MAHATMA MUSINGS...

MAHATMA MUSINGS...

 As I glanced through today's newspapers, I was surprised not to find a single advertisement by the Government commemorating the Mahatma's martyrdom on this day some 64 years ago. I'm not complaining, for I have always found it annoying that various Govt. departments and ministries spend crores of taxpayer monies on wasteful "media extravaganza" to please their political masters. But the prominent absence of any such eye-sore in today's newspapers surprised me. And so it did raise a question -- What is the Mahatma's relevance today?

My first encounter with the Mahatma was when I was barely 5 -- on a 10 rupee currency note. My dad flipped a new note out of his wallet, showed me a smiling bald bespectacled old man's picture with "MAHATMA GANDHI" written below it. What really caught my interest was when my father held up the note against the window and tilted the note. I was amazed to see another Gandhi materialize behind the layers of paper which, my dad later explained,was called a watermark. Thus began my discovery of Gandhi, from how he went to South Africa, his return back to India, his launch of many satyagrahas and marches, his negotiations with the British, Independence and his assassination on this day 64 yrs ago. He was accused of giving in to the Muslim League's demand for a separate nation and having committed the "Greatest Sin" of "Dividing the Motherland" into two. Obviously, tempers ran high and one Nathuram Godse concluded that Gandhi was no longer to be around. "Hey Ram!!", the Mahatma swore as the bullet pierced his chest.

I don't know much about Gandhi. Universities have been setup to study him and his teachings. The man who was once called "The half-naked Fakir from the East" by Winston Churchill, has inspired leaders across the globe, right from Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela to The Dalai Lama to Aung San Su Kyi to Barack Obama. Then it struck me, why are there no prominent Indian names in that list? Have we no national leader of prominence who has lived by the Mahatma's teachings? I was ashamed of not being able to recollect even a single one. Had the womb of Mother India gone dry? 

 But that brings me to whats happening around in his name. Gandhi was the fiercest opponent to Jinnah's Two Nation theory. He argued that Hindus and Muslims did not necessarily have to be on different sides of the line to achieve a cohesive nationhood. He argues also that any State built on the construct of a theology would undoubtedly be a failure. We see what has become of Pakistan today. Looks like he was right after all. But wait... Are we any different?? Or are we getting there eventually? 

Gandhi was a very religious and spiritual man.  His idea of secularism was that which was inclusive of all religions. What have we now reduced this to? Majority bashing and minority appeasement, quotas and reservation promising speeches, narcissistic propaganda of doling out sops to the poor Indian. Isn't it shameful that poverty elimination is still an election issue even after 65 years of Independence? Politicians of today seek refuge for all their misdeeds under the garb of secularism. They find it easier to do their job if we're divided than united. But seriously, why is it that a Hindu have to be an apologist to prove that he is secular? Why does a Muslim have to prove his patriotism? Why is "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" a communal slogan? Why is any discussion about Kashmir a Hindu-Muslim issue? Why is M F Hussain assaulted for his paintings? Why is  Kamal Hassan being hounded for his movie?

Our Independence movement has been a tribute to the power of art, music and culture in uniting us against the British. A Vaishnava Janato evoked a sense of Indian-ism in spite of the fact that it was a religious hymn. And what are we up to now? -- censuring art, burning down recordings, banning movies. Whats the rationalization? -- To avoid hurting sentiments and to uphold secularism espoused by Bapu. Does the State really believe that the Mahatma would have ever supported such actions? Honestly, I don't think they care, as long as the events fit their political narrative. Peace is being sought through appeasement.

What is with this culture of intolerance? Why can't we agree to disagree?  India's diversity is to be celebrated, not whined about. Its the Indian-ness that unites us. We are a people who are to be revering our rivers, not fighting over them; celebrating our Gods, not smashing them; studying and writing books, not burning them; promoting art, not banning them; respecting authors, not banishing them. Why is it that we choose to assert ourselves by violently targeting those who we disagree with? Why can't we instead counter them by propounding our belief? Are we going to define ourselves as being opposed to something forever or are we going to have a positive narrative of our own?

India is learning. Her children are an enormous source of untapped energy, seeking for a leader to lead them in the right way. Notwithstanding the cabal and venal political, cultural and spiritual leadership that prevails over her children, India seeks to emerge as a nation of Hope. We need to start contributing to nation building and share a sense of ownership of the country. Lets not forget that we were the cradle of civilization, art, knowledge and culture and led the world by example. Magnificent literary gems were composed hundreds of years ago in many of our vernacular languages when English was still an infant. We need to celebrate our nation, not bring each other down. How then can we contribute to the world?  We need a leader. And The Leader lies within. All we need to do is to flip the note against the window to visualize the veiled Mahatma within each one of us.