Interestingly I realised that next day was Gandhi Jayanti by a strange crowd. Many ladies were standing by the road besides their cars. Most of them were in fancy traditional attire that seemed to be crafted for special purposes. I got my brain working and soon I could identify - the ladies were in Chaniya Choli and some nearby standing guys, who were crowded on a counter , were in kafni payjama and kediyu, though pagadi was missing for the occasion. So they were coming from Garba.
Now I shifted my attention to the crowded counter. Shortly the crowd made sense to me when I saw a a flex printing - "Buy Today, Tomorrow is Dry Day". On top of this was an epitaph "Johnnie Walker --Keep Walking" followed by a stout man walking briskly, apparently in a swirling coat and a stick in his folded hands.
When it comes to brisk walking, with stick in a hand, I could recall pages of my history book about 'Salt Satyagrah' that begun when Mahatma Gandhi took Dandi March. He, along with his followers , travelled for 24 days and 240 miles to break the salt law. Until recently, Mahatma rarely gave us a walk of that sort but Johnnie Walker did. For Mahatma, we walk, rather we browse or watch, twice in a year - one on his birthday and another on his death anniversary but all other days it is Johnnie Walker that keeps us walking. I don't know for how many days Johnnie might have walked to arrive here but he definitely walked 4650 miles and still is walking with same pace in other parts of the world.
So is it about choosing with whom should I walk ? Or is it about when to walk with whom ? To walk around deity Goddess during Navaratri and then after that take a ride with Johnnie Walker ? And in case the next day we have to walk with 'Mahatma', we need to patch up with Johnie the day before because Mahatma and Johnnie don't walk together.
On 2nd October, papers and news channels had something to say about Mahatma. Few things we see and listen on this day only -- one of these is Gandhi Ji's favourite bhajan and other is his three monkeys. Everyone who can afford, what Gandhi ji could not afford, is doing his image makeover via print media and electronic media be it some private organisation or some government organisation.
"Rural electrification will fulfil the dreams of every Indian" --Mahatma Gandhi.
His Vision Our Inspiration by Ministry of Power.
I, myself being of rural India, feel that probably inspiration of one Gandhi was not enough for Ministry of Power of Government of India. Since 1969, when Rural Electrification Corporation Limited was established, till 2011 not all villages of India have been electrified and whatever have been electrified is facing acute power cut when it is needed most.
"How could we provide power when people are opposing nuclear power plants at Kudankulam in Tamilnadu and Jaitapur in Maharashtra ? We need these nuclear plants for sustainable progress of Indian Industries and to meet the growing energy needs of Indian populace. " So technically all these protests are opposing what Gandhi Ji envisaged for every Indian village.
Whoever thinks so needs to re-read Gandhi. Probably Ministry of Power could not comprehend Gandhi's statement and they are continuing laying lines and erecting pillars to electrify Indian villages. What Gandhi wanted was a "decentralised, high technology based and rural need based improvisation to over come India's rural energy need." We don't recognise such talent and effort made within our country until some foreign institution recognises them. SELCO is glaring example of that. Mr Harsih Hande of SELCO is just fulfilling one vision of Gandhi, may be unknowingly. This is not with just one Government Department that has got it all wrong but it is for politics and governance as an institution. Merely inheriting sir (last) name does not suffice to become a torch bearer of Gandhi. Probably our leaders forget that Gandhi sir name did not make Mohandas famous but Mohandas made Gandhi sir name famous.
On the occasion of Mahatma's birthday news papers had to report something unique about Mahatma. In this quest one came up with an interaction with Prabhudas Patel, a body guard of Mahatma, who saw him falling to the bullets of Godse, the other printed Mahatma's letter to their news agency for their support. Except these few aberrations, rest whole paper was everything that is non -Gandhian - starting from 2G scam updates, vote for note arguments, unidentified mass graves in kashmir, black money case update for Hassan Ali, death of soldiers in Valley while fighting the militants in kashmir, Telangana Agitation in Andhra and mass death(murder ) of fishes in water bodies after Prita Paksha celebrations in some part of northern India.
Honestly one can't blame media for these as these are elements that make news. If branding Gandhi as homosexual can make a news across the world and trigger some widespread sale of one's book then who cares about Gandhi and interpretations of the letters? Gandhi won't have been tormented more for being interpreted a homosexual than by seeing the current state of India. He dies on every 1st October when flex with message "Buy Today, Tomorrow is Dry Day" are displayed. He dies every time with the death of a soldier and with the death of an innocent citizen in valley. He died on the day when parliament was attacked and he also died on the day when debate over attacker's clemency was introduced in the assembly. I see Gandhi being shot by a bullet every now and then, likes of Prabhudas Patel running to support him, but every time he slumps. I am standing in the crowd looking at commotion in hope to see likes of Mahatma getting up again in form of some Anna Hazare.
Comments
Post a Comment