draft for comments:  Remembering Gandhi: human touch in dehumanised world

Rituals have an important place in life, why else do we clean our homes before diwali, say namastey to our elders and loved one’s every day morning ( in many families, this ritual has been done away with ) and visit holy sites even when we can perform those rituals at home as well. Remembering Gandhi on his birthday need however,  not be just a ritual.  Abhorring the act, not the door,  may in fact bring about a deep reconciliation in fractured society today.  How do we redefine the role of  Gandhian institutions and legacy in Gujarat. Let me recall what Madhu Dandwate said in his JP memorial lecture years ago:

A few weeks prior to Independence Day of 1947, an emissary of Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel was sent to Gandhi at Calcutta, who was working for peace and harmony among the Hindus and Muslims. The emissary reached at midnight. He said: “I have brought an important letter for you from Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel.” “Have you taken your food?”, asked Gandhi. When the emissary said ” No”, Gandhi served him food. And after food, Gandhi opened the letter from Nehru and Patel. They had written: “Bapu you are the father of the nation. 15th August 1947, will be the first Independence Day and we want you to come to Delhi to give us the blessings.” Gandhi said: ” How stupid!. When Bengal is burning, Hindus and Muslims are killing each other and I hear their cries of the agony in the darkness of Calcutta, how can I go to Delhi with the glittering lights?” These words are the heart-rending words of Gandhi. He said “I have to live here for the establishment of peace in Bengal and if need be, I have to give up my life for ensuring that there is harmony and peace.” The emissary started for his return journey in the morning. It was a moving sight, full of human touch. Gandhi gave the emissary a sendoff. He was standing below a tree. A dry leaf fell from the tree. Gandhi picked it up and put it on his palm and said: ” My friend, you are going back to Delhi. What gift can Gandhi give to Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel? I am a man without power and wealth. Give this dry leaf to Nehru and Patel, as my first Independence day gift.” And when he was saying this, tears came from the eyes of the emissary. And with a sense of humour Gandhi said: ” How the great is God? He did not want Gandhi to send that dry leaf. He made it wet. It is glistening with laughter. Carry this leaf as a gift full of your tears.” That was Gandhi\’s human touch (.http://www.mkgandhi.org/humantouch.htm).

Why is such a human  touch missing in our every day life.  Why have Gandhian institutions failed to make his message a subject of every day conversation. Bigger than the failure of the Institutions, it is our failure who find in his message a source of hope and faith in basic human values, but are not able to inspire even one more person by our conduct and practice in every day life.  What do we do then to make Gandhi come alive in the lives of every suffering human being any where, but in the heart of those who make them suffer too.  May be we can start with the task which only the strongest can do. We forgive those whose acts we abhor, and create space in our heart for those who have still not lived in peace, be it in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Gujarat or Lalgarh, Chhatisgarh and  232 districts of India where violence has been chosen by all concerned as  the way of settings the wrongs done by by state or other dominant institutions. How can we forgive, after all, did not they do injustice, will come the call from right and the left. But in Mizoram, the most peaceful state, the chief minister then, had sacrificed  his seat of power and give it those  who were agitating for freedom after peace accord. The peace followed. Will we expect similar renunciation by all concerned. Else, like that dry-wet leaf, the rulers every where will ignore the austere message of  Gandhi. He was ignored then, he is still being ignored today by the powerful. But the poor live by his message every day. We have experienced their generosity during our shodh yatras every where.  Let me close by an incident which I can  not ever forget. We were walking in District Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir as a part of shodh yatra along with more than 45  fellow shodh yatris  from Gujarat and other states. We were approaching the ruins of a famous temple, when a Muslim person came running to us. He said, “ ram ram, I have come to request you not to go back this time, itna ruthatey nahin, don’t be upset again”, and there were tears in his eyes, and ours. He had mistaken us to be Pandits who had gone out of the Valley and villages years ago. They thought that Pandits were coming back.  Similar incidents took place several times in that Yatra. Bullets cannot bring out peace any where. Here was Gandhian spirit manifesting in its purest form. Can we take every body living in camps or temporary shelters back to their original villages and reignite the spirit of camaraderie for which Guajrat and Jammu and Kashmir and many other places   have  been rightly famous for centuries.

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Anil K Gupta