NOT GODSE, FOR GOD’S SAKE

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30^th January 1949 in Birla House, New Delhi. On the eve of his assassination I am reminded of his killer, Nathuram Godse of the Hindu Mahasabha. Godse is back in the news thanks to those seeking to idolize him, and even build temples in his honour.

His loquacious proponent is Sakshi Maharaj, the saffron clad BJP MP from my neighbouring district of Unnao. It is not insignificant that the sadhu himself is a prime accused in the murder of one Brahm Dutt Dwivedi, an MLA from another adjoining district of Farrukhabad. He is allegedly involved in some other heinous crimes as well. So small wonder then that he and his ilk seek to idolize Godse. But God forbid that such should actually happen.

In this era of 3G, 4G and 5G, we are called to choose between the 2 Gs. Haanjee, the two Gs that I am referring to are Gandhi the victim, and Godse the assassin.

What drove Godse to murder Gandhiji? Apparently the Hindu Mahasabha was infuriated because Gandhiji acceded to the partition of the country, with a separate homeland (Pakistan) for the Muslims. He had also insisted that the compensatory contractual sum of Rupees Fifty Five Crores be handed over to Pakistan. At Independence, when the rest of the country was feasting (in celebration mood) Gandhiji was fasting in Bengal, to try and stop the genocide being perpetrated at Novkhali. The Hindu extreme right perceived these acts of Gandhiji as being partial to the Muslims. They saw red, so they shot him dead.

 In all probability the terrorists who shot dead the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists were also filled with righteous indignation and misplaced ardour. The same goes for the Pakistani Taliban that slaughtered innocent children in Peshawar, and the Boko Haram who are indiscriminately killing thousands in Nigeria, and now Niger. When will this self-righteous indignation end?

When we turn to the other G. Several of us could have causes that we passionately espouse. We could also have major differences of opinion with the “other”. But that does not, in any way, justify killing the opposition. It is here that the other G shows the way.

When the freedom struggle was at its zenith a group of zealots (a deliberate choice of word) torched a police station in Chauri Chaura. Gandhiji immediately put the freedom struggle on hold. In like manner, during the Second World War (1939-45) Gandhiji extracted a promise from the British that he would support their war effort, provided that after the war ended, India would be granted freedom. The rest is history.

There are many such instances in the life of the Mahatma, when he subjugated his own plans to that of the greater good. That is the hallmark of greatness. It is also the skill of a master negotiator, and the magnanimity of a Spirit filled person. No one can ever please all, so there will always be disgruntled and disillusioned elements. In no way does that justify taking the lives of the antagonists; or worse still, the innocent lives of those not even remotely involved in the conflict.

As we commemorate the 66^th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom let us make a choice between the 2 Gs. For God’s sake, let it not be for Godse!

