Why's October 2 a "Dry Day"?!?? :D
"It is alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious middle temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the east, striding half-naked up the steps of the viceregal palace, while he is still organizing and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the king-emperor."
- Winston Churchill, 1930
For Gandhi, simplicity was the way of life. When the British invited Gandhi for peace talks, Gandhi saw no particular reason to change his attire, which was same as millions of his fellow countrymen. Gandhi met with Lord Irvin with the advantage of having won a moral victory. "I have caused a great deal for trouble for your government. But as men, we can set aside our differences for welfare of the nation" he said to the immaculately dressed viceroy, on occasion of which Churchill is said to have made his infamous comments.
Churchill, who considered himself a true democrat constantly opposed granting freedom to India. In more ways than one, Gandhi was a much greater democrat, especially in believing in self-determination of people and the universal equality of mankind. Churchill was to be irritated further. The following year, Gandhi met face to face with Churchill during the Indian round table conference -- "...I have an alternative that is unpleasant to you" he told Churchill and his clan of imperialists. " India demands complete liberty and freedom...the same liberty that Englishmen enjoy... and I want India to become a partner in the Empire. I want to partner with the English people ... not merely for mutual benefit, but so that the great weight that is crushing the world to atoms may be lifted from its shoulders".
Winston Churchill loathed Gandhi. Gandhi loathed none.
That was the Difference.
Now who was Greater?!??
Most Hardline Hindus (read-Vishwa Hindu Parishad) would say dat Gandhi was da Architect of Partition. I Beg to Differ. In Fact, it was Gandhi who declared vehemently, "India will be partitioned over my dead body." In fact, Gandhiji was asking Nehru to let Jinnah be the First Prime Minister of Independent India, so that India need not be Partitioned. He reasoned that India had been ruled by Muslims before(the Whole of the Mughal Dynasty was Muslim!)
Nehru simply Refused! He said, "Let Jinnah take his bit of land and claim Lordship over it, and I will be Free of his Nuisance and I can build the Industrialised India I dream of!" And he forced Gandhiji on the Issue. I WILL accept that Gandhiji gave a LOT of concessions to Muslims, and this is a bone for Most Hindu Hardline Organisations. But I say to them, that Gandhiji did No More than what the BJP Itself is doing in issues like Reservation for Backward Classes, etc. Muslims were Extremely Backward at that point and they Deserved some concessions(akin to our Current Reservation Policy for Backward Classes among Hindus). So what Gandhiji did was NOT wrong in Any sense of the word. He was just trying to build an Inclusive India, one that would be free and fair to all, and above all, UNITED! So to the Detractors of Gandhi, I would say, "Read Up!" and "Open yer Mind!"
And Most Important of All, (to Nathuram Godse), "Don't Kill People who you don't even Know properly Just because YOU don't believe in them!!!"
Let us try to peek into the workings of this Great Mind through some of his Preachings I've managed to gather from his various books/works/biographies.
He was a Very Self-Contained and Contented Person.
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
"Hate the sin, love the sinner."
"I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life."
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."
"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."
He declared that Non-Violence actually required more inner strength than steeling your heart to go violent.
"The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles”
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence."
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. "
"A weak man is just by accident. A strong but non-violent man is unjust by accident."
"All the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this world but Truth. "
"An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.
