Faisal Devji – Gandhi and his Speechless Politics

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The Department of History, Kirori Mal College in collaboration with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) organised a series of webinars upon the theme – The Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the 21st Century : Philosophies, Political ideas and Socio-Spiritual Dimensions from the 2nd to the 7th of October, 2020.

The 3rd day of this webinar series was graced by Prof. Faisal Devji. Devji's multidisciplinary work grounds empirical historical issues in philosophical questions. He has taught at The New School in New York City as well as at Yale University. Since 2009, Devji is University Reader in Modern South Asian History, Oxford University. He also is a senior fellow at the Institute for Public Knowledge (New York University) and Yves Oltramar Chair at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He published The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptations of Violence, by Hurst & Co. in March 2011. Professor Devji talked in detail about Gandhi’s SpeechlessPolitics and shared his valuable insights into the same with the audience.

He began his lecture by tracing Gandhi’s views upon the freedom and integrity of voice, speech and deliberation through his very own manifesto – Hind Swaraj. It was through the analysis of Gandhi’s own work that Prof. Devji went on to understand his recourse to silent politics. He vividly talked about how Gandhi’s silence is often interpreted in a religious way and attempted to understand the same through a political lens in the given historical context. Towards the end of the lecture, Prof. Devji went on to quote Gandhi from his autobiography, thus ending his talk on a very insightful note.

His lecture was followed by a very intriguing QnA sessions with the audience. Prof. Devji’s profuse knowledge upon the subject was received and appreciated very well by the audience and the event thus ended on a very positive and fulfilling note.

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Author:

Shambhavi Jha
Second Year, History Hon. KMC

 

 

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