Gandhi...

I stood in front of a crowd, my hands clasped on my eyes. I was singing “Gandhiji ke Bandar hum khele kude dum dum dum….” it was my pre-school annual gathering and I was representing the very fundamental thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi. First as a child I met Gandhi through stories told by my grandpa. Simple stories with morals, I could not sleep without them. In school I met him as the father of the nation, who brought the British to their knees, the architect of Indian independence. In college I debated about his ideas, his contribution to the world. Later as a student of Political Science my study of leadership, charisma, social movements was never complete without him.

Gandhi is often mentioned as one’s idol. His khadi becomes a fashion, his ideas become a theme of a blockbuster and his glasses are put up for an auction. It’s the liquor king Vijay Mallaya who wins the auction and brings the historical belongings back home. What an irony. Aptly shows how people have used him for their personal gains. We don’t need a Scandinavian certificate to tell us how important his thoughts were; In fact I am glad his greatness is not reduced to an award. No one can better describe Gandhi as Albert Einstein did… “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth’’.

Gandhi, as I see is not just a person, but a phenomenon.