"An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. "
"Are creeds such simple things like the clothes which a man can change at will and put on at will? Creeds are such for which people live for ages and ages. "
"As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves. "
"Before the throne of the Almighty, man will be judged not by his acts but by his intentions. For God alone reads our hearts. "
"Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession. "
Gandhiji on Faith :
"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth. "
"Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into. "
"Faith... must be enforced by reason... when faith becomes blind it dies. "
"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
Gandhiji on Freedom :
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. "
"For me every ruler is alien that defies public opinion. "
"Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living? "
"I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill. "
"I believe that a man is the strongest soldier for daring to die unarmed. "
Gandhiji on Religion :
“God has no religion”.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. "
"In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. "
"It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings. "
"It is any day better to stand erect with a broken and bandaged head then to crawl on one's belly, in order to be able to save one's head. "
"It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business. "
"Just as a man would not cherish living in a body other than his own, so do nations not like to live under other nations, however noble and great the latter may be. "
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. "
Gandhiji on Women :
"I have worshipped woman as the living embodiment of the spirit of service and sacrifice. "
Humble Gandhi:
"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills"
"In my tour last year in Mysore [State], I met many poor villagers, and I found upon inquiry that they did not know who ruled Mysore. They simply said some God ruled it. If the knowledge of these poor people was so limited about their ruler, I, who am infinitely lesser in respect to God than they to their ruler need not be surprised if I do not realize the presence of God, the King of Kings. Nevertheless I do feel as the poor villagers felt about Mysore, that there is orderliness in the universe."
Gandhiji's Advice to Fellow Satyagrahis :
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
"No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive. "
"They can Hit me, and injure me, but Nobody can hurt me without my permission. "
"There is more to life than increasing its speed. "
"There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. "
"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. "
"Those who know how to think need no teachers. "
"To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest. "
"To deprive a man of his natural liberty and to deny to him the ordinary amenities of life is worse then starving the body; it is starvation of the soul, the dweller in the body. "
"Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear. "
"What is true of the individual will be to-morrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to lose heart and hope. "
"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind. "
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. "
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems”
"They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.”
“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result”.
“We must always seek to ally ourselves with that part of the enemy that knows what is right."
Gandhiji on Children :
“The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children.”
Gandhiji gave his fellow countrymen a Talisman : -
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test:
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him.
Will he gain anything by it?
Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny?
In other words, will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?
Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away."
-Mahatma.
Gandhiji was a Humorous Person as well :
"What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea. "
-Gandhiji when asked about what he thought of Western Civilisation.
"If I was not humorous, I would have committed suicide a Long While ago!"
-Gandhiji.
His Impact lives on, spreading to other countries.
Many of the World's Most Famous Leaders including Rev. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, continue to draw inspiration from the life and message of this Apostle of Peace.
Here's what Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. , the World-Reknowned and Esteemed American Champion of Civil Liberties and Equality : -
"If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, acted and was inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony."
What can we do as mere human beings but try to do our bit in living his dream?!?? As Gandhiji himself said,
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery."
So let us try and incorporate "Gandhi-Giri" made infamous by the movie "Lage Raho Munna Bhai". Let us make Gandhiji's Atma proud of his "children".
Jai Hind!
(P.S. - Comments are welcome, but please Discuss, don't abuse yer Freedom o' Speech!)
Further Reading: -
UCLA on Gandhi :
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/Dandi.html
Gandhi Image Location :
http://www.nuvs.com/ashram/gallery/02.html
Gandhiji on Jews :
http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/mideast.htm
Women Freedom Fighters of India :
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/freedom/women.htm
Gandhiji and Women :
http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/gwomen.htm
Gandhiji on Gita :
http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/mkggita.htm
Gandhiji as a Boy :
http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/boygandhi.htm
S. Radhakrishnan, First President of the Republic of India on Gandhi :
http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/tribute2gandhi.htm
TIME Magazine's Person of the Century - Mahatma Gandhi :
http://www.time.com/time/time100/poc/gandhi_photo/gandhi1.html
Nelson Mandela on Gandhiji :
http://www.time.com/time/time100/poc/magazine/the_sacred_warrior13a.html
Nehru Announcing the Assassination of Gandhiji :
http://www.meadev.gov.in/Gandhi1/nehruspeech.htm
Videoclip of Gandhi's Dandi March :
http://www.harappa.com/wall/1930.html
Eulogy of Nehru :
http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/eulogy.htm
Gandhiji's Favorite Bhajan :
http://www.freewebs.com/bhawanaverma/mahatmagandhiprayer.htm
posted by Arvind Ranganath @ 12:07 AM
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