JANUARY 2015

PEDESTAL FANS

A pedestal fan, in the heat of summer, is a cooling experience, not just for the body, but also for frayed tempers! There is another type of “pedestal fan” that actually raises temperatures and tempers to fever pitch. This other “pedestal fan” is actually a fan of an icon; so we have sports fans, movie fans and even fans for iconic figures like Gandhiji. A pedestal is usually a base on which a statue or icon is placed, from where it towers over the “fan”. We have many such “pedestal fans” in both religion and society; those who place iconic figures “up there”, while they themselves are happy “down here”. They believe in adulation, not emulation, of the pedestalised icon. In spirituality this is called pedestalisation. As a Christian leader I have often observed that those who become most agitated or incenced at a perceived desecration of a church or a sacred object, are those who normally wouldn’t care two hoots for Christian values. They are the dangerous “pedestal fans”, that seem to wait for an opportune moment to express their sense of outrage or sacrilege. I see such a drama unfolding in the case of the auction of Gandhiji’s memorabilia. There is national outrage, with fasts, protests and sanctimonious TV debates. One Gandhian panellist had the courage to say that the protestors should first follow the path of satya and ahimsa that Gandhiji trod. I endorse that view. A “pedestal fan” is an iconolater, who looks up at the pedestalised one. I would rather be an iconoclast, who challenges such convenient and escapist beliefs. To the case at hand, Gandhiji must have used many pairs of slippers, specs and bowls. If during his lifetime he gifted such items to others, then they are the property of the recipient, and nobody else has a claim over them. Gandhiji is today a world icon, possibly respected more outside his own country. So if somebody has sold or acquired some of his erstwhile material possessions what is the big hullabaloo about? As for the sod with his blood, it should first be subjected to a DNA test. If indeed it is his blood a different scenario emerges. According to Hindu custom a dead body is impure, placed on the ground, usually outside the house, and quickly consigned to flames. In contrast, in the Christian tradition, the blood of martyrs is considered a sacred relic, and venerated. The most famous Christian relic is the burial shroud of the Lord Jesus, preserved and venerated in Turin, Italy. What shall we now do with Gandhiji’s blood, if indeed it is his? Before writing this piece I phoned Wg Cdr Cecil Baretto VSM, now 89 years old and retired in Goa. His father Dr Christopher Baretto of Nagpur was Gandhiji’s personal dentist. As a young boy Cecil often accompanied his father to Gandhiji’s Sewagram Ashram at Wardha. Cecil himself later became a dentist in the Airforce, while three of his brothers had illustrious careers in the Army. Cecil told me that his father had extracted Gandhiji’s teeth and made his dentures. Two teeth remained in Dr Baretto’s family for several years. About 30 years ago the family donated them to the Gandhi Museum in New Delhi, where they are now preserved. So here is a family that both adulated and emulated Gandhiji, and did not exploit their unique heritage for commercial gain. I am now reminded of another world icon from India – Mother Teresa. It was through my mother’s efforts that she came to establish her houses in my hometown, Kanpur. After my mother’s death I followed up one case with Mother Teresa. I have carefully preserved her reply to me. Similarly, after my father died in 1970, Sri V.V. Giri, the President of India, former President Dr S. Radhakrishnan and several other dignitaries wrote letters of condolence to my mother. These valuable letters are preserved in a file. If for some reason, pecuniary or otherwise, I choose to sell these valuable letters, who is there to stop me? Reverting to Mother Teresa, after she had an operation some years ago, some devout nurses in the operation theatre picked up the cotton swabs dabbed with her blood. One of these swabs reached the then bishop of Meerut, Patrick Nair. He was sightless in one eye, and was now losing his vision in the good eye. He applied Mother Teresa’s “bloody relic” to his eye, and his eyesight was miraculously restored! If the good bishop now decides to auction off that “bloody relic” to raise money for an orphanage or whatever, who is there to stop him? Incidentally, my family has been in the auction business from 1858 to 1988 (a span of 130 years). An auctioneer is guided by two basic principles. The first is to ascertain the ownership of the article for sale, and the second is to ensure that his client gets the best price for his goods. An auction is invariably held on an “as is where is” basis. It is for the buyer to check out the claims of the seller. In the light of the above I would not like to further raise the temperature regarding the auction of Gandhiji’s memorabilia. With passions already running high we could do with the original pedestal fans that cool the body and calm the mind. Let us emulate Gandhiji, not just adulate him, as his pseudo “pedestal fans” do. * The writer is a Kanpur based Gandhian social activist.

THE 3 Gs

3G is sometimes used to describe three times the force of gravity, which fighter pilots and astronauts endure. They therefore wear 3G suits that protect their bodies from such forces. However, the G that I am writing about stands for Gandhi; and the 3 Gs are the Mahatma, Sonia and Munnabhai.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Mahatma, is the original Gandhi, the perpetrator of what we now call Gandhian thought. His was a deliberate choice. Sonia is a Gandhi by marriage. It is just a coincidence. She is a Gandhi by chance. Though Forbes magazine has listed her as the 6th most powerful woman in the world, and she is definitely the most powerful woman in India, she is not the Gandhi that I presently have on my radar screen. The third Gandhi, and most talked about today, is Munnabhai and his modern brand of Gandhigiri. Let us not confuse the actor Sanjay Dutt with the character Munnabhai. Dutt is not on my radar.

Munnabhai’s Gandhigiri has some beautiful aspects. But it is a cinematic illusion, divorced from reality. Sirkit did not understand Gandhigiri, let alone Gandhism. He just understood his boss’ orders. Munnabhai relapses into violence (beating up the executive and dangling him form the multi-storeyed building). He constantly uses deceit to attain his goal of winning the affection of the gorgeous Vidya Balan. For him the end justifies the means. This is in stark contrast to Gandhian thought. Gandhigiri, like most cinematic illusions, offers simplistic solutions to complex issues – like the girl assessing her suitor in the restaurant.

