Who Doesn't Like the Mahatma?

Tomorrow is the 2nd of October and we all have a mid-week day off from work courtesy Mahatma Gandhi. I thought of unwinding by watching a late night movie at home with my brother. So, while returning from the office, I went popcorn-shopping. Ahead of me in the queue at the grocery store was a malnourished and seemingly drunk man in his early thirties at the most. He was dressed in a pale yellow shirt put to good use. In one of his rough, prematurely wrinkled hands with cuts he was holding an alcohol bottle wrapped in white transparent polythene. A construction-worker perhaps, I thought. It was no branded bottle of whiskey or wine, I could tell because there weren’t any labels or stickers on it. He asked the shopkeeper for a packet of namkeen worth rupees ten. A poor man calculated my brain.

While he was about to leave he asked the shopkeeper in his heavy, inebriated voice whether the shop will be closed tomorrow. The shopkeeper definitely knowing about the holiday tomorrow asked him pretentiously why the shop would be closed. What I saw next left me amused. He went to the counter again, shook hands with shopkeeper and said at the top of his voice “ye hui na baat, kya ***** Gandhi-Vandhi ke chakkar main theka band, sab band. Hona hi ni chahiye.” When the shopkeeper saw that his prospective customers most of them females were getting uncomfortable with the presence of this man, he quickly shunned him away and apologetically introduced him as a labourer working in a nearby factory.

On my way back to home, I was thinking what significance does the date 2nd October has for us. Why is it still one of the national festivals when the general atmosphere in the country is so charged against the “Father of the Nation”? I am not making this statement based only on my experience stated above but I say this because nine out of ten times when you mention the word Mahatma Gandhi to people who are not politicians addressing a rally, you are likely to hear swear words and abusive language. From the construction worker most definitely having never read about Gandhi to a college going Bhagat Singh fan kid, everyone dislikes Gandhi.

Now, I am not a Gandhi fan either but I don’t go on criticizing and abusing a historical figure as important as him to the Indian history without having sound understanding of the man and his philosophy. I simply haven’t read much about him to make statements like “he don’t deserve to be printed on the currency”, “There are far more significant historical figures lying in oblivion”, “He played politics and did nothing to usher in the freedom for the country.” The moment I ask one of my friends or colleagues why exactly is Mahatma Gandhi a villain and not a hero, the bogus reply on most occasions is that because he approved of the death sentence for Bhagat Singh or because he was cunning pretending to be non-violent, simple and selfless while leading the most luxurious life possible behind the curtains. None of them have any proof to support their claims but they just won’t leave the man alone in his grave.

Come his birthday and he is criticized and talked ill off everywhere. Now, Gandhi while alive never asked for his photo to be printed on the currency (one reason everyone has for hating him). It was long after he was dead that the Government of India decided to print him on the currency notes. So, why hate the man on this account? About him playing politics and others not getting the due credit, if not Gandhi can there be another name from the Indian history that all of us will unanimously consider capable enough to get this importance. Our problem ( by our I mean those of us who haven’t read much about the freedom struggle and Mahatma Gandhi) is not this man; our problem is a man getting significance enough to be the face on the currency, to give country a day off at his birthday, to have roads named after him. It is pure envy that finds form of political and historical criticism.

My appeal to all the Writer Babus this Gandhi Jayanti is that like me those of you who havn’t read about him, be honest to yourself and if not more, please spare him the abuses at least. Let us not forget that like many present-day politicians he was not an uneducated man He was a learned man with a mind of his own. Have compassion and give him the credit at least for trying. The man did try hard. Not many of us would have that courage. And those of you, who have read well about Gandhi, please enlighten us with your research. We will all like to indulge in healthy, well-put criticism if any and not the baseless and childish rant.

On that note “Happy Gandhi Jayanti to All”