Nearly twenty years ago, I took a course on South Asian history at a large university in the United States, as part of my undergraduate degree. It was a mid-sized lecture course and had weekly sections, smaller discussion groups. In my section I was the only one from Pakistan, the only Muslim. Most of the others were Indian-Americans, a couple of European-Americans, I think there was one Indian. The section leader, a graduate teaching assistant, was an Indian woman.
One week we read Shahid Amin’s Event, Metaphor, Memory, a book on the Chauri Chaura incident. This was something that happened in 1922, during the height of the Non-Cooperation Movement after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of civilians in Amritsar. There were protests, non-violent resistance, strikes, etc; many people went to prison. At Chauri Chaura the protest turned violent and a couple of dozen policemen were killed. Gandhi immediately called off the movement.
I, a Pakistani taught all my life not to trust Gandhi, had been trying to rid myself of long-held prejudices. I was appalled, though, I thought it was a betrayal of the many people who had gone to prison, lost their jobs, etc, to have the movement called off in this manner after they had sacrified so much. I dared to say this and was shouted down, by the section leader most of all, that Gandhian principles had been betrayed and the movement could not continue. But what about those who had believed their leaders would stand with them? I tried to say. But all around the table I saw the unfriendly eyes – the Pakistani, prejudiced and full of hate, unable to understand nonviolence, I saw. And so I said nothing more.
This was one of the most influential political incidents of my time at university, coming only after the invasion of Iraq and 9/11. It was smaller and more personal, but I will never forget it. I still stand by my view of the time, and find it unforgivable for a leader to ask his people to sacrifice for nothing, no matter his philosophy.