What really fired people’s imagination was the sending of red roses to the enemy (Lucky Sardar) to break his resistance? Since then many people have started wearing Gandhi topis, and distributing flowers. It hasn’t worked. Because even Gandhigiri (let alone Gandhism) cannot work in isolation. It has to be a complete way of life. As we celebrate the original Gandhi’s 138th birth anniversary on 2nd October, can we harken back to the original G?

My introduction to Gandhi was through my father, who spoke of the Mahatma in glowing terms. My father himself abided by Gandhiji’s dictum of “Simple living and high thinking”. My second exposure to Gandhism was through his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi, and his moral Re-armament Movement. I found it inspiring. My real tryst with Gandhi was in 2000, when I came into contact with Vinaybhai, who was born in Gandhiji’s Wardha Ashram, and was the founder of the Gandhi Peach Foundation in my home town Kanpur. Under his leadership we founded the Manav Sadbhav Abhiyan (Human Solidarity Front) in Kanpur, to promote peace and communal harmony. It has worked.

A funny thing now happened. As I learnt more about Gandhiji, I discovered that he had more critics than admirers today. As with Sirkit, Gandhiji was reduced to an image on a currency note, or a holiday that was (unfortunately for Sirkit) also a “dry day” – no liquor! Ignorance is understandable, but a vilification campaign is not. I came across several accusations levelled against Gandhiji.

He is accused of having being an abettor of the Partition of India. He was a softie, not a toughie like Sardar Patel, who rode rough shod over the Nizam of Hyderabad. Have we forgotten that we also rode rough shod over the people of Kashmir, and we are still paying the price? Those who today blame Gandhiji for Partition are the same ones who supported his assassin, Nathuram Godse. Their intention is clear. No surprise really. If they assassinated him then, their character assassination propaganda will continue.

The second prejudice is harder to digest. Today’s dalit leaders and Ambedkarites accuse Gandhiji of perpetrating the caste system. I always believed that Gandhiji opposed the caste system. He gave the untouchables a new name – Harijan, People of God (a very Biblical term). It is quite another matter that over a period of time the word “Harijan” was used in a derogatory manner. That does not detract from Gandhiji’s true intent. Gandhiji also led by example, by cleaning latrines, something no high-caste Hindu would do. However, Gandhian scholars say that Gandhiji went on a 22 day fast to oppose Ambedkar’s demand for a separate “Achutisthan” and a separate electorate for them; which resulted in the Poona Pact of 1935. Dalits consider this a “betrayal” of their cause. I do not share that sentiment.

The third misconception is that Gandhiji was a softie, a weakling. There is a common Hindi saying “Majboori ka naam Gandhi” (Gandhi is synonymous with constraint or susceptibility). Nothing could be further from the truth. As Vinaybhai often said, “Majbooti ka naam Gandhi”. Gandhi is a symbol of strength, of indomitable courage, and tenacity of purpose.

Many Gandhians have also misunderstood their mentor. They believe that wearing khadi, spinning cotton, and opposing development, is Gandhism. Like Sirkit, they have latched on to the peripherals, and not the essence of Gandhism. The opening line of the book “All Men Are Brothers”, that is a compilation of Gandhiji’s thought, is, “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” Satyagrah and Ahimsa are in fact the quintessence of Gandhism. Everything else is secondary. Today, not just Indian society, the entire world desperately needs to break free from the culture of death and violence. A capitalistic driven world that wants to succeed by “hook or by crook”, needs to take a second look at Gandhiji’s quest for truth and honesty in public life.

While speaking to a camp of the NCC (National Cadet Corps) I suggested that they add another C, and be known as NCCC, for nation building. NCCC stands for – No Casteism, Communalism, Corruption. Gandhi sacrificed his life for these three Cs. This Gandhi Jayanti let us emulate the original G with 3G power, to fight the 3 Cs that threaten to destroy the fabric of our beloved nation. Jai Mahatma Gandhi! Jai Hind!

* The writer is the Founder Secretary of the Manav Sadbhav Abhiyan Kanpur, and a member of the Gandhi Peace Foundation.