Gandhism has slowly crystallised itself into a multidimensional approach to life in all its proliferations, both for an individual and the society. Gandhi obviously thought and acted only in moral terms, and terror is an antithesis of all moral values and as such it has been universally condemned in every civil society. Gandhi's ideas and work can be a source of immense strength against the danger of terrorism, which looms larger in our lives today than it ever did in his times. Gandhi taught that violence and terrorism cannot be defeated by counter-violence. Mutual exchange of ideas and understanding of the mindset of the opponents have been prescribed and practised by Gandhi and may well provide an alternative to the ruthless suppression, i.e., State Terrorism. Gandhism by its very basic postulates is irrevocably opposed to all forms of violence perpetrated by any one under any banner whatsoever. It condemns terror but not the terrorists, who are misguided zealots for the cause. At the same time, Gandhi disapproves passivity in the face of any evil or injustice. The evil must be valiantly and peacefully resisted without ever hating the evildoer. A satyagrahi cannot rest until the underlying cause of unrest or terrorism is eliminated and the terrorist is reconciled with the society of which he is an integral unit. Such resistance may be peaceful but never passive because Gandhi disliked passivity after violence, especially passivity arising out of cowardice. For Gandhi, non-violence is promoted not just by rejection of violence, but also by efforts to build societies in which violence would not be cultivated. Gandhi teaches us to have confidence in the self even in a sheer hopeless situation, and to be truthful and honest in the midst of falsehood and dishonesty. His ideology in its own serene way opens up new ways leading to truth and equips the satyagrahi with techniques to counter violence and terrorism.

Contrary to the generally accepted notion, Gandhism is not a cut-and-dried philosophy with clearly enunciated premises and a set of a priori axioms—all organised in a logical paradigm. Gandhism is an inchoate mass of principles, practices, beliefs, techniques, and a methodology that evolved out of Gandhi's struggles and experiences. Gandhi never attached any ism to his ideas; in fact, after a month's stay in Calcutta at the time of his departure for Delhi, he wrote on 7 September 1947 that "My life is my message." As he strove to perfect himself into Mahatmahood, he undertook a wide variety of experiments to deal with and to overcome the racial, political, social and economic evils of his time. Such experiments were in search of Truth; in fact, he called his life-story `Experiments with Truth'. Gandhism has slowly crystallised itself into a multidimensional approach to life in all its diversities, both for an individual and the society as a whole.

It is true that the issue of terrorism looms larger in our lives than it ever did in Gandhi's times. Today, terrorism has become a global problem and the data on terrorist activities published by the US State Department speak for themselves. In 2006, 14,352 terrorist attacks took place, in which 74,545 non-combatants were killed, injured or kidnapped. In these attacks, 8,200 security officials were also killed. At least 9,000 terrorist attacks were `anonymous', which were not claimed by anybody. Terrorist groups in India are operating on a frightening scale. The Times of India, in its editorial on 31 October 2007, mentioned that according to the Home Ministry assessment, 160 districts of India are Naxal-affected, which is more than one-quarter of the total number of districts in India. Local mobilisation drives such as Salwa Judum or Nagarik Suraksha Samiti are ways of privatising the response to Naxalism by the State shrugging-off its primary responsibility. The terrorist attacks, recently, in Mumbai and earlier, in places like Malegaon, Jaipur and Assam, indicate the ever-widening reach of terrorism. Such things never happened during the first half of the 20^th century.

Governance And Public Policy Journal, Gandhism, Terrorism, Economic Evils, Hind Swaraj, Indian Independence, World Trade Center, UN Truce Commission, Infantile Revolutionism, Non-Violent Techniques, Counter Violence, Paramilitary Forces.