Remembering the Mahatma on his 142nd birth anniversary

Aren’t we letting him down by our thoughts, actions?

Since my childhood, I’ve seen frenetic activity and tokenism being done on Gandhi Jayanti (02 Oct) and on Martyr’s day(31 Jan) when the whole country tries to remember Gandhiji. Voluntary social service activities like cleaning up the surroundings, organizing blood donation camps and conducting seminars on the great man are some of the gimmickries that come readily to my mind – the activities continue to be organized in the same lackadaisical manner even today but sadly, the ignorance about the great man and the values that he stood for persist amongst the young generation.

To my mind truth and a good value system have been the casualties in this present day life – the things that Gandhiji tried to spread through his own actions. However, the material comforts and trying to catch up with the latest technological advances have left very little time for the present generation to understand these important aspects of life. Respecting age and experience has become outdated. Each and everyone want to get rich quick and get his or her 15 minutes of fame. To achieve this one’s ready to take any short cut as the ends justify the means!
Going back in time, amongst the visuals of Gandhiji’s times and life that I’d come across thanks to the Attenborough film ‘Gandhi’, I consider that this country had discarded him soon after the achievement of Independence on 15 Aug 1947. The shot showing him sitting all alone by his ‘charkha’ with an empty flag mast close at hand at the Sabarmati Ashram, while the rejoicings were going on in Delhi and elsewhere was poignant and highlighted that his countrymen had dumped him soon after their aim was achieved.

I belong to a much later generation that have only read from books and also gleaned from stories related to us by our grandparents and parents on India’s freedom struggle and Gandhiji’s great leadership. If I were to be asked as to what qualities of Gandhiji have inspired me the most, I shall list the following:-

(a) Adherence to truth always and everytime.
(b) A steely strength of character.
(c) Religious tolerance and a broadness of thought.
(d) Respecting every other human being as one’s equal.
(e) A high sense of humour.
(f) The thirst for knowledge.

I salute the great man for his untiring efforts to get this country free from the British yoke with a promise that on a personal level I’ve tried to emulate him and continue to do so in my own little way. And at this juncture I can’t agree more to what Einstein had to say on Gandhiji soon after his assassination and I quote, ”Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this, in flesh and blood, had ever walked upon this earth ”.

We need to come out of tokenism and pledge to make India strong on the basis of Gandhiji's values and ideals and work towards that aim. Jai Hind!