Remembering Mahatma

Each time I read Gandhiji’s autobiography, it gives me new reflections of his life. He is the most discussed person in the modern world and his philosophy acquires more relevance today than ever. I must admit that we Indians know very little about him, and ofcourse ungrateful to our great son. I heard people often pass judgements about him even without caring to read his autobiography, or even without a little knowledge of his life. We often have a tendency to belittle his person, his achievements. I can only sympathise to those who are not able to understand a spiritually and morally elevated person like Mahatma.

Mahatma's(great soul) Christ-like saintliness and purity of heart are much talked about and is widely admired.
But through the pages of his life, one can find a Mahatma who is strong willed, curious, keenly interested in the world outside his sphere of action, besides he loved traveling. His reaching out nature is evident in the way he learned Tamil, Urdu etc to talk to Indians in South Africa. His selfless nature is appealing even to his enemies, that earned him lot of friends. Though a practicing Hindu, his religion is barely ritual-bound. He believed that ‘God could be realized only through service.’ As Gandhi himself admitted, Christian influence is evident in his life, even he read Bhagavad Gita(Hindu holy text)at the insistance of his Theosophist friends in England. He was keenly interested in studying about religion, debating and was sincerely tolerant towards all religious beliefs.
God is the strong force that controlled Gandhi’s actions and believes, obviously he was an immensely blessed soul. Though essentially an Indian at heart, he was influenced by Ruskin Bond, Tolstoy and HD Thoreau, and his thoughts were never confined to narrow nationalism.
His interest in sanitation and service inspired him to nurse those affected by contagious diseases, but surprisingly, he had been never infected by that deadly disease. Gandhi was definitely a mass leader, his charisma alone drove people to lend their service even to most demanding task, even without him asking for that. Gandhi was adamant about his ideals and it was impossible to influence him unless he let to be.


I feel his autobiography is a must read for all humanity, though not a Mahatma, at least it will make us a better human being. A great soul who wrote when the world was at war, ‘Soul-force is matchless. It is superior to the force of arms. Men who use physical force are strangers to the courage that is requisite in a passive resistance.’(Satyagrahi). He proved with his very life that Ahimsa(non violence) is the prerogative of the courage and achieved greatness not through power or status, but by not wanting that.

Kashmir: Lost Paradise?

Kashmir is mostly in news for wrong reason, but is that what Kashmiries deserve?
Kashmiries are generally very enterprising and hard working people having a nomadic inclination. They are present in all touristic spots in India with their traditional handicrafts,shawls etc. The paradise as Kashmir is, I recollect memories of my visit to there few years back. As Kashmir is a boiling pot, a prime reason of dispute between Pakistan and India, I was curious to know the mind of the people. There are few people who create problem for Kashmir with Pakistan’s support, but I feel it is more or less a political issue. I hardly have seen any Kashmiri having feelings for Pakistan though they do not neccessarily feel as Indians. To be part of Pakistan is the last thing many Kashmiries wanted. (Of course we often forget about Kashmiri pundits who are mostly stay as refugees in their own country. Kashmir is their land also though some fanatics try to do an ethnic cleansing to make it a muslim place.)

But today throwing stone at security officers are considered a job in this beautiful valley, again, with the support of neibhouring country, poor youths are lured to score political mileage. I doubt to what extend this school boys are aware of freedom and India-Pak issue. Unfortunately those vicious minds behind this act, don’t aware of the impact of this on youth, their future. I wonder whether they want to build a ‘free Kashmir’ of some young illiterate stone-pelters?
Kashmiries are very friendly and not religious fanatics as they are being portrayed- They would invite you to their home with pleasure, feed you and make you feel at home. They have the ability to adapt to any circumstances that contribute to their good business skills.

Kashmiries are proud of their Kashmiriyat, many feel that free Kashmir can be more prosperous if independent, but there are some alien voices that are happy to be part of India. One Kashmiri fruit vendour in Mcloedganj told me, ‘If I see any terrorist, I will kill him, they are eating from Hindustan’s plate and spitting on it’. Another young Kashmiri is of the view that they can’t surive if Kashmir is free, ‘how we will survive just with dry fruits and Apple? We are indebted to Hindustan for rice, pulses,vegetable and other items’. He says. Anyways he is sure that Kashmir is neither going to be free nor going to be part of Pakistan, all in their life they may fight for freedom in vain’. ‘Hindustan isko chodega nahin(India will not leave it)’, he says with a glint in his eyes.

For India, it is an issue of prestige and for Pakistan it is an issue of water as many rivers origin from Kashmir. Indians generally feel that Kashmiries are pampered due to the separatist issue there. India pays a heavy price to retain Kashmir with her, she spends huge money of tax-payers on this valley. Though Ladakh is part of Jammu and Kashmir state, the peaceful Buddhist people there feel that they get a step-motherly treatment from govt. Some even say that they are ignored as they don’t throw stones at security forces.
Despite all this, Kashmir still burns and common people who struggle to meet both ends suffer, while those ignite violence enjoy luxuries and their children study in elite schools. Finally does that really matter which country you belong to?

When i was a Communist...

I was a co-traveller of communism as a dreamy teenager- may be I prefer to call me rather a romantic revolutionary. The place I was born is the cradle of communism in Kerala that caters to my ideal dreams of a paradise on earth by revolution, as many teenagers of my area. Like many communists I questioned God who distributed inequality, suffering and illness. And it was a fashion among communists to discard Gandhiji and hail people like Lenin, Stalin and Mao.

Probably you can’t be a communist all through your life, it is perhaps a temporary resort of a disturbed soul. Revolutionary ideas sprout where there is frustration, pain and sorrow. My frustration arose from the sufferings and pain in the society despite my personal pains. It is natural for any thinking teenager to get attracted to such ideologies that promise a world devoid of injustice. Besides in Kerala many intellectuals, artists and writers were part of this movement.

Violence and ugly side of campus politics was an eye-opener to my communist dreams. I realized that communism lack humanity and concentrate all energy on the material aspect of life. (Any idealogy based on pure materialism is hollow and thus lack the spiritual depth that is the very essence of existence.)
Young minds are used (even brain washed sometime) to celebrate and secure power and authority. I couldn’t digest my innocent friends turn to blood-thirsty animals incase of a fight with opposite group. That was when I mentally distanced from this utopian idealogy.

Now communism for me is a lost paradise that probably exist only in dream. History proved that communists were the worst massacres and dictators on earth. Any ideology that curtails the freedom of individual would die a natural death. It has to be reformed with time, otherwise communism may lose its relevance in modern times.