Ahimsa

“Now is the time to strike—but nonviolently, friends. Ahimsa always.”

Ahimsa is the novel’s title, and as a term, it’s a critical part of Gandhi’s nonviolence movement. Anjali strives to embody this philosophy over the course of the novel, which comes to a climax when Captain Brent is nearly killed by a mob and Anjali stands up and says “Ahimsa,” reminding them of their movement’s commitment to nonviolence (281).

“I was blindly following orders when I worked for Captain Brent. Helping all these injustices continue. Not stopping to wonder if what I was doing was fair or even nice. But I was wrong. No group of people should be forced to live under the imposed will of another.”

Ma’s comment here shows how she saw herself as part of the problem, and in joining the freedom movement, she wishes to rectify her complicity in the injustices perpetrated against the Indian people by British rule. She wants freedom and self-determination for herself, her family, and everyone in her country.

“Nonviolence. It means it’s time to put all our efforts into the highest of gears. But we must never hurt someone in the process. Lying, destroying someone else’s property, those are things that can hurt others.”

Nonviolence is central to Gandhi’s movement, and even as violence swirls in this novel, from conflict between Hindus and Muslims to uprising against British rule, Anjali stays true to this central tenet of her activism. She ultimately points out that those around her aren’t practicing ahimsa when they riot during Keshavji’s funeral procession.

“We always knew one of us would be going.”

Anjali’s parents were more committed to the freedom movement than she initially realized, and her assumption that Baba would be the one to leave suggests a gendered dynamic in those who join. However, her mother leaves instead, and this is ultimately crucial for Anjali’s development too, as she looks to her mother and becomes equally passionate about the movement and its activities.

“She had actually done it. She had made the beginnings of homespun clothes. Just like Gandhiji.”

Anjali is skeptical of her mother as a freedom fighter until she realizes her own skill at using the charkha. Her excitement at successfully using the instrument and her aptitude for it foreshadow her fervor for the freedom movement and the central role that she’ll play in it for her village.

“This irrational fear of people, calling them Untouchable, that is probably all there just to keep the status quo. To keep things as they are. To not challenge the system. But it’s wrong, Anjali. It’s just plain wrong.”

Ma encourages Anjali to push against societal norms by examining the superstitions she holds around Dalits. She wants her daughter to critically examine how society specifically discriminates against one group of people that is thought of as lesser.

“Could she do the jobs they had to? Would she be able to do what it would take to survive?”

Anjali slowly comes to put herself in Mohan’s shoes. One of the novel’s major themes is recognizing one’s privilege as a part of solidarity, and Anjali does so here by thinking about how much easier her life has been because of her caste.

“What good is a free India when its people do not consider their brothers and sisters equals? Social reform and civil disobedience must go hand in hand.”

Keshavji sees peace between Indians (Hindu and Muslim, “Untouchable” and Brahmin) as central to fighting against British rule. He encourages people to consider the conflicts happening within the country and to work for peace so that they can address the external conflict between India and Britain.

“Your Gandhi is wrong. Calling us children of God is talking down to us. It’s insulting. And it solves nothing.”

Mohan expresses his preference as a Dalit to be called “Dalit” rather than Harijan, as Gandhi suggests. His statement points to the importance of listening to those for whom one is trying to advocate and what their preferences are rather than deciding a term or action is the right thing to do because you think it is.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see everything going on in the garden when your nest is perched at the top of the tree.”

Anjali and her family have occupied the highest position in Indian society by being a part of the Brahmin caste, and they aren’t always aware of how their privilege shapes their ideas about what Indian society should look like. Mohan and other Dalits help them listen and hear other ideas from those for whom they’re looking to effect change.

“‘I’ve never seen anyone talk to an elder like that, Brahmin or otherwise,’ said Mohan. ‘You really might be crazy.’”

Mohan gains increasing respect for Anjali throughout the novel, and her willingness to stand up to others to advocate for Dalits earns his admiration, even if he ultimately ends up leaving the village. His comment here is part of that growing support to go out on a limb and try to enact real change without accepting the caste system as it is.

“What’s the point of a school called Pragati if there isn’t any progress? We have students of different religions and castes at our school. But no Dalit students? Well, it’s time for some change. Time for some real progress.”

