New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) India remembered the father of the nation on his sesquicentennial on Wednesday with various events and 'padyatras', even as the day saw the BJP and the Congress trying to claim the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in their tributes to him.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tribute to Gandhi, with an early morning visit to Raj Ghat. Later, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and President Ram Nath Kovind, and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu followed in offering their respects at the samadhi.

Later, in the evening, Modi visited Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat where he said that Gandhi's teachings offer solutions to any problem the world faces.

He also penned an op-ed in The New York Times, calling Gandhi as the "best teacher" and invited thinkers, entrepreneurs and tech leaders to be at the forefront of spreading Gandhi's ideas through innovation, as part of the "Einstein Challenge".

Sonia Gandhi while addressing party members outside Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat here, targeted the BJP, saying the country is being taken towards their "own direction" in the name of Mahatma Gandhi even though "those doing politics of falsehood will not understand" what he preached.

Sonia Gandhi said Mahatma Gandhi is the symbol of India "but those who want RSS to become India's symbol will not understand what Gandhiji thought about multiculturalism."

Her daughter Priyanka, who was holding a padyatra in Lucknow, also supported her and said that before holding assembly session on Gandhi Jayanti, the BJP should first follow the principles of 'Satya and Ahimsa' of Gandhiji.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others led padyatras in different parts of the country to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.

Various programmes were conducted in different parts of the country including in West Bengal, Odisha and Tripura. Himachal Pradesh launched a scheme to buy back non-recyclable, single-use plastic waste with a minimum support price of Rs 75 per kg.

As a mark of respect to Gandhi, Goa discontinued the practice of bursting firecrackers during Gandhi Jayanti celebrations observing that Gandhi was a true environmentalist while the Rajasthan government announced a ban on the use of pan masala.

Besides BJP and Congress, other parties also paid homage to the father of the nation. AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with his deputy Manish Sisodia paid tributes to Gandhi at his 'samadhi'. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav led his party leaders and workers to the Gandhi statue at the GPO Park in Lucknow and offered floral tributes to the Mahatma.

Among others, the Delhi Police adopted 'Gandhigiri' to convince the shoppers to say no to plastic bags and replace plastic bags with jute bags free of cost.

Nearly 600 prisoners, convicted of offences other than murder, rape and corruption, were released from 150 jails across the country.

Secretary-General of UN Antonio Guterres also remembered Mahatma Gandhi saying that the leader pioneered successive non-violent movements that changed history whereas The Ahimsa dialogue, held on Tuesday at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, commemorates the International Day of Non-Violence on October 2 which marks Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the icon of peace, has been honoured by over 100 countries by issuing postage stamps.

India, of course, led the world in releasing postage stamp on the Mahatma. The first postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi was planned to be released on October 2, 1947, according to the Gandhi World Foundation.

Four types of stamps were designed with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru taking keen interest on endeavour. But assassination of Gandhi on January 30, 1948, delayed the release.

Thus, the first postage stamp could be released only on on August 15, 1948, a year after India attained Independence.

Ironically, the first postage stamp on the champion of Swadeshi was printed in Switzerland, said the Gandhi World Foundation.

The first nation other than India to release Mahatma Gandhi postage stamp was the US on January 26, 1961. It was followed by Congo in 1967.

During Gandhi's birth centenary in 1969, more than 40 countries released postage stamps on the same day.

However, Poland was the first country to release post card on Gandhi, according to the Gandhi World Foundation. The first country other than India to release Gandhi remembrance envelope was Romania.

In the honour of the Mahatma, the United Nations released a postage on October 2, 2009.

Source: IANS

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Bengaluru, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Calling for job creation and protecting the natural ecosystem to promote a sacred economy, Gandhians on Wednesday re-enacted Mahatma Gandhi's famous 'satyagraha' here on his sesquicentennial.

"By sacred economy, we mean a production system which creates maximum jobs with least investment and zero damage to the environment," said noted Gandhian S.R. Hiremath on the occasion here.

With another Gandhian Prasanna, 75-year-old Hiremath revived the non-violent political resistance (satyagraha) Gandhiji initiated against the British rule across the country at Vallab Niketan, an orphanage social reformer Vinobha Bhave had set up to prevent bright people from increasing wealth and consumerism and imbibe Bapu's values.

Hiremath returned from the US to lead an austere life, upholding Gandhian values and settled at Dharwad, a hub of Indian culture, about 430 kms northwest of this tech hub.

As part of the satyagraha, Prasanna, a 68-year-old social activist and theatre personality, will embark on a fast to draw the attention of the industry leaders, eminent people and the state to achieve a sacred economy.

"In the prevailing situation, the Indian economy is on the verge of collapse, as evident from the loss of over 3 lakh jobs during the last three months in the organised sector alone and many more in the unorganized sector," Prasanna told IANS.

Urging the government to focus also on farmers, small traders, vendors, handicrafts and small businesses in the unorganized sector than only on corporates and industry, Prassana said in the worsening automobile sector, the ancillary units are the sacred economy as they are job intensive.

"It's a blatant lie to say the auto sector in India constitutes 48 per cent of the workforce in the organized sector, which is largely automated," asserted Prasanna.

Using satyagraha as a platform, the Gandhians called on the youth to question the government on being mindful only of the rich and not the poor.

"The government should give tax discounts to small sectors and producers of handicrafts, not corporates or India Inc alone," said Prasanna.

Expressing disenchantment on incumbent governments, Prasanna said whether it is the BJP or the Congress rule, their governments are going to be mindful of the big businesses.

