A college teacher shows her students a photograph taken during Gandhiji's tour of South India in 1921. She points out that on this tour he made a deliberate change in the way he looked. She tells the class that it was a public act with a message, not a private habit. She then asks them to work out what the change was and what it stood for in Gandhiji's thought.
Besides identifying with the poor, which qualities did Gandhiji's new appearance come to symbolise?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Asceticism and abstinence, in opposition to the consumerist culture of the modern world
Option (1) Discipline and obedience, in opposition to the disorder of mass protest — Incorrect. Gandhiji did value discipline, but his dress was not a message against mass protest.
Option (2) Asceticism and abstinence, in opposition to the consumerist culture of the modern world — Correct. His new appearance came to symbolise asceticism and abstinence, which Gandhiji celebrated against the consumerist culture of the modern world.
Option (3) Strength and courage, in opposition to the violence of colonial rule — Incorrect. Courage against colonial violence was part of satyagraha, but it is not what his dress symbolised.
Option (4) Purity and caste duty, in opposition to the mixing of castes in cities — Incorrect. Gandhiji used spinning to break caste boundaries between mental and manual labour, so caste duty is the reverse of his message.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 A people’s leader … “In 1921, during a tour of South India, Gandhiji shaved his head and began wearing a loincloth in order to identify with the poor. His new appearance also came to symbolise asceticism and abstinence – qualities he celebrated in opposition to the consumerist culture of the modern world.” |