowd sourcing campaign and public
vote that produced the following definition:
“PR is a
strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships
between organizations and their publics”.
This definition focuses on the basic concept of public
relations - as a communication process, one that is strategic in nature and
emphasizing mutually beneficial relationships. Process is preferable to
management function which can evoke ideas of control and top-down, one-way
communications. Relationships relates to role of PR in helping to bring
together organizations and individuals with their key stakeholders. And Public
is preferable to stakeholders, as the former relates to the very public nature
of public relations, whereas stakeholders has connotations of publicly-traded
companies.
The Father of The Nation Mahatma Gandhi had recognized
the importance of communication as an
effective tool to shape public opinion and to mobilize support. He was
successful because of his latent skill in communication that surfaced in South
Africa where he used his communication skills by conveying his heart to
millions of his followers and admirers across the globe through “The Indian
Opinion” newspaper which became an important tool for political movement led by
him and the Indian National Congress to fight racial discrimination and win
civil rights for the Indian immigrant community of South Africa. Gandhi ji made
best use of the nationalist press and his own journals: Young
India, Navjeevan, Harijan and
other periodicals to reach the masses in every nook and corner of the country.
He also knew that the secret of reaching out to the hearts of people living in
the rural areas was through the age-old oral traditions as also public
lectures, prayers meetings and padayatras. He used all the available means of
communication channels to give a new direction to the freedom movement and won
the freedom through the unique technique of satyagraha, non-violence, and
truthfulness.
Gandhi ji, through his effective communication, reached
out to millions of people, convinced them of his cause and mobilized the public
opinion for attainment of freedom. He made optimal use of channels of
communication very efficiently and effectively as he had a rare knack of
“inventing apt news events” to get the best coverage by the media.
The introduction of new causes and the symbols associated with the
freedom movement, e.g. introduction of the Spinning Wheel (Charkha) and Hand
woven cloth ‘Khadi’ that became an enduring symbol of independence and
ingenuity. It was the first step towards the conversion of masses into ardent
freedom fighters. Gandhi ji effectively used three C’s of communication i.e. Credibility, Consistency, and
Connection. He knew that without
credibility, his messages will not influence anybody. When he said: “Be
the change you want to see in the world,” he was living his message of peaceful
resistance daily. Gandhi ji’s consistent message was the importance of gaining
India’s liberty through peaceful means. The consistency in his messages
eventually helped India to gain her liberty. Being an effective communicator,
Gandhi ji had the ability to instantly connect with his audience through his
speeches which were clear, direct and heart to heart. He made an authentic
emotional connection with the people of India. Once that connection was
made, he was able to paint a picture of an independent India and eventually
India got freedom on 15th August 1947.
Public Relations methods
used by The Father of The Nation Mahatma Gandhi were truly effective and paid
great results in;
1. Communicating with the masses,
2. Winning public support despite the problems of
cultural and linguistic diversity,
3. Overcoming the serious obstacles laid by the
ruling British Govt.
Many of the methods adopted by Mahatma Gandhi to
communicate with the masses are now part of the standard practice of Public
Relations all over the world. Firstly,
the importance of getting public to identify with a cause and with the leader
espousing that cause. He discarded his European dress and dressed himself in
the garments such as poorest of the poor use in our country. He realized that
by doing so the masses would be able to identify themselves with him and the
cause he represented.
Secondly, the use of symbols. Mahatma Gandhi, a born
communicator, understood the value of symbol. The Spinning Wheel (Charkha)
symbol, which he adopted became the logo of national movement symbolizing
self-reliance and people participation in the cause of freedom struggle.
Thirdly, the staging of events i.e. 1. Champaran
Satyagrah, 2. Kheda Satyagrah, 3. Khilafat Movement, 4. Dandi March, 5. Namak Satyagrah, 6. Civil
Disobedience Movement, 7. Direct Action
Campaign 8. Quit India Movement, 9.
Bonfire of foreign cloths, and 10. Non-cooperation and Non-violence.