Both the Gandhians professed faith in the teachings of Gandhi.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) From schoolchildren in Kazakhstan drawing pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, to Lebanon issuing a commemorative stamp on him, to walks for peace and tolerance held in many cities, the world paid tribute to Gandhi on his sesquicentennial in various ways.

The Nobel Prize Foundation tweeted a quote of Gandhi: "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."

"Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on what would have been his 150th birthday. Gandhi was nominated for the #NobelPeacePrize on 12 occasions," it said.

Clarence House, the British royal residence, tweeted: "Today marks 150 years since Mahatma Gandhi's birth," and attached a message from the Prince of Wales celebrating Gandhi's life and contribution to people all across the world.

"Gandhi's message of peace and non-violence, tolerance and forgiveness, and love for the whole of humanity, are every bit as powerful and relevant in today's world as they were in his lifetime. India was blessed to have such a man as one of their own, and his example has inspired countless millions. Gandhi's remarkable life was a gift to all humankind, which is truly worthy of global celebration on his 150th anniversary of his birth," the message read.

Greenpeace tweeted: "150 years and the peace and teachings of #MahatmaGandhi still ring true. #MahatmaGandhi's message of non-violence & his views on environment transcends boundaries. Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary. This Gandhi Jayanti, take a stand for what is right and protect India's environment," it said.

Schoolchildren in Kazakhstan drew pictures of Mahatma Gandhi to celebrate his life.

In a special function, the Lebanese government released a commemorative stamp on Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian embassy in Beirut tweeted.

In Dubai, a four-km Walk for Peace and Tolerance witnessed great enthusiasm among people from all walks of life to pay their homage to Gandhi, the consul general in Dubai tweeted, with videos and pictures.

At the British High Commission in New Delhi, the staff members sang Gandhi's favourite bhajan "Vaishnav Jan To" and posted a video of it on Twitter.

UNESCO tweeted a saying of Gandhi, "Truth alone will endure, all the rest will be swept away before the tide of time". It also urged people to join it on a dialogue about education, peace and development with a hologram of #Gandhi.

The Indian embassy in the US tweeted urging people to attend an exhibition that the life and message of Mahatma Gandhi at Whittall Pavilion to celebrate the "momentous occasion".

US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster tweeted: "Honored to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of #MahatmaGandhi in the company of United States @SenatorMenendez. (Senator Bob Menendez US Senator from New Jersey is visiting India).

"#Gandhi's profound influence on Dr. Martin Luther King and his tremendous contributions to mankind will never be forgotten. #USIndia #GandhiAt150 #GandhiJiyanti," he posted.

The Indian High Commission in South Africa tweeted that inter-faith prayer meetings were organised in different cities of South Africa at 9 a.m. to mark the occasion. "Amid soulful renditions of Vaishnava Jana Toh a fitting tribute was paid by people from all communities to the life and work of the Great Soul," it said.

The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi tweeted that the roadway leading to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg is named as Honorary Mahatma Gandhi Way.

The US Consulate in Mumbai tweeted a photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King as they laid a wreath at Rajghat during a visit to India in 1959 with the hashtag #MahatmaGandhi #Gandhi150.

The UN mission in India tweeted that Gandhi "promoted non-violence not just as philosophy and a political strategy, but as a means to achieve justice and change. Indeed, many of his ideas foreshadow the holistic thinking behind the 2030 Agenda."

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has penned an op-ed piece in The New York Times, calling Gandhi as the "best teacher" and proposed an "Einstein Challenge".

Enumerating his government's work in the field of sanitation, eliminating poverty and renewable energy, Modi invited thinkers, entrepreneurs and tech leaders to be at the forefront of spreading Gandhi's ideas through innovation, as part of the "Einstein Challenge".

We know Albert Einstein's famous words on Gandhi: "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

"How do we ensure the ideals of Gandhi are remembered by future generations? I invite thinkers, entrepreneurs and tech leaders to be at the forefront of spreading Gandhi's ideas through innovation.

"Let us work shoulder to shoulder to make our world prosperous and free from hate, violence and suffering. That is when we will fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream, summed up in his favourite hymn, 'Vaishnava Jana To', which said that a true human is one who feels the pain of others, removes misery and is never arrogant," Modi said.

"The world bows to you, beloved Bapu!"

In the piece titled, 'Why India and the world need Gandhi', he wrote: "In Gandhi, we have the best teacher to guide us. From uniting those who believe in humanity to furthering sustainable development and ensuring economic self-reliance, Gandhi offers solutions to every problem."

"We in India are doing our bit. India is among the fastest when it comes to eliminating poverty. Our sanitation efforts have drawn global attention. India is also taking the lead in harnessing renewable resources through efforts like the International Solar Alliance, which has brought together several nations to leverage solar energy for a sustainable future. We want to do even more, with the world and for the world."

Referring to the Dandi March, he wrote: "...Who else could have created a mass agitation through a pinch of salt! During colonial rule, Salt Laws, which placed a new tax on Indian salt, had become a burden. Through the Dandi March in 1930, Gandhi challenged the Salt Laws. A small lump of natural salt from the Arabian Sea shore led to the historic civil disobedience movement."

"There have been many mass movements in the world, many strands of the freedom struggle even in India, but what sets apart the Gandhian struggle and those inspired by him is the wide-scale public participation. He never held administrative or elected office. He was never tempted by power.

"For him, independence was not an absence of external rule. He saw a deep link between political independence and personal empowerment. He envisioned a world where every citizen has dignity and prosperity. When the world spoke about rights, Gandhi emphasized duties," Modi wrote in the piece.

