Who Is A Knight?
Chivalrous knight is he who is exquisitely correct in his conduct towards perfect strangers who are in need of help but who can make no return to him and who are unable even to mutter a few words of thanks.
Chivalrous knight is he who is exquisitely correct in his conduct towards perfect strangers who are in need of help but who can make no return to him and who are unable even to mutter a few words of thanks.
(This was written at Yeravda prison on May 6, 1932.)
Indian thinker, statesman and nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi
(Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, 1869 - 1948), as a law student. (Photo by Henry Guttmann/Getty Images)
My greatest apologies to Getty Images, it is sure that this picture is subject to copyright, but being an admirer of Gandhi, a picture of young Gandhi is too valuable for that. I really got tired of seeing all these Old-Gandhi pictures with the stick and spectacles. I mean, for this young India, should he not be the same young man who got thrown out of a train for being an Indian? Many would just move on, but my Gandhi brother took it to heart, yeah personally... and did something about it, I know many lads who would go throw stones and burn trains, shower abuses or even kill someone etc. But this young man stood up to his brain, threw stones at his own brain, burned his brain to think, to be a statesman and to be a leader to remember. A knight of India.
The United Nations commemorated his birthday worldwide as "International Day for Non-Violence", Einstein said this and that praise about him, his contemporary and arch rival in politics Subhash Chandra Bose conferred him with the title "Father of the nation", Tagore his strongest critic and Noble poet called him the "Mahatma" meaning "Great Soul", his followers called him "Bapu" meaning "father". So well, being a poem-writer myself, what title shall I confer him with? I don't see Gandhi as a spiritual guru, I admire logical-spirituality so much but Gandhi was still off the mark, perfection was always better than him, so then what do I call him then, he was no Mahatma to me, but yes, he was indeed the greatest politician that the modern world has ever seen till date, the most spirited politician, and today the most misunderstood of them all, even charismatic President Obama seemed to me a little confused about Gandhi and MLK during his Noble speech. So now coming back to the title... yes, he was no spiritual guru, but yes a POLitical guru, a man who the country consisting of millions listened up to, I am sure the only other country with such millions was China, so that puts Gandhi in a class of his own, indeed a POLitical MAHATMA - my Mahapolatma Gandhi. hehehe. That would be more apt for my grand father.
One of the finest disciples of Krishna - although I see several errors in Gandhi's understanding of the Gita, then Mahavira - all that he learnt from his Jain mother of Gujurat and Jesus Christ - for teaching Gandhi to love his enemy, sadly it seems to me that Gandhi missed out on the essence of Mohammed and Buddha during his early years of personality development and as a corollary I wish to add that, as of recent times, Osho did his job to bring the ideas of Buddha back to the world's attention, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is doing his job to bring the ideas of the Vedic Saints back, but the ideas of Mohammed still remains to be out of reach for the masses. I do regret the incident where Gandhi was not able to meet Swami Vivekananda when he visited Belur Math. To me, after Rumi and Sree Narayana Guru, I think Swami Vivekananda was one of the finest scholars of Islam till date.
Well so coming back to Gandhi, there is so much to understand and admire in this Mahapolatma. But myself being a strong admirer of God/Truth, I see there was still many errors in Gandhi's understanding and logic, he was no god, as usual, but yes on the whole, he was true enough for humanity to shine like the Sun yet with those unseen dark spots.
We have M.G. Roads all over the country, we have his spectacled face on our Rupee Currency notes and yet to me Gandhi was always praying towards being that zero in ego. We need to better him to understand him.
It's an educative Phd. degree to travel to all corners of my dear country India. And while traveling I used to take keen interest in all the Statues available in a given area. And out of all the hundreds of places with statues, there was just one and only one that showed a husband and wife standing shoulder to shoulder, the statues of Ba and Bapu (Kasturba Gandhi and Mohandas Gandhi) and thats at Aghakhan Palace, Pune. Here is the picture that I took.
Ba and Bapu
PRANAMI TEMPLE. PROBANDER. INTERIOR. DAY.
Simple. Austere. Filtered light. Featuring Gandhi – close. He is looking straight ahead.
Reverse angle. Across the emptiness of the temple, Ba faces him.
Another angle featuring Walker and Collins, who are sitting alone, in the cool shadows of the temple, watching with fascination as Gandhi and Ba repeat their marriage ceremony for them, Walker jotting notes occasionally, but his eyes always glued to Gandhi and Ba, who are in part lost in memories and echoes of a significance only they can know.
GANDHI (a step): "Take a fourth step, that we may be ever full of joy."
