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.