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| Not so happy now, are we? |
Now, today morning, I was chatting with an old friend on Facebook. Mid-chat, she tells me, "I don't like Gandhi, and don't believe in his teachings."
Some years ago, when I was in school, this was an evergreen topic in debate competitions. Back then, I never really thought about it- just gave a piece from a magazine and stuff I found on the net. But today, this statement set me thinking. After all, when you're at home for the vacations, with nothing to do all day long, you'll do just about anything to keep you from getting bored. So yeah, I just gave it some thought.
And then, I realized two things. First, its become rather "cool", to say you dislike Gandhi, and make fun of him. I don't say everyone who disagrees with him has this same reason, like this friend of mine who actually set me considering this, who I know doesn't give a damn about being "cool", and is rather passionate about her ideas and opinions. but the majority of young India's opinion of Gandhi can be seen in this meme I found on the net.
Seriously, the "Father of the Nation" title notwithstanding, those white politician caps you see Anna Hazare or the guys from the Aam Aadmi Party notwithstanding, those pictures on the currency notes notwithstanding, and the National Holiday on the 2nd of October notwithstanding, how many times in our life do we even spare a thought for what the man really wanted. Frankly speaking, that man's legacy is unbreakable and unforgettable. Love him or hate him, the man's personal history is too much to ignore for any historian. But does that mean what he said is still relevant today?
And it was then that i realized something else- Gandhi never said anything new or unique. And he never claimed to do so. He just gave us a simple formula- told us what he thought was right. And it was just simply what our Moral Science teachers taught us at school- don't fight, don't practice violence. Live and let live. Be truthful, be honest. And these are things that never go out of fashion. They never become irrelevant. They never become stale. There may seem a time when they seem pointless, but we all know, in the end, it is these little things which allow us a peaceful night's sleep.
So lets stop these silly debates. We cannot, ever, gauge Gandhi's work or his persona in our times, and criticize him on today's scales. But what he spoke of, what he taught us, is what everyone from Jesus Christ to Mandela to every self-styled guru has told us. Let us follow these things, and time alone will tell if he still remains relevant, or even these debates become irrelevant.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