These events captured the imagination of the whole
nation and proved far more effective in taking the message to the masses.
Besides this Mahatma Gandhi did not neglect the conventional means of
communications either besides holding meetings, giving speeches, he regularly
published newspaper and journals. Indeed he made use of all possible media and
devised imaginative forms of communications to circumvent restrictions placed
by the govt. on the official media. We can learn a lot from the Gandhi ji’s art
of effective communications. (The author is a visiting professor at IMSIT-YMCA - New Delhi, Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan - Delhi Kendra, Amity University - Noida , Indian Institute of
Mass Communication - New Delhi, Delhi School Of Journalism, University of
Delhi, Delhi )
From food writer to thoughtful editor
By
Dr Mrinal Chatterjee & Sambit Pal
 |
| Bapu with journalists in Rome - 1931 |
Mahatma
Gandhi’s engagement with journalism had been long, intimate and life changing. Gandhi the Journalist predates Gandhi the
Mahatma by several decades. In fact, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as a journalist and editor carried the ideological
moorings of Gandhiji, the Social Crusader and Freedom Fighter – which finally
shaped him as the Mahatma.
Mahatma
Gandhi has not only been an effective communicator, perhaps the most important
quality of any mass leader, he has been a practicing journalist all through his
life. Delving into his works as a journalist, one can find a strong correlation
between his journalistic writings and shaping up of his political and
philosophical self which drove him to lead the freedom movement in a unique
way- till then unseen in the modern civilization.
Gandhi’s
first foray into writing for periodicals was as a ‘food-writer’. He wrote about
vegetarianism in a periodical titled Vegetarian. It was not much to talk about.
But it started his engagement with the act of writing for an audience. His
engagement with journalism matured in South Africa. The Boer War was an
opportunity for him to hone his skills to see with a journalist’s eye. He was
quick to realise the power of the press to reach the audience and mobilise
public opinion. In Indian Opinion he
experimented with the idea of using newspaper as a tool of protest. It was also
in a way the laboratory of his political philosophy, which he attempted to put
into operation in India.
In
1913, Gandhi left South Africa to return to India. He then extensively toured
the nook and corner of the country. He tried to understand the problems of the
common people, especially the downtrodden. His Champaron Diary is one of the
finest example of a genre of journalism now known as developmental journalism.
Soon
he got himself engaged in the Indian freedom struggle and took up a political
role. Still the journalist in him remained intact. Since his arrival in India,
Gandhi went on to edit and publish newspapers along with the freedom movement
that he led.
After
the success of Satyagraha in South Africa, Gandhi wanted to replicate the same
model in India.On the one hand he gave a call for civil disobedience, while on
the other defying the Indian Press Act he brought out a newspaper Satyagraha (or Satyagrahi as was mentioned in the first issue) which remained
unregistered. The first issue which was published on April 7, 1917, clearly
charted out Gandhi’s plan for Satyagraha. It was written in no uncertain terms
what people joining Satyagraha should do in order to force the British government
to withdraw Rowlatt Act. The Satyagrahis were asked to court arrest by committing
a civil break of certain law.
Young India was an extension of
Gandhi’s plan of action to take forward the principle of Satyagraha. He also
took up the editorship of Navjivan and simultaneously from October 1919, both Young India and Navjivan kept on publishing under the aegis of Gandhi. He had
significantly changed his stance on the British Empire. Through the declaration
of objectives of Indian Opinion,
Gandhi wanted his paper to “promote harmony and good-will between the different
sections of the one mighty Empire". But while publishing Young India, his
tone had changed. On realising the true nature of the British colonialism, his
objective was to turn the consistent resistance into a duty to remove injustice
that was being inflicted on the Indians. From a “staunch loyalist and
cooperator” or British Empire he turned out to be “an uncompromising
dissaffectionist non-cooperator” (Gandhi 1922).
 |
| End of en era |
If Young India was to help Gandhi to
continue with his ideas of Satyagraha or Civil Disobedience movement, his next
objective was to bring a social order and launch a mission to remove the social
stigmas. Here after a few turbulent years, Gandhi was looking for a mouthpiece
to address the social issues. In his conquest to fight the problem of
untouchability, on February 11, 1933, he launched Harijan weekly under the trusteeship of The Servants of
Untouchables Society. In the first issue itself Gandhi made it ample clear that
the newspaper would work towards the betterment of the Harijans and removal of
untouchability. It also propagated ideas for development of village industries.