Source: IANS

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BY RAJNISH SINGH

New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) As the country celebrates Mahatma Gandhis 150th birth anniversary amid economic slowdown and questions over polity, Gandhi Smarak Nidhi President Ramchandra Rahi said the Father of the Nation would always pitch for "decentralization of economic and political power".

Gandhi's philosophy on economy and politics are free subjects, said Rahi.
To understand Gandhi's economic and political concepts, one should read 'India My Dreams' he said.

'Economy of Permanence' is another book Rahi recommends to understand Gandhi's economic philosophy. The book is authored by J.C. Kumarappa, who worked as a Professor of Economics at the Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad while serving as the Editor of Young India during the Salt Satyagraha between May 1930 and February 1931.

Kumarappa met Gandhi in 1929 and was imprisoned for more than a year during the Quit India movement when he wrote the book.

"Decentralization of economic and political power was Gandhi's main philosophy," said Rahi, who heads the trust established in 1948 by the Congress in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Mahatma Gandhi's economic philosophy talked about the fulfillment of basic needs of people. For this, Gandhi stressed on the use of natural resources and the wisdom of people for a constructive life," Rahi told IANS in a telephonic conversation.

Things which fulfill basic requirements of people should be created or produced, Rahi said, citing Gandhi's philosophy on economy.

He said Gandhi had imagined for "producer's society" and the concept was that everybody who utilizes the facilities available in the society should participate in production of such items.

For the purpose, Rahi said, Gandhi's philosophy stressed on the need to encourage a technology that increases the ability and work of people.
Processing industries, which are currently called 'Small Scale industries', should develop such technology which help in increasing the "feeling of joy in work", Rahi said, quoting Gandhi's philosophy.

"The philosophy behind Gandhian economy is that it should not be capital-centered. It should be labour-oriented. And there should be a control of basic production through small community.. And the total economy should be decentralized," he said.

Speaking about Gandhi's political philosophy, Rahi said, "we established democracy after gaining freedom on the basis of adult franchise but could not firm up our mindset and values" according to that.

"Voters should be educated. They should be aware and united, because they are the base of the democracy. If votes can be purchased, grabbed and captured by instigating voters, then the base of the democracy would be weak."

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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BY RAJNISH SINGH

New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Despite his unique relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel "never accepted his leadership blindly", according to Tushar Arun Gandhi, the great-grandson of the Father of the Nation.

Mahatma Gandhi, at every step, had to make an effort to convince Patel and then only would he do what was expected of him, Tushar Gandhi told IANS while discussing the relationship between the two stalwarts of the freedom struggle.

Tushar Gandhi, the son of journalist Arun Manilal Gandhi and grandson of Manilal Gandhi, pointed out that his great-grand father and Patel were contemporaries, almost the same age.

He spoke about the time when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned from London after becoming a Barrister and began practice in Bombay.

His first case was a property dispute in which he was representing a widow, Tushar Gandhi said. "The day 'Bapu' was to appear in the court, everyone was eager to see the Barrister from London make his debut. Sardar Patel was in the court and decided to go and see the 'Vilayati' (foreign) Barrister make his debut."

Gandhi appeared in the court, carrying his brief and several books he was going to quote from.

"When his case was called. Gandhi suffered from acute nervousness and could not utter a word after several attempts. He became terrified and fled from the court in panic. This was the first impression Sardar had of Gandhi," Tushar Gandhi said.

Many years later, he said, the "Hero of South Africa" was to be felicitated in Ahmedabad Club, where Sardar used to play Bridge.

"When he heard that Gandhi would be felicitated and would deliver a speech, Sardar went to see if Gandhi would be able to speak or once again he would make a fool of himself," Tushar Gandhi said.

He said it was later that Sardar accepted Gandhi's leadership and "formed a very loyal and long lasting relationship with him."

"But Sardar never accepted Gandhi's leadership 'blindly'. At every instance, Gandhi had to make an effort to convince Sardar. Only then, he would do what Gandhi expected from him. Theirs was a relationship of long-standing, loyalty, mutual trust and respect," Tushar Gandhi said.

On Nehru's relationship with Gandhi, he said it was "one of tutor and pupil and mentor and follower, Idol and worshiper".

The young Nehru was devoted to Gandhi and looked up to him as a father figure, Tushar Gandhi said.

"(Mahatma) Gandhi also loved him as a son and chaperoned him in public life. Nehru was very close to Gandhi and yet he had his own ideology and the philosophy he subscribed to.

"Sardar and Gandhi were the senior stalwarts who were practitioners of the more oriental domestic culture whereas Nehru was more modern and westernised person. But all three of them adhered to the India and freedom first ideology."

Tushar Gandhi said there was a big age difference between Patel and Nehru but "they worked unitedly under, or more appropriately shoulder-to-shoulder with Gandhi."

"Both of Nehru and Patel were extremely loyal to Gandhi and to the cause of freedom. Their differences only surfaced once Independence was certain and they were no longer dependent on Gandhi," he added.

Asked how Patel and Nehru were dependent on Gandhi, Tushar Gandhi said: "All three were liberal to varying degrees. Pundit Nehru was the most liberal of the three and Sardar was less liberal than the other two. But there was no radicalism in any of them."

Putting light on Gandhi's philosophy on economy, he said that Bapu firmly believed that reform and development would be sustainable if policies were addressed to fulfill the needs of the poorest of poor and weakest of weak.

On "The Story of My Experiments With Truth", he said it is Bapu's fearless and honest autobiography.

"Bapu writes more about his faults and weaknesses in the story of his life from birth till he turns 60. Later, when a request was made to him to write about the rest of his life, post the 'Dandi Kooch', he refused, saying there was no need since post his 60th birthday, his life had been completely transparent and so nothing was unknown to people and hence no need for a written autobiography."

