Do we patronise Mr. Gandhi?

I opened up my day with the headlines and to my dismay, it appeared that tabloids were more keen to get a glimpse of the ailing Sonia Gandhi and get to more trivia behind the background rather putting in few sedate moments to remember the reverent Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Is that the kind of relevance we attach to the birth anniversary of an iconic exponent? I am not glorifying ‘Bapu’ but his exploits and ideologies can seldom be forgotten.

‘Gandhi Jayanti’, ‘International Day of Non Violence’ and being an epitome of truth in a dynasty of treacherous values is a credential that hardly evokes enthusiasm in the hearts of our youth. In other words, the message has never been passed on to the generations in a manner it should have been. No, I am not encouraging people to give birth to a messiah or mould children in to a statue of tethering principles. But history must never be bypassed for convenience and all I plead is to share awareness.

There have been numerous stories (written in an outset of fact, fiction, documentary and films) about Gandhi and his relentless battle with the British empire. Or probably, his decision to reach a compromise with Jinnah and subsequently agreeing to have a nation split as 2 individual judicial powerhouse. The latter, is still, a subject of acute debate and criticism, and we are struggling to come to terms with our partition despite the celebration of our Independence surpassing six decades. It’s imperative to have notions floating around, but honestly, you and me can only speculate, scrutinise and retaliate at forums of bane (in)significance.

I can quote ample instances but only with curious subjugations. Here, that has never been the intent. But I would certainly populate few aspects of our governance to the forefront. The idealistic mental tussle that the ‘Mahatma’ fought has been buried decades before, beneath a layer that he never explored or believed in. That, for us, is the greatest of resolute to bear and live with. With the growing advent of terrorism that continues to lead us in to a bludgeon of darkness, we might have to admit that ours has been a government of flawed amenities.

This would be just another stupid article for you that has been read at multiple junctures with collateral damage. But, I would rather invoke than revoke the essence of our legacy that needs to get transformed at the earliest, if not today.