is non-violence that important

Gandhi had called of the non co-operation movement after the Chauri-Chaura incident, saying that Indians were not yet ready to govern themselves. A movement that was successful and had given hopes to a whole nation fell apart just like that. Is non-violence that important?

As I see it now, I can appreciate what Gandhi was trying to say then or i believe must have been what he was trying to say. Violence breeds violence and that an act of violence justified for one cause can be justified for many other causes. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter...

The violence we had perpetrated then as part of our free India movement has come back to haunt us as terrorism, riots, public justice (public lynching), morale police (shiv sainiks),or the frequent random acts of violence over petty issues etc.

While one may bring abouts laws on guns etc, that is trying to control the tools of the disease...it is the cause that we must cure...