As Gandhi has realised the people should work towards achieving social and
economic emancipation along with political victory. Gandhi separated Harijan from politics. It became
integral to his parallel social movement across the country. In the September
24, 1938, issue of the Harijan,
Gandhi almost made a confession about his newly found genre of journalism,
"Harijan is not a newspaper, it
is a viewspaper representing those of one man. Even Mahadev and Pyarelal may
not write anything whilst I am alive." To him Harijan was a weekly dose of instructions about the conduct of
daily life for a common man under the principles of nonviolence.
 |
| Sambit |
Gandhi’s
life as a journalist was in full conformity to his life as a political
philosopher. If the Vegetarian taught
him to ventilate his opinion in a mild manner, Indian Opinion provided him a space to develop his idea of Satyagraha and later Young India, Navjivan and Harijan
turned out to be his mouthpiece to teach the nation political, social and
economic lessons based on his ideology of truth and nonviolence.
(Journalist turned media academician Dr.
Mrinal Chatterjee
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com presently works as Professor and Regional Director of the Eastern
India Campus of IIMC located at Dhenkanal, Odisha. He has recently co-edited
(with Snehasis Sur) a book titled Mahatma Gandhi: A Journalist and Editor.
 |
| Mrinal |
Sambit Pal, an alumnus of IIMC, Dhenkanal has
recently joined his alma matter as Assistant Professor after working 15 years
in different mainstream media houses both in print, television and digital
media. monksambit1@gmail.com)
Gandhi@150 - My 150
We requested communication
professionals to share thoughts on Mahatma in just about 150 words. Here are
some responses:
The powerhouse of communication
A
Barrister Degree holder, Leader of folks, freedom fighter moreover the great
communicator the world has ever seen is – Mahatma Gandhi. His life itself is a
message to us.
On 2nd October 1869,
Putlibai gave birth to her last son at Porbandar city. After childhood, facing
challenges Mohandas moved to University College London with the intention of
becoming a Barrister. At that time he was not an orator. So in London, he
joined a public speaking practice group and got mastery in public speaking
helpful for law practice.
A Great leader ignited Indian people through
his writings, inspiring speeches. Gandhiji’s speech for independence, call for non
– cooperation movement to British rule was attracted students, youth, women,
and folks of our nation and made them fight for independent India. On the 150th
year of his birthday, it is a tribute to Mahatma - a great soul who showed the
entire world the power of communication. –
Adv. Annapoorna Sharma, Puttur, Karnataka
Prophet of
peace
If ever there was a quintessential icon
of erudition, simplicity, humanity and causative commitment, it was no other
but Mahatma Gandhi. With stunningly astute leadership and determination to
succeed, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi set for himself a seemingly unattainable
goal. The Father of the Nation helped India achieve independence from the
British Raj by an unfathomable tool that left the whole world dumbstruck – the
tool of Non-Violence.
The mantra of non-violence spread far and
wide very quickly, thanks in part to the awesome contributions from brilliant
leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
pioneered the magical concept of a non-aligned world together with Josip Broz
Tito of Yugoslavia and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt.
There are countless statues, squares and
streets in the name of Mahatma Gandhi the world over. They are a constant
reminder of the power of this charismatic prophet of peace. - Bish Mukherjee bmiabc@hotmail.com is a freelance writer and author
A journalist and a mass leader
Mahatma Gandhi as he is known as The
Father of Nation has contributed lot to Indian polity with his mystical and
effective sense of communication. An ace communicator par excellence who had
entered deep into the minds and the souls of Indian people. In fact, he started
as a revolutionary communicator in South Africa, much before he started in
India.
