2nd October 2021

 Musings…….

My Gandhi 

Gandhiji has always been an invisible presence in my house. Or so I think ! 

My childhood was spent in New Delhi where I did my schooling. In our Government quarters there we used to have a huge portrait of Gandhiji. This is one of my earliest memory of Gandhi. 

Coming from a Congress family ( such families are dwindling nowadays ) I was introduced very early to Gandhiji and his works. 

In junior school there used to be plays where students dressed up as Gandhi and other freedom fighters and had to come up on stage to read a famous quote from these freedom fighters. I never got a chance to dress up as Gandhiji, though once I was Nehru ! 

Civics and History was my favourite subjects in school and the Freedom struggle was one of my favourite topics. I was so good at it that I used to wait for History class in school. On the contrary Maths was like my enemy and I dreaded Maths period. 

So early on itself I was in awe of Gandhi and his heroic struggle for Freedom from the British. Textbooks in those days were all praise of Gandhiji and his illustrious career. 

Back home, we had a library where my father had a pretty good collection of books, which we still have. Being a History aficionado, I took it upon myself on reading “ My Experiment with Truth”, the autobiography of Gandhi. 

I did read the book, at a very young age which I feel was a mistake because the true essence of the book was lost on me. 

I still remember few incidents from the book, like Gandhiji eating meat and regretting it , telling a lie to his father which disturbed him a lot, his marriage at young age and so on. 

Gandhiji was instilled as a godly figure in my mind which I continue to carry and believe so to be. His struggle is unparalleled in History and like Albert Einstein said "Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.”

As I grew up and left school, History became history to me, so to say as life changed around. Survival became the whole point and for that people have to take up different roles. I became a medical student and then a practitioner. 

My distance with Gandhi did not reduce but in front of my eyes I saw changes among people. 

Communalism started dominating society. Or so it seems to me from my vantage point.  So much so that Nehru’s secularism is now seen as an anathema. 

Secularism started getting replaced by dominance of Hindutva. This could be what happens when people get frustrated with daily life. Who wants to listen to history when life itself is hell and a struggle to get through. 

The poor remains poor and the rich getting richer paradox, according to me is the main reason for change in thinking in society.  So the reason for  change from secular thought to Hindutva is mainly Economics ! 

I have become a father now. My son was born during a pandemic. He will be growing up in a society which is starkly different and more aggressive from the one I grew up in. He will be reading a much different textbook from what I read in school !  

Gandhiji for me was a hero, a godly figure. I cannot say for sure if he will be so for my son. 

A problem with History is it is always written by the victor. In my day, Secular though prevailed, whereas now Hindutva thought prevails. 

I sincerely wish India becomes prosperous, scientific temper replaces communalism and secular thought prevails in society than Hindutva ideology, so that my son grows up revering Gandhi rather than Godse.  

Food for Thought…….

RC