"Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood."
-- Albert Einstein.
That was the quote of Albert Einstein on Mahatma Gandhi. Yesterday as we celebrated the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of "Gandhi Jayanthi", nothing stands farther from truth. During my growing up years, I always ended up hating Gandhi because I thought he was the root cause of most of the evils plaguing the country such as the partition, his favouring Nehru as the first Prime Minister of independent India and other factors.
However as I started to learn more and more about him, I realized even with all his flaws he still stands head and shoulders above the rest. Take his book "My experiments with Truth", he lays threadbare each and every moment of his life and his experiences ranging from childhood to even sex. How many people are comfortable speaking the truth about their personal lives? Why would a person who would have led a comfortable life as a lawyer in U.K or South Africa give it up all for a nation.
So much so that even his family has suffered. The recent movie "Gandhi, My father" takes a critical look @ Mahatma. The tag line says it all "One nation's freedom was the price of his family". Mahatma Gandhi fasted to bring an end to riots and not to divide but to unite the communities. He came across as a sincere and committed human being more than a scheming politician.
Contrast that to politicians like the Chief Minister of TamilNadu who undertakes a fast just as a camouflage for enforcing a bandh in his state.
It's not just the politicians but also people like you and me who are more enamoured of the material benefits. Sure the youth of today are more ambitious but it does come with a heavy price like declining values, arrogance, lack of discipline and impatience.
Mahatma Gandhi's writing style was so simple that even a lay person can understand it. These are some of my favourite quotes.
"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind".
"You must be the change you want to see in the world".
I am back in Bangalore after my mini vacation in Hyderabad . It was painful leaving however I need to get back to work. I am eagerly looking forward to my next visit :)