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Nearly 600 prisoners, convicted of offences other than murder, rape and corruption, will be released from 150 jails across the country on Wednesday, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. All these prisoners will be released under a special remission scheme.

However, around 80 convicts selected from jails in Maharashtra and Haryana, will have to wait for their release. With the announcement of Assembly elections in the state and the model code of conduct coming into force, their release date has been shifted till the elections get over.

Of the five prisoners named , the Tihar jail administration will release only three.
"Two prisoners have to clear payment of fines of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively imposed on them," Tihar Jail Director General Sandeep Goyal told IANS.

Source: IANS

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Bhagalpur, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) With few takers for Gandhian values in the present times, the Department of Gandhian Thought at Tilka Majhi University in Bhagalpur, which once attracted students in large numbers, is now struggling for its existence.

The department was Hindi poet and University chancellor Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's idea and was realised by renowned Gandhian Professor Ram Singh on October 2, 1980.

Over the past nearly three decades, it has produced some 3,000 M.A. and 100 PhD degree holders, apart from students who have it made through exams such as the National Eligibility Test for Lecturership (NET) (80), the Bihar Eligibility Test for Lecturership (BAT) (85) and the University Grants Commission Junior Research Fellowship (UGC JRF) (15).

But leaving aside a few names, who went on to acquire important positions, most students of the department have ended up self-employed. Like Sunil Agrawal from Suaganj, who runs an electronic shop in Bhagalpur, and Amarjit, who is a teacher.

This is the reason, the admissions have seen a steady decline in the past few years with students complaining that the course is not "job-oriented". For academic year (2019-20), there are 18 enrollments in the first semester, 32 in the second, three in the third and 8 in the final semester.

With the dwindling admissions, the University wanted to shut the department from this academic session, but the plan has been stalled as this is the 150th year of Gandhiji's birth anniversary.

"We are planning to link the course with skill development programmes and develop the Department as a centre for sourcing of people for national welfare programmes based on Gandhian values," said Department head VIjay Kumar.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a fillip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission, Google Maps now lists over 57,000 public toilets in over 2,300 cities across the country, the company announced on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversay, fulfiling a key aspiration of the Father of the Nation.

More than 2.5 lakh users are already searching for public toilets every month across Google Search and Google Maps.

Adding public toilets to Google Maps was initially launched as a pilot in New Delhi, Bhopal, and Indore in 2016, in collaboration with the Swachh Bharat Mission and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

"We believe that making information about public sanitation facilities easily accessible to people is a key element for social good -- one that also constitutes the cornerstone of the government's Swachh Bharat campaign to promote clean habits and hygiene," said Anal Ghosh, Senior Programme Manager of Google Maps on Tuesday as part of the announcement.

Users can now type public toilets near me' on Google Search, Google Assistant or Google Maps and get results at their fingertips.

"For this campaign, our product and engineering teams together built a new process to integrate toilet listings into Google Maps seamlessly," Ghosh added.

Meanwhile, the 'Google My Business' platform has helped the government take ownership of these listings on Google Maps so they could monitor visits, ratings, reviews and more, thereby, gaining insights that could help them take necessary action to maintain and upgrade toilets, the company informed.

Last year, Google Maps ran a campaign to raise awareness and adoption that resulted in 32,000 reviews, photos, and edits being added to public toilets across India by Local guides.

Source: IANS

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By Rohan Agarwal

New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Once on the verge of being forgotten, Bapu's beloved fabric Khadi is back in the mainstream and has been ruling the fabric market like never before.

Pime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to general public in 2014 to opt for Khadi has helped it's products come into spotlight and the numbers support this.

According to two-year progress report by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), the sale and production of Khadi has seen multi-fold increase since 2014 when Modi himself came on the front foot to bat for the products dear to Mahatma Gandhi.

In the report, the Khadi's production increase in 2012-13 is shown as 6.27 percent more than 2011-12. In 2013-14, the production increased by 6.45 percent. In 2014-15, the production increased by 8.49 percent.

However, the real story began in the next year which saw more than two-fold increase in production of Khadi items with 21.09 percent production growth. The growth continued to next year with production increasing by 31.77 percent in 2017.

Gandhi often referred to khadi as 'the symbol of freedom'.

When Gandhi travelled across different parts of the country, he not only addressed the masses and motivated them to be part of the freedom struggle, he also motivated them to weave their own clothes at home. This lead to creating employment opportunities especially for the women and youth of rural India.

Even the agricultural sector benefitted from his plans. Farmers would cultivate cotton which was bought by khadi manufacturers, giving a new form and shape to the industrial revolution.

Gandhi's model of promoting Khadi is what helped Modi bring it back into spotlight. The Prime Minister himself acted as a brand ambassador of the fabric. His Modi Jacket attracted several people to the fabric and it was also a reason that Khadi saw sales increase.

However moving hand-in-hand with time, the BJP-led central government made sure that Khadi gets its due share of modernisation which it was always deprived of during the decade of 2004-2014.

According to the two-year progress report, no Khadi outlet received funds for modernisation during 2004-2014, leaving the outlets obsolete. However since 2014, 728 outlets have already received their share of funds for modernisation purposes.

Till 2014, these outlets were also deprived of computers, its hardware and software updates as zero outlets were funded during 2004-2014 for this purpose, while after 2014, 400 Khadi outlets have been funded for the same.

(Rohan Agarwal can be contacted at Rohan.a@ians.in )

Source: IANS

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By Rohan Agarwal

New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) On August 15, 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Swachh Bharat Mission, the aim was to bring alive Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a clean India. On his 150th birth anniversary, the authorities intend to take another step closer to that dream by declaring the country open defecation free.

