How we love Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi a.k.a. Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869. He is widely known as the man who catalyzed the Indian Nationalism and led us to independence from the British rule through the principles of Satyagraha (insistence on truth) and nonviolence. Hence, he is also known as the Father of our Nation - India.

Many great men - from Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela to Suu Kyi and Barrack Obama have hailed the man as someone they look up to for inspiration.

Gandhi - the apostle of peace, never won a Nobel prize for peace primarily because he was fighting against the powerful British who has significant clout over these awards selections. However, I feel that Gandhi is most misunderstood and disrespected in this very country - for which he sacrificed his life.

The Indian youth dismiss him as some stupid old man with farcical ideas about peace. They blame him for the death of extremist nationalists like Bhagat Singh, say that he in fact delayed the Indian Independence and even accuse him for Muslim appeasement, creation of Pakistan, Kashmir problems, and everything else that Congress party has done to India in the last 60 years. Gandhi is easily among the least respected freedom fighters by the Indian youth.

Indian youth perhaps never understood the greatness of the man or the depths of his principles. He was not just fighting for the freedom from British. He was fighting for bigger principles. He wanted each Indian to have equal opportunities. He wanted us to be able to live life respectfully without being servile to anyone. He wanted us to be honest and simple in our ways. And for this, he led the entire nation against the British.

As some writer put it: "While he was alive he was impossible to ignore. Once he had gone he was impossible to imitate"

While we have not been able to imitate this great sage, our political parties have never failed to gain milage from his name. In a stroke of genius, India Nehru married Firoz Gandhi, and linked her family forever with the name of Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress still tacitly makes it seem as if there is some connection between him and Sonia Gandhi.

In a very sadistic act, the government also put his face on all our currency notes. I can bet that every note is used atleast once for the very things he stood against. Bribery (dishonesty), alcoholism, extravagence, and violence. Really, if Gandhiji had his say, he would have put a crying face on the notes.

The great tamasha around auction of his articles last month was an even bigger slap on his face. If it was not enough that a drunkard "liquor barron" -Vijay Mallya won the auction, our very own congress party and government of Indian spokesperson Ambika Soni claimed that the government used Mr. Mallya to buy these articles.

Really?? Was it so difficult to fly some honest beuracrat to the auction. (Actually, Mallya bid over the phone). Could they not have requested Mr. Narayanmurthi to help out?

Gandhi has been reduced, in this country, to an old man with round face and round spectacles. He is nothing more than a smiley face now. We have forgotten his principles. We mock at his teachings.

But we celebrate 2nd October.

Life...

Life is so strange.
If you took a helicopter ride over this jungle, you would never be able to figure it out. The trees are of so many varieties, so many wild and not so wild animals, all different kinds of terrain, and then crisscrossed by lakes, waterfalls, swamps....
There are so many variables in life and everything is so dynamic, it is almost impossible to figure it out.
And yet, when you walk through this jungle, it is absolutely clear which path needs to be taken. We second guess ourselves and resist that path based on the helicopter view and some vague notions about which path is better. But life presents a very clear view if we listen to it. We always know whats the right thing to do.