Wide shot. Showing the two of them before the altar of the temple, moving closer to each other.
BA (a step): "I will ever live devoted to you, speaking words of love and praying for your happiness."
Close shot – Gandhi.
GANDHI: "Take a fifth step, that we may serve the people."
BA: "I will follow close behind you and help to serve the people."
Featuring Walker, now too entranced by the ceremony, by the depth of layered emotions in Gandhi and Ba's voices and eyes to take any notes . . .
GANDHI: "Take a sixth step, that we may follow our vows in life."
BA: "I will follow you in all our vows and duties."
Ba and Gandhi. Near to meeting now.
GANDHI (a last step): "Take the seventh step, that we may ever live as friends."
Ba takes the last step, so that they are face to face. A beat.
BA: "You are my best friend . . . my highest guru, and my sovereign lord."
For a moment their eyes hold – the many dreams, and hopes and pain – the love of many years. Walker watches, his own face taut with emotion. Resume Gandhi and Ba. And Gandhi slowly lifts his hand.
GANDHI: Then I put a sweetened wheat cake in her mouth.
He touches Ba's lips with his extended fingers and she kisses them gently.
BA: And I put a sweetened wheat cake in his mouth.
She has lifted her fingers to his mouth and he kisses them gently. Featuring Walker and Collins both touched, the overtly cynical American obviously even more than the likeable Englishman.
Gandhi turns to them.
GANDHI: And with that we were pronounced man and wife. (Solemnly) We were both thirteen . .
----
Truly romantic for me. This scene brought me to tears, I don't know why, probably because a close one of mine was going through some marital turmoil or maybe because I was missing someone dearly.
Well, I shall have more on this man in my blog posts, not just to understand him but to use him as an example for you to understand my thoughts and conclusions.
To end this post... I have three quotes to share with you. They changed my outlook of life.
"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."
- Albert Einstein
"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Mahatma Gandhi
I wish to improve on the above quotes:
"You must be the valuable growth that you want to see in the world."
Thanks for the young pic of Gandhiji.
ReplyDeleteKind of simply written which is so unusual of you.(Also Gandhiji loved simplicity.)Cheers for that.
This explains me commenting here after reading the entire post though i skipped the screenplay.
Needless to mention nicely written post,and i wish to remain silent towards the content.
We shall have our discussions dear.
ReplyDeleteCheers mate.
And it's an honour indeed that you got time to read almost the entire post inspite of your busy schedule.
ReplyDeleteCheers for that.
oh yeah, great man Gandhi.
ReplyDeletegreat soul(MahaAtma) indeed.
Wonder what you have got to share about his death, one of the greatest sin by the hands of an indian, i always think about it when i think of him, wat a sad death.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThey killed him only after 80+ long years of service. Thank God he lived long enough to some things!
ReplyDeleteThe good that he did in his life was all about making his country into a Maha. A Mahaindia. We should share his dream.
When a person thinks about Gandhi, one should not forget to think about Gandhi's intelligence.
http://www.mkgandhi-sarvodaya.org/last-hr.htm
ReplyDeleteWorth reading.
Oh! the intelligence, service part all unforgettable but wat i was saying is so is his sad end. i will go thru d suggested link.
ReplyDeleteThere is someone called Sandeep Unnikrishnan, A Major of our Indian Army, good looking young chap, he gave his life fighting against terrorists of his own planet.
ReplyDeleteMany people would say he had a sad end.
But I say, that's the way to die. Die for a great cause. I crave to die that way.
Jesus did a lot for humanity, but the distorted scholars and corrupt politicians of his time wanted to kill him right from the days of his birth, his own disciple betrayed him!
Mohammed did his part, his own relative Abu Lahab was a traitor, and later some lady poisoned Mohammed, which affected him to his death.
Krishna did his part, yet his own people distorted the meaning of the Gita and idolized him, when the Gita clearly says that one should not worship the manifested.
I wish to tell the world that...
Gandhi died in the hands of a pseudo-Hindu as well as a pseudo-Indian and NOT an Indian or NOT a Hindu. Careful understanding and observation is called for.
The words "Hindu", "Indian", "Muslim", "Christian" are words that I admire with all my heart, great gifts that the creator gave me.
Well, Abu Lahabs, Godses, Judases, the man who killed MLK, there are plenty of such manifestations too.
There is a bountiful song on the assassination of Martin Luther King MLK.
"Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love
What more in the name of love"
Shoot a man, you are only killing his body, my dear. It's not the end.
The Gita says, the wise do not grieve over such!