The advanced version of Swachh Bharat Mission is already in pipeline, which would focus on managing sewage faecal matter, solid waste management and other basic issues that create huge environmental implications.

Though the date for the announcement for the campaign has not been fixed yet, the government officials overseeing the policy-making of the campaign claimed that the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 or Open Defecation Free (ODF)-plus scheme would announced "very soon".

The campaign has been in the pipeline and the authorities have been coordinating with UNICEF for the same for over 12 months.

Sources in government say that it has been planning to knock at every door in the country with the campaign and would also invest heavily on the behavioral change.

"We would be taking the campaign to every door in the country and will make sure that people manage their solid waste right at the source point that is their residences," a senior official told IANS.

"Like Swachh Bharat Mission, this campaign would also focus heavily on changing people's attitude towards the waste management in cities and on sewage faecal management in the rural parts of the country," the official added.

In an exclusive interview to IANS, the UNICEF India, Sanitation (WASH) chief, Nicolas Osbert also confirmed that the government and the global body are working on the project since last 12 months and that it would be an advanced version of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

"We, in UNICEF, have been working with government on what comes next after the Swachh Bharat Mission. It's been over 12 months that both of the us have been working on Open Defecation Free plus, that targets the sewage faecal waste management and solid management as prime issues," Osbert said.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on October 2,2014 after Modi's announcement in his maiden Independence Day speech, over 10 crore toilets have been built in the country.

(Rohan Agarwal can be contacted at rohan.a@ians.in )

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mahatma Gandhi may have gained popularity in South Africa after he was thrown out of the first class compartment of the train and then for his fight against apartheid, but it took him time to get the similar recognition in Bengal in the initial days.

Bengal gave him cold reception in the beginning.

It was on July 4, 1896, when Gandhi first returned from South Africa to Kolkata. However, he left the city on the same day as he was set to travel his home town in Gujarat.

After returning from South Africa, Gandhi brought out Green Pamphlet to highlight the condition of Indians living in South Africa.

With the publication of his Green Pamphlet, Gandhi also decided to educate and make aware Indians on the conditions of Indians residing in South Africa by delivering lectures in mass meetings across the country.

Gandhi's first such meeting was organised in Mumbai on September 26, 1896.

He then again returned to Kolkata on October 31, 1896 to address the issues of Indians in South Africa. As nobody in Kolkata knew him at that time, he stayed in the Great Eastern Hotel, opposite to the residence of present Governor House.

Gandhi wanted to organise public meetings in Kolkata, like he had done in Madras and Bombay, but nobody was interested for such meetings and he was given cold reception everywhere by then leaders of the Kolkata.

Gandhi, then first met with Surendranath Banerjee, who said to him that the people would not be interested in his work as there were a few difficulties prevailed in then Kolkata. Banerjee advised Gandhi to meet with the representatives of the British Indian Association and Maharajas of Kolkata like Raja Sir Pyarmohan Mukherjee and Maharaja Jyotindramohan Tagore who were in view of him liberal minded and used to take initiative in public work.

Gandhi met with those people but those meetings could not yield any fruitful result. None of these leaders gave Gandhi any importance and he was told that it was not an easy task to organize a mass meeting in Kolkata.

If anything could be done, it would depend on Banerjee as he was then a first rank political leader of the city. But all his efforts went in vein. None of the leaders of Kolkata came forward to help him to organise a meeting which Gandhi could address.

Following cold reception from political leaders, Gandhi went to the newspaper houses like The Amrita Bazar Patrika and the Bangabasi, a Bengali newspaper, expecting them to throw light on the South African problem but they also did not pay heed to him.

However Gandhi did not lose hope and met with the editors of the Anglo-Indian newspapers of Kolkata. The Statesman and The Englishman, who realised the importance of the subject and interviewed him and those interviews were published in full. The Statesman published Gandhi's interview on November 11, 1896.

A day later, Gandhi received a cable from Dada Abdulla from South Africa's Durban asking him to return to Natal as the Parliament there was opening in January.

Thus Gandhi, was again unable to arrange any lectures in the city then. But before the leaving the city Gandhi gave interview to The Englishman, an Anglo-India newspaper, where he confessed that the Indians were disliked by the colonists in South Africa on economic ground, especially for trade jealousy as the Europeans disliked competition from India traders.

Gandhi also discussed the legal hindrances imposed on the Indians there. The interview was published on November 14, 1896.

Gandhi left Calcutta on November 14, 1896 and from Bombay he set sail for South Africa for the second time on December 1,1896 along with his wife, Putlibai, two sons --- Harilal of nine years and Monilal of five years only and ten years old Gokuldas, the only son of his widowed sister. They reached Durban after 18 days.

Gandhi along with other passengers of the Courland and Naderi , two steamers full of Asiatic passengers were not allowed to disembark and when allowed after seven days, Gandhi had to face a hostile situation and was assaulted by a section of Durban mob.

Gandhi then came back to India again on December 19, 1901 and decided to spend some days by travelling different parts of the country. In that year, the 17th annual session of the Indian National Congress was scheduled to be held in Kolkata.

Gandhi decided to attend the session. This was the first time Gandhi was present in the Congress session which was presided by Dinshaw Wacha.

Gandhi boarded the train from Bombay to reach Kolkata. Pherozeshah Mehta and D.E. Wacha were also travelling on the same train but in a separate saloon. On the way, Gandhi got down from his compartment and went to Firozshah Mehta's saloon to inform him about South African issue and got their consent to raise the issue in the Congress.

