Are There Any Legacies of Mahtama Gandhi's Thoughts and Practices?

A hundred years after the key Gandhian text, Hind Swaraj (1909) was published there has been an extensive evaluation of Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts, his political practices and the relevance of satyagraha by contemporary social and political thinkers in India and across the world. He has been lauded not only for his contributions in leading India’s anti-colonial nationalist movement and for spreading the notions of non-violence resistance across the world but also his influence on key 20^th century thinkers such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. His ideas resonate in discussions that range-to state a few-from a critique of western modernity, large scale manufacturing and its technologies; to its implications on environmental degradation; on the nature of education and learning; way forwards for women’s and worker's empowerment, on sexuality and androgyny, on conflict resolution and peace-making; on Hinduism and spirituality; and the making of the self through psychoanalytical practices. On the other hand, he has also been berated as a racist, a misogynist and a caste-ist. Taking a long duree perspective, I ask whether 20^th century thinkers have relevance in contemporary times and can and should they be retrieved for current discussions.