Today when entire world is dangerously in the grip of disturbances, violence, discrimination and disparity, one misses people like Mahatama Gandhi, the man who lived for freedom of thought and soul, non violence and peace. He defeated world’s then only super power, British, not with artillery of nuclear bombing, but with the weapon of non violence. Single handedly he united Indians irrespective of caste, creed, sex, language, culture or religion. He emerged as the sole symbol of Indianness – the Ganga, Jamuna culture. He made top industrialists to rub shoulders with semi-naked peasants; he made high caste Hindus to share meals with low caste Hindus, he made Hindus and Muslims to walk the path towards freedom hand-in-hand. On January 30, 1948, the same man, who all along his life stood for non violence was killed by a fanatic Hindu Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Though Gandhi’s voice was silenced, his political philosophy was established all over the world and scores of world leaders, in different fields, drew inspiration from this great leader.
Unfortunately, while the great leader is still being adored and admired in civilized world, back home the people, his own people, have started distancing from his ideals. In today’s India the political of communalism, politics based on caste, region and language is what is the “in thing” in today’s India. The political leadership, across divide, is busy dividing people, it is busy making people fight each other, it is busy demonizing its opponents. The politics in today’s India misses all Gandhian inputs and his political philosophy. The man who would be referred to as Bapu – the father of nation – seems alien today when one looks at present day politics and politicians. The politics of hatred is spread all over and all kind of criminal and corrupt elements are being crowned as leaders. Indian politics and political environment is ailing. It needs an immediate cure and the cure can’t come unless each and every Indian decides to rediscover Gandhi and his political philosophy.