His skillful and powerful persona
as a communicator had actually helped mobilize people from all walks of life to
start freedom struggle in India. He not only conveyed his intentions of freedom
struggle through verbal communication but through various channels like public
meetings, existing media, newspapers etc.
He won the hearts of millions of
people across India through his traditional and effective communication ways
which includes padyatra, bajan sandhyas
and public meetings. So, a great journalist with unique sense of admiration for
reaching out to the people with his eloquent communication skill. -Annu
Mattoo Raina, Passionate Marketing
and communication professional
True environmentalist
Can a man's idea, principle, moral, thought solve the world's problem?
No, definitely no! Each problem need a customized solution, but undoubtedly I
say Gandhian ideology and principles can be utilized as a core block to block
the problems and find solutions to problems.
The man who taught to farsee the environmental issues to greed of
materialism and his emphasized simplicity and anti-materialism has given inception
to lower carbon signature, concerned earthy living and sustainable development
till date, awakening youth to DIY culture, an impression that no job is lowly.
His non-violence move has made people conceive, it is not a sterile
passivity but a powerful moral force for social transformation, which has
helped build resilience, created leaders
of moral repute. His principles were rethought , recoded and rebooted as they
are visionary to hold the community and nation as a whole with love and mutual
living. - Chinnmaye Praveen, Strategic
Head, GeWinn Wachstum organization.
Universal icon
What better payback of communication
could be than a message well communicated! Disrobing himself to identify with
the disadvantaged countrymen, to my mind, was Mahatma Gandhi’s most iconic way
of conveying the message.
Gandhi ji, through his ways and words,
communicated with masses and mobilised their sentiments. Cutting across the
clutter, he championed in doing and saying just the right thing at right time.
With
Upholding high values throughout his life, he became an asset not just
for the nation but for the entire human civilization.
True, when the very being of one’s
existence is a message by itself, effective communication becomes a natural
consequence than a sought-after thing. He led a life which became a cornerstone
for communication. Fittingly, beside nation, Mahatma Gandhi is father of
communication too - Purvi
Purvi NCL, Coal India Limited
Seeker of truth
India has been blessed with many great souls who have inspired us to
imbibe the qualities of integrity and humility. Today I would like to reminisce
about someone who was a seeker of truth, an ace communicator, a man of such
great faith that non-violence was an inseparable part of him.
Mahatma Gandhi Ji’s conduct and character was an evidence of purity
and the real presence of god within. In spite of all odds, he stood by the
truth for he believed that truth itself is self-sustained. He always aimed at
complete harmony of thoughts, words and deeds.
Gandhiji said that freedom is never at any price as it is the breath
of life. What would we not pay to live? Still, let us remind ourselves of the
sacrifice he made for it! Let us plant these morals deeply in our hearts and
pay tribute to Bapuji. -Uday Marwah , Director, Premier LifeStyle
Event Management
Mahatma Gandhi, “The Father of the Nation” was an effective
communicator. He was fearless and eloquent with his words. He was probably the
greatest journalist of all times. As a communicator par excellence he mobilised
public opinion for attainment of freedom. He acquired a
remarkable mark on the psyche of the masses. He knew their pulse. He never
tried to do anything which went against their Dharma.
His autobiography titled “My Experiments with Truth”
elucidates the simple life he lived and practised his principles by setting his
own example.( He practiced what he preached.) This was also the secret of his
success as a communicator . "Ahimsa (non-violence) and Truth are my two
lungs. I cannot live without them" Gandhi said. When he was asked a
question as to what was his message to the world, his reply was "My life
is my message". - K.Ravindran, Additional General Manager(Corporate
Communication), NTPC Ltd
How much do we know?
Mahathma Gandhi was the first
person in the world perhaps to translate the philosophy, all are equal in the
eyes of god, to all are equal in the eyes of law through one of history’s most
peaceful rebellion that saw the British withdraw from one of its richest
colonies in India on August 15, 1947, truly a momentous day.
