Mahatma Gandhi And Public Relations

During the Pre – Independence era extensive use of the PR techniques was made in India before professional PR arrived on the scene. The PR techniques played a significant role in the national movement.

PR methods used by father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi were truly effective and paid great results in; 

1. Communicating with the masses,

2. Winning public support despite the problems of cultural and linguistic diversity,

3. Overcoming the serious obstacles laid by the ruling British  Govt.

Many of the methods adopted by him to communicate with the masses are now part of the standard practice of PR all over the world. Firstly, the importance of getting the public to identify with a cause and with the leader espousing that cause. He discarded his European dress and dressed himself in the garments such as poorest of the poor use in our country. He realised that by doing so the masses would be able to identify themselves with him and the cause he represented.

Secondly, the use of symbols. Mahatma Gandhi, a born communicator, understood the value of symbol. The CHARKHA (spinning wheel) symbol, which he adopted became the logo of national movement symbolising self-reliance and people participation in the cause of freedom struggle.

Thirdly, the staging of ‘events’ ;

1.Dandi March to make salt,

2.Bonfires of foreign cloths,

3.Non-cooperation and Non-violence 

These events captured the imagination of the whole nation and proved far more effective in taking the message to the masses. Besides this Mahatma Gandhi did not neglect the conventional means of communications either besides holding meetings, giving speeches, he regularly published a journal ‘HARIJAN’. 

Indeed he made use of all possible media and devised imaginative forms of communications to circumvent restrictions placed by the govt. on the official media. We can learn a lot from the Gandhiji’s art of effective communications.

Lots of PR <3