Anjali quickly grows passionate about integrating her school by bringing Dalit children to lessons. She’s unwilling to be complicit with the hypocrisy through which she can be educated while others aren’t allowed to enter the schools, let alone learn from them. Her passion for this movement serves as a beacon for both for her family and her classmates.

“Because my brother was learning English in the room next door. That’s how I learned. And that’s when I decided a woman can do anything a man can do. Knowledge is important. And it should be accessible to everyone.”

While Shailaja has lived a life of privilege, she has experienced gender-based discrimination. She uses her background to advocate for education, stunning the other parents who think that she has never had to struggle for anything.

“And sometimes the plants in the back never even rise out of the dirt. Because their world is just full of too many weeds.”

Mohan is rarely optimistic about Anjali and her mother’s ability to make real change happen. He has, after all, lived a difficult life in which he has been discriminated against just for being near others who consider themselves above him. However, his skepticism spurs Anjali on, causing her to evaluate what she’s doing so that she does it with the opinions of the Dalits in mind. In addition, she’s unwilling to give up, and she uses her privilege and her extroverted personality to move the integration forward until it happens.

“Hindus are the grass. Muslims are the water. Mother India needs both to survive.”

When conflicts arise between Hindus and Muslims, Ma wants Anjali to remember that they’re all Indians, even after Anjali is nearly injured in the rioting. She suggests this metaphor about the grass and the water to help Anjali understand that each group is part of a larger whole, echoing the theme of Internal and External Conflicts of Religion and Nation.

“We must show them that nonviolence is the way to go. Our school will be integrated. Like Gandhiji said, even a small number of dedicated people can alter the course of history. And alter it we will.”

This statement solidifies Ma’s role as a leader in the freedom movement. She expresses that she’s unafraid of whatever violence may come to her, and her words reassure her colleagues at a moment when the movement seems at its weakest.

“Your mother may not be able to participate in the movement while she is imprisoned, but her work is living on in you.”

Mohan gives Anjali hope when he tells her this, and it’s critical since Ma isn’t there to inspire her to action. To hear this from someone who has been critical in the past means everything to Anjali and helps encourage her to move forward.

“He isn’t giving up on you. He isn’t quitting because things got tough. It has always been tough for Mohan.”

This quote connects to the theme of Recognizing One’s Privilege as Part of Solidarity. Anjali must remember that the stakes of the freedom movement are highest for the Dalits. They’ve always been forced to labor, and as tensions grow over changes to society’s structure, those who want the old system to stay in place treat Dalits even worse. Baba’s statement reminds Anjali of this and encourages her to think about Mohan’s actions from his point of view.

“If your wife had spent a little less time with those people and a little more time with her own kind, he could have been saved.”

The woman sitting outside Captain Brent’s office when Anjali and Baba go to see him believes that Dalits aren’t worth advocating for; she doesn’t even see them as Indian. The woman is referring to the hanging of her son. This is a common belief, as many believe that the priority in resisting the British should focus on Indian people of certain castes, not on transforming the caste system itself.

“If they’re still rioting while my mother is in jail, doesn’t that prove her actions aren’t inciting violence?”

Anjali’s bold statement to Captain Brent shocks the British officer, and she hears him drop his pen as she leaves. At different times throughout the novel, Captain Brent is both an antagonist and a supporter to Anjali. He saves her when she’s almost killed, but he partakes in the British rule that often unfairly oppresses Indian freedom fighters, as in the case of Anjali’s mother and Keshavji.

“Without a moment’s pause, Anjali looked at Irfaan and said, ‘Ahimsa.’”

Anjali’s decision to name the calf Ahimsa symbolizes Muslims and Hindus reuniting to work peacefully together for India’s freedom. Emphasizing this connection is Anjali’s glancing at her friend, whose faith differs from her own, before announcing the calf’s name.

“This whole setup was like something written in lead. Quick to disappear. Not permanent. And not important if it didn’t help change anyone else’s mind.”

When Anjali arrives at the newly integrated school and sees only Irfaan from her regular class, she feels as if she hasn’t been able to make a change and begins to lose hope. However, when other classmates join them, it’s clear that she has made a real difference in the fight for the equality of all Indians.

“It meant nine Dalit children were now in a class with kids from every other caste, sitting side by side as equals.”

This would have been unheard of in Anjali’s village at the start of the novel, so it marks major progress. While not everyone is happy at the school’s integration, the fact that other students came to school shows that hearts and minds can be changed.