Monday, October 02, 2006

Gandhigari

What an afternoon. For this very moment, I can't even remember what Gandhi looked like. Whether he mattered, or whether he made a difference. The Bapu is now a popular myth. No matter how many times we watch Munnabhai or read My Experiments with Truth, we still can't understand any better of him. My grandmother met him few days before he died, she has always been in awe of him.
I would have been too, if he was around. The clever man was perfect to moralise a country as big ours. At the brink of our independence, India was suffering great bouts of depression. The Britishers had drained us out of our resources, and there was no form of communication. A large large per cent were uneducated, they needed someone like him to come up with a simple philosophy to change their unorthodox-sounding views. One's that sounded so brilliant and clear, tell me wouldn't it be wonderful to convince people to be good?
Old Bapu, I swear I would have never got along with him. If he wouldn't have been assissinated, then he would have died with mere unhappiness and saddness. The world became everything, he didn't approve. Modern day India would never have been able to tolerate a man with such facile point of view.
I don't mean to underplay his extraordinary beingness, I just don't relate to it. I don't believe much in him, however much I'd like his ideals to be practiced and believed. But the cold world ain't like that, you know that only too well. You see, now we aren't abducted and colonised, the biggest demon is the one inside us (cliched as that me sound). It may have been simpler then (or difficult) but now the country must fight within to strive for the better. To make a difference... however it maybe: Machiavillian or Kautilya.

5 Comments:

Blogger moonstruck maniac said...

try hard recreating the world in front of gandhi; he would surely have been immensely unhappy. i like the man, his ideals are pertinent, not that they were. but somehow the demons have risen too high. gosh, the brave new world isnt that our freedom fighters much like gandhi

6:07 PM, October 02, 2006  
Blogger P said...

I agree completely. Such altruism has very little meaning in our lives today. Yet sometimes, just sometimes, I do wonder how that thin, frail man managed to capture the imagination of such a huge nation at a time when I would think it would have been quite a feat...

2:51 PM, October 03, 2006  
Blogger simmi said...

I am fascinated and in awe of Gandhi. He played an active part in our liberation from the facist Apartheid regime.He had vision, conviction, faith and believed in justice. He had courage and strenght...and he was sharp, witty and down right funny.

One of my favourite quotes is when Gandhi was asked
"what do you think of British civilization?" and he answeres
"I believe it would be a good idea"

now, thats fucking brilliant.
Gandhi's influence goes way beyond India. Remember it is only about 12-13 years ago South Africa had it's first democratic election.
What is amazing is that there a millions of people out there today, only discovering the magnitude of this brilliant mind and heart.

I might not agree to all that he said or did, but it was due to him that India overthrew British rule, and his active resistance and thoughts have been a mojor force in our struggle.

Colonialism is not over in any way...it's just hiding behind globalization...or call it neo-liberalism. THe west is still the dominant power, economically and culturally. They are still getting fat from exploitation of the tricontinent. Asia, Latin America and Africa. People might not be dying from war (apart from in the middle east) but through indirect violence, such as hunger, poverty, lack of medical care etc. a person from the tricontinent is 33 times more likely to die than a person from the west/europe. It is a political scam to make us belive that it's an internal problem...the west created these ghetto's, and still dump their toxic waste in our backyards, need childlabour (banned in their own countries) though they get away with it somehow in our parts of the world
..........
-uh, i get a bit heated and since this is supposed to be a comment im trying to cram it inn.

if it might be too mixed up, please read some of my previous post and I will gladly send you links and articles that might clarify my mumbo jumbo above.

I think it is great that you bring these issues up, to question, investigate and contextualise exacltly where we are.

2:52 AM, October 09, 2006  
Blogger jairaj said...

hey thanks simmi, you're absolutely right. i spoke more in the consequence of Gandhigiri in India today. but you've spurted a great arguement, or well spares facts. please do so, I do great enjoy your blog. Cheers...

3:50 PM, October 10, 2006  
Blogger simmi said...

thank you. i am not aware of the status quo in india...finding out a bit here and a bit there.
I went to a gandhi conference here a few week back...but Im still so confused...

1:51 AM, October 12, 2006  

Post a Comment

<< Home

html hit counter
Download html hit counter code for your website.