After his arrival in the city, Gandhi was made to stay in the Ripon College, presently known as Surendranath College, along with other delegates.

The sanitary condition of this Congress camp was very poor and unhygienic, as the number of toilets was inadequate and those were filled with filth and bad smell.

Gandhi drew the attention of the volunteers to the condition of the place but they refused to submit to him as it was a sweeper's duty. Gandhi then asked for a broom and cleaned the filth on his own.

As Gandhi arrived in Calcutta on December 23, three days before the Congress session from December 26, he decided to serve the Congress office so that he might get some experience and, therefore, approached then Congress secretaries Bhupendranath Bose and Janakinath Ghoshal seeking some work.

The Calcutta session of the Congress was held for three days from December 26 to 28, 1901 at Beadon square.

Gandhi attended the Congress on all the three days. This was for the first time he was in Congress session. On the second day, Gandhi moved a resolution on the South African issue. Gandhi recorded the events of the Congress session in his autobiography and wrote, "In the Congress at last. The immense pavilion and the volunteers in stately array, as also the elders seated on the dias, overwhelmed me. I wondered where I should be in the vast assemblage. Sir Pherozeshah had of course agreed to admit my resolution. But I was wondering who would put it before the Subject Committee ,and when... so we have done? Said Sir Pherozeshah Mehta."

"No No there is still the resolution on Suth Africa. Mr. Gandhi has been waiting long," cried out Gokhale. "Have you seen the resolution," asked Sir Pherozshah. "Of course. Do you like it? It is quite good. Well then let us have it, Gandhi. I read it trembling. Gokhale supported it. Unanimously passed,' Cried out everyone.

"You will have five minutes to speak on it, Gandhi, said Mr.Wacha. The procedure was far from pleasing to me. No one had troubled to understand the resolution, everyone was in a hurry to go and because Gokhale had seen the resolution, It was not thought necessary for the rest to see it or understand it!

"As soon as it was time for my resolution, Mr. Wacha called out my name....I stood up. My head was reeling. I read the resolution somehow....

Just at this moment Wacha rang the bell. I was sure I had not yet spoken for five minutes. I did not know what the bell was rung in order to warn me to finish in two minutes more. I had heard others speak for half an hour or three quarters of an hour, and yet no bell was rung for them. I felt hurt and sat down as soon as the bell was rung...And yet the very fact that it was passed by the Congress was enough to delight my heart," Gandhi wrote in his autobiography.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) It is the eternal riddle, one that for most remains in the realm of unsolved mysteries. Of course, Netaji is now part of myth. His exploits part of legend as he tried freeing India from the yoke of British tyranny. At odds with the Mahatma, he chose a perilous path for himself. Like the big four in the Indian Independence story - Mahatma Gandhi himself, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Mohd Ali Jinnah, he too was an Anglophile having studied in England. But from follower of Gandhi he turned into a rebel, one who built an Army to foil the British. Meeting Hitler and Tojo in the process.

Last month, his daughter Anita Bose Pfaff asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure DNA tests are done on the ashes kept at Renkoji temple in Japan to "bring out the truth" and alleged that a section of vested interests in previous governments had "neglected" the matter as they "never" wanted the mystery to be solved. As she argued, "Until proved otherwise, I do believe he died in the plane crash on 18 August, 1945. But many people don't believe it. I certainly would like the mystery settled. I think the best way to solve the mystery is to conduct DNA test on the ashes of Renkoji temple in Japan. DNA tests would prove if it was actually him (Netaji) or not, Anita told an agency in a telephonic interview from Germany.

In many ways a game of brinkmanship has been fought over Netaji Subhas Bose between PM Modi and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Even in the tower of babble over Netaji files, there are some important points in history which need to be factored. Since superficiality and vacuousness are the order of the day, institutional memory needs to be given a booster dose so that things are put in the right perspective. In many ways, 1938 and 1939 were the moment of truth in a large number of Indian Princely States as powerful people's movements flourished against the high handedness of the Ruling dispensation which directly drew its strength from the Paramount Power in the Princely States.The challenge to the troika of Gandhiji, Nehru and Patel also came around the same time. At the Haripura Congress, Subhas Bose became president of the Congress and a year later in Tripuri, he forced the issue again despite strident opposition from the trio and won the Presidency by 95 votes more than Gandhiji's candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya. After Bose won convincingly, Gandhi said Pattabhi's defeat was "more mine than his".

At Tripuri in March 1939, G B Pant moved a resolution asking Bose to appoint a Working Committee in line with Gandhi's ideas. Bose in a passionate presidential address on March 10, 1939, where very specifically focusing on the Princely States, his opinion coalesced with Nehru, stated, "But since Haripura much has happened. Today we find that the Paramount Power is in league with the State authorities in most places. In such circumstances, should we of the Congress not draw closer to the people of the States? I have no doubt in my own mind as to what our duty is today. Besides lifting the above ban, the work of guiding the popular movements in the States for Civil Liberty and Responsible Government should be conducted by the Working Committee on a comprehensive and systematic basis. The work so far done has been of a piecemeal nature and there has hardly been any system or plan behind it. But the time has come when the Working Committee should assume this responsibility and discharge it in a comprehensive and systematic way and, if necessary, appoint a special sub-committee for the purpose. "

At the session proper, Bose fell very ill and was bed ridden. The Presidential election was dramatic and certainly unlike previous humdrum ones. The election was followed by sensational developments culminating in the resignation of twelve out of fifteen members of the Working Committee, headed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Dr Rajendra Prasad. Another distinguished member of the Working Committee, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, though he did not formally resign, issued a statement which led everybody to believe that he had also resigned. On the eve of the Tripuri Congress, events at Rajkot forced Mahatma Gandhi to undertake a vow of fast unto death. Gandhi chose not to travel to Tripuri and instead deliberately went to Rajkot. The Congress closed ranks against Bose and the best description of what transpired at the fabled session came from Bose's brother Sarat Bose's sharply written letter to Gandhiji on March 21, 1939. It was a scathing fulmination:

What I saw and heard at Tripuri during the seven days I was there, was an eye opener to me. The exhibition of truth and non violence that I saw in persons whom the public look upon as your disciples (targeting Nehru, Patel, Azad and company) and representatives has to use your own words, 'stunk in my nostrils.' The election of Subhas was not a defeat for yourself, but of the high command of which Sardar Patel is the shining light. The propaganda that was carried on by them against the Rashtrapati and those who happen to share his political views was thoroughly mean, malicious and indicative and utterly devoid of even the semblance of truth and non-violence. At Tripuri, those who swear by you in public offered nothing but obstruction and for gaining their end, took the fullest and meanest advantage of Subhas's illness. Some ex members of the Working Committee went to the length of carrying on an insidious and incessant propaganda that the Rashtrapati's illness was a 'fake', and was only a political illness.

The letter was a denouement of the Congress and the way it had treated Subhas Bose. At Gandhiji's insistence, Sardar responded to Sarat Bose's letter where he went onto politely dismiss all the charges levelled by Sarat Bose. All this finally culminated over time in Subhas Bose being disqualified by the Working Committee as the president of the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. Bose split from the Congress and started the Forward Bloc in opposition to the Congress. Narahari D. Parikh in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel writes that, "Although throughout this period the dispute was between the Working Committee and Subhas Bose, he and his followers blamed the Sardar for everything who was the main target of their wrath. For this the real reason was the Sardar's forthright manner... for he spoke frankly and bluntly and never learnt the art of pleasing anyone by sweet words."

In his letter to Jawaharlal Nehru on 28 August 1939 Netaji complained, "If the old guard wanted to fight why did they not do so in a straightforward manner? Why did they bring Mahatma Gandhi between us?" On April 4, 1939 Sarat Chandra Bose had written to Nehru along the same lines, "I believe I shall not be unjust if I say that the members of the Working Committee would have shown greater courage and straightforwardness if they had decided to act on their own and not used Mahatmaji as their cover. Their plain duty was to keep Mahatmaji above all controversy as he should be in our political life." Both missives slammed Gandhi's followers like Sardar Patel, Bhulabhai Desai etc. Bose wrote about this painful experience in his essay "My strange Illness." Patel was the focus of his wrath in his letter of 28 March too. Bose wrote to Nehru, "Was there nothing wrong in Sardar Patel making full use of the name and authority of Mahatma Gandhi for electioneering purposes?" The Bose brothers targeted Patel, but realised equally that Patel was a stalking horse and proxy for Gandhiji himself.

The tricky relationship between the closed group controlled by Gandhiji in the Congress Working Committee those days was patently unhappy with the entry of a powerful and popular outsider in Netaji. Though Nehru privately and often publicly remained for most part on Netaji's right side in this tussle. This proxy war resulted in Netaji leaving the Congress and taking up the path of freeing his country from the yoke of British rule by raising an army through a war time collaboration with the help of Axis powers inimical to the British Empire.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) M.A. Jinnah never trusted Mahatma Gandhi even as the latter had proposed his name for the post of first Prime Minister of Independent India, according to a book and historical documents.

Gandhi had proposed many times that Jinnah should be lead the first interim government of Independent India. He proposed it to the Cabinet Mission as also to last Viceroy Mountbatten.

According to the Viceroy Diaries, which has been documented as Mountbatten papers, "Gandhi met the new Viceroy on 1st April 1947... Gandhi offered Prime Minister's post to Jinnah."

As per the papers, Gandhi said the solution was that "Mr. Jinnah should forthwith be asked to form the Central Interim Government with Members of the Muslim League".

But Mountbatten said to Gandhi that he wants to discuss with Jawaharlal Nehru, as per the 'Mountbatten Papers. When Nehru met Viceroy, he echoed the same line suggested by Mahatma Gandhi the same day, the documents say.

But Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, in one of his write ups, has argued that this offer was to head the interim government in pre-Independence era.

However, Gandhi had made this offer before also, according to Jinnah's biography 'Jinnah of Pakistan' authored by Stanley Wolpert.

Gandhi wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, on August 8, 1942, one day before he launched 'Quit India movement': "Congress will have no objection to the British Government transferring all the powers it exercises to the Muslim League on behalf of the whole of India".

In the letter, Gandhi added, "And the Congress will not only not obstruct any Government that the Muslim League may form on behalf of the people, but will even join the Government in running the machinery of the free State."

He concluded his letter by writing, "This is meant in all seriousness and sincerity".

But Jinnah rejected Gandhi's offer as he always had mistrust in him.

The book "Jinnah of Pakistan" states that, "Such an offer might have tempted Jinnah if he believed in or trusted Gandhi". He did not. Instead, as he told the press, "Mr. Gandhi's conception of 'Independent India' is basically different from ours", and he reiterated that "Mr. Gandhi by independence means Congress raj".

Jinnah's Muslim League, in Lahore resolution of March 23, 1940, had already ideated Pakistan. In September 1944, during the Jinnah-Gandhi talks, the matter of who will lead the government did not arise and the talks were focused on whether India would remain united or will be divided into two nations.

Source: IANS

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Paris, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) A life-size hologram of Mahatma Gandhi participated in a dialogue with panellists at the fourth Ahinsa Lecture here, organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), in cooperation with the Permanent Delegation of India.

