Remembering Mahatma

I know I should have written it a day earlier. Better late than never. Anyway the point is not about singing a panegyric, on the eventful day of 02nd Oct, about Mahatma Gandhi. But about the need of answering this question,"Nehru: Bapu, the whole country is moving. Gandhi: Yes, but in which direction?"

Each year, on Gandhi Jayanti, I read something like this, “Is the Mahatma relevant today?” A stark reminder of the times we live in. And a cognition that such a pass has come that we are asking this question. But ask me, and I will answer, “A firm yes.” Not so because of the deeds he performed, but because of the ideals and the firm belief he had in those.

Tell me, which nation has fought its war of independence totally on non-violent terms? It makes my head high just thinking of it. Don’t wonder whether we would have got our freedom earlier or easier if we had adopted a different policy. Just consider there were hawks and belligerents at that time too, but the majority listened to him. And they listened because he showed a more morally soothing and justified path. Contrast this with the path the modern day jihadis, terrorists, freedom-fighters are following. Why go there, contrast this with the way we live our current simple lives. Everywhere we reject the ideals and morals as not-relevant-now or impractical vis-à-vis the current realities of life. Aisa nahin ho sakta aaj kal, agar yeh sahi bhi hai to. Here is where he was different and not like us. He didn’t give in to the world, but believed in what has been right since time immemorial.

Two days back, I was reading a letter he had written to Hitler in 1940, asking him to re-judge what he was doing. Not a single sign or word of aggression, even if the situation warranted that. Just the words of idealism thrown in. So firm believer he was in the power of reasoning and truth.

He was and remains the look-up-to personality for many: Obama, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Aang San Su Ki, Lech Walesa etc. United Nations declared 02nd Oct as International Day of Non-Violence in June 2007. Many schools in Europe celebrate or remember his birthday or martyr day. He was chosen as the second-most influential personality of the century by Time magazine at the end of 20th century. Even the first one on that list, Albert Einstein, said, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

I hope we really don’t die wondering whether such a man ever existed. Let not the ‘belief in ideals’ die in the name of practicalities. This is the least we can do for him this Gandhi Jayanti.