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Mahatma Gandhi, who exercised unprecedented moral force by undertaking fast unto death and brought about extraordinary transformations of heart of those committing injustice, wrote on October 30, 1932, “I don’t think that I can lay down rules for indefinite fasting…”. He then emphatically added:

“I might say only this. A fast should be characterised by perfect truth and non-violence and should be undertaken only upon the prompting of one’s inner voice and not in blind imitation of somebody. One should never undertake a fast for a selfish end; the aim behind a fast should always be common good. A fast should never be undertaken for any object which is inspired by ill will towards somebody.”

“I might say only this. A fast should be characterised by perfect truth and non-violence and should be undertaken only upon the prompting of one’s inner voice and not in blind imitation of somebody. One should never undertake a fast for a selfish end; the aim behind a fast should always be common good. A fast should never be undertaken for any object which is inspired by ill will towards somebody.”

These words are playing out in Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite fast continuing at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Gandhi’s insistence that a fast should aim at “the common good” is reflected in ample measure in Wangchuk’s protest, undertaken for the cause of improving the standard of education and attaining constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. His fast aims at protecting the precious future of the youth, several of whom, out of sheer trauma caused by the failure of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in conducting........

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