Then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called him the
half-naked fakir because he wore aswaraj, (self-rule), but the greatest scientist in the world Albert
Einstein said: “The word will scarce believe such a man in flesh and blood ever
trod the earth”. It was an unqualified praise of his great sacrifices for the
nation.
Today, one billion people enjoy a FREE INDIA, thanks to the father of
nation, and the younger generation and gen next needs to know a lot more about
him. - TN Ashok - Executive Editor, The
Flag Post , & Corporate Tycoons Ex Economics Editor- PTI.
The movie Lage Raho Munnabhai brought out how
individuals could transform themselves into ‘Mahatmas’ by becoming the change
before attempting to change the world. While elevating Gandhiji into
Mahatma-hood, all of us conveniently externalised and alienated his message
from ourselves. The movie exposed our hollow veneration for Gandhiji by
reducing his memory and message into ‘MG roads, symbolic statues garlanded
ritualistically once a year.
Gandhiji’s message was
futuristic, although it came to make the masses as active but peaceful soldiers
of the freedom movement. It subtly prepared us to assume our responsibilities
as citizens for building a free and fair free India. We all are guilty of
failing him.
My family in Mysore
participated in the freedom struggle. They never met Gandhiji or any other
national leaders. But Gandhi’s message had entered the house hold in the form
of “Takli”, an inexpensive hand held turning top for spinning cotton yarn, a
substitute for the Charkha. Dozens of them would be around and most visitors who
came into our household, would take a “Takli”, and will spin out cotton yarn
while carrying on their conversation. Everyone, including me, was expected to
clean the toilet after using it. Wastage of food was discouraged, and
ostentatious living frowned upon.
Our orthodox Brahmin
family had a Muslim maid- servant, and my lawyer father’s clients including SC
clients came walking from far away villages, spent the night in our house. Most
lawyers were following the same practice. Stress on Panchayat institutions was
aimed at power decentralisation and developing nurseries of political
education. The message was self-reliance: not dependent on anyone, including on
the government.
Naya Taleem was about Indianising education,f reeing
us from Macaulay’s westernisation mission. Long
before the Internet made us globalised citizens, Gandhiji wanted us to
keep our mental windows open in order to let the breeze from all sides blow in.
Gandhiji was rightly called ‘Vishwa
Manav’, yet he was
quintessentially ‘Desi.
How many of us can claim
to be both? He was human. Traditional. Contrarian. All of us are in some way or
other. Can we discover and celebrate a
portion of the ‘Mahatma’ in each one of
us, rather than deifying Gandhiji on his 150th Jayanti? – S Narendra, former PIO and adviser to Ex-PMs
Dedication & Discipline
Before I write about the inimitable Mahatma Gandhi , I would like to
remind those who try to compare themselves with Mahatma Gandhi, as there is not
even a single person alive who could be termed as the true Gandhian.
What I could learn about the Great Indian called Mahatma Gandhi is
Simplicity, Dedication, and Discipline- these are the three qualities required
by all to succeed everywhere in life. Anything could be achieved through true
Dedication and Discipline. Positive Attitude without Dedication and Discipline
is worthless.
Mahatma Gandhi also practiced non-violence as the most powerful weapon
to conquer the World. He taught to the World that only Peace leads to real
Prosperity and it further leads to the overall wellbeing of the Society.
Mahatma Gandhi was the true Winner in all respects. I would pray to
God and to the Gandhi Resting in Peace to please send at least one Gandhi to
transform the World into Heaven!- Shiv
Harsh Suhalka Editor in Chief: MetroMirror.com
Ace Communicator
Mahatma Gandhi, “The Father of the Nation” is one of the greatest freedom
fighters, a revolutionary social reformer and above all an ace communicator.
More than anyone else, Mahatma Gandhi recognized that skilful communication is
the most effective tool to shape public opinion and mobilize
Inspired by Gandhi ji many of his followers started publishing newspapers
in the Indian and regional languages so as to propagate his thoughts to the
common man. Chaya Umesh Chandra, Soft
Skills & PR Manager & Founder Designer,Chaya Candle Craft World Bangalore
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