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In those early days, the Gandhian non-violence doctrine had greatly begun to
influence the Indian psyche. But many intellectuals, like C.R. Das, Dr.
Moonje, etc., were unimpressed by it. They formed a group within the Indian
National Congress and came to a brainstorming session at Nagpur. It was a
historic event; since a decisive action by this group could have changed the
course of history of Freedom Struggle in India. After a prolonged discussion,
the group decided to wait for a year before taking any action.
P.P.Doctorjee, who attended this meeting, did not subscribe to this
indecisiveness. He warned the group in no uncertain terms: “This half-hearted
approach is beneficial to none. Either we should accept Mahatma Gandhiji’s
leadership completely; or we should oppose it totally. Even nature does not
tolerate the vacuum of “doing nothing”. If we remain inactive today, we will
forego this precious historic juncture forever. Today’s clarion call is for
decisive action; it is not for standing still or for doing nothing. We should
opt for courageous adventurous action.”
Unfortunately, all others chose to ignore P.P.Doctorjee’s words. The one-year
status quo” (i.e., “do nothing”) decision was voted in by the assembled
people. In due course of time, this group lost all of its strength and was
forgotten, as Mahatma Gandhiji rose to prominence and popularity.
P.P.Doctorjee’s words were proved to be prophetic.
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