The dialogue was on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for education.

It was opened by the Ambassador of India to France and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Vinay Mohan Kwatra and the Assistant Director-General Priority Africa and External Relations, UNESCO, Firmin Edouard Matoko.

The Ahinsa dialogue, held on Tuesday at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, commemorates the International Day of Non-Violence on October 2 which marks Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, the MGIEP said in a statement.

Gandhi's hologram exchanged views with Gregoire Borst, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Education, CNRS and Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe, Member of Advisory board of UNESCO MGIEP's TECH 2019. Anantha Duraiappah, Director, UNESCO MGIEP, moderated the discussion about the importance of Gandhi's philosophy of education for human flourishing. The event attracted about 1,000 people, including youth, educators, academics, policy-makers, and delegates from several member states of UNESCO.

Indian Ambassador Kwatra opened the discussion highlighting the importance of promoting Gandhian values of education to build a culture of peace in the world. His remarks set the tone for a highly engaging dialogue between the hologram of Mahatma Gandhi, Gregoire Borst, Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe and Anantha Duraiappah.

The discussion started with the panel presenting their perspectives on the meaning of education in the world today. It focused on raising awareness on the future of education and SDG 4 (to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).

The holographic avatar of Mahatma Gandhi was created using photo-mapped images from 1930-1940 and advanced contouring software and 3D printing to create a life size wire-frame of the Mahatma. Digital sculpting tools were used to add colour and texture to produce a real life image of Gandhi. The image was then animated and the voice lip synced to produce a colour hologram with advanced reprographic techniques. The process was curated by Birad Rajaram Yajnik along with the technical team of Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museums and was sponsored by Gandhi Smriti.

While Gandhi was amongst the most photographed people of his time and the world has access to his photographs, filmed interviews and radio addresses, it is less than 5 per cent of the compiled 98 volumes of Mahatma Gandhi's written work. A hologram can bridge this gap and the written word of the Mahatma can be experienced in a life-like scenario.

Through Holography, a standing hologram of Mahatma Gandhi can speak for a total of 15 minutes with 2 to 3 minutes to set the tone for the panel discussion. (The talk was extracted with due reference of his writings on Satyagraha, Ahinsa, Kindness, critical inquiry and education).

One of the quotes from the hologram of Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes, "The essence of all education is kindness -- kindness to all, friends, foes, men and beasts. The chief objective of education is the building of character. Imparting knowledge should aim at character building. Knowledge is the means and character building is the end".

In its fourth edition this year, the Ahinsa Lectures began in 2016 and have featured leading intellectuals and policy makers each year discussing transformative ideas that can create more peaceful communities.

Organized by the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace (MGIEP), a Category 1 research institute established by UNESCO and funded by the Government of India, the dialogue was part of the Ahinsa Lecture series which was launched in 2016 by MGIEP under its Distinguished Lecture Series program. MGIEP works towards transforming education systems to create peaceful and sustainable societies.

The Ahinsa Lecture is organized to mark the International Day of Non-Violence celebrated on 2 October to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Ahinsa Lecture was introduced in the year 2016 and is a part of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

Source: IANS

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Patna, Oct 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) If the story of Gandhi becoming 'Mahatma' began in Bihar's Champaran, it reached its crescendo in the state's Bhagalpur district, where he united the people for the freedom struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Bhagalpur via Saharsa and Bihpur in May 1934 to oversee the earthquake relief work being carried out by the Congress. He stayed at the residence of barrister and freedom fighter Deep Narayan Singh and in his address at the town's Lajpat Park appealed to the people to support the relief efforts.

Gandhian thinker Kumar Krishnan says a lot of people present at the gathering wanted Gandhiji's autograph, and he obliged them by charging Rs 5 for each signature. The money collected was donated to the quake victims.

The house where Gandhiji stayed is a heritage structure and was converted into the residence of the Bhagalpur District Magistrate after Deep Narayan Singh donated it to the government post independence.

Interestingly though, this wasn't Gandhi's first trip to Bhagalpur. He had first visited it on October 15, 1917 to preside over a conference of the Students' Association of Bihar in Kathalbadi area.

Hindi was the focus of the conference and addressing it, he termed "Hindi the language of masses". "By making me the President and allowing me to address the conference and conduct its working in Hindi, you all have shown your love for me," he said. Sarojini Naidu's speech in English was published after being translated in Hindi.

Gandhi next came to Bhagalpur on December 12, 1920, when he addressed a gathering at Tilha Kothi. An organising committee was made to organise Gandhi's conference. Deep Narayan Singh, Shubhkaran Chudiwala, Pandit Mewalal Jha, Gajadhar Prasad, Shrihar Narayan Jain and Bodh Narayan Mishra were the members of this committee.

In his address Gandhi said, "The devil cannot be defeated with the devil-like qualities. Only God can defeat the devil, so the devil-like British government should be defeated with honesty and justice."

Gandhi was next in Bhagalpur on October 2, 1925 as a guest of Kamleshwari Sahay at whose residence Shiv Bhavan, he celebrated his birthday.

At this celebration, he appealed to the women to renounce 'parda', spin 'charkha', wear khadi, educate their daughters and boycott foreign clothes.

He also addressed the provincial conference of the Bihar Aggrawal Mahasabha. Seth Jamna Lal Bajaj and Banarasi Prasad Jhunjhunwala, who were present in the conference, were given the responsibility to promote khadi.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Oct 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mahatma Gandhi had taken some crucial decisions in Tamil Nadu in his fight against the British for freedom, that included turning into what is famously described as the "half-naked fakir", 98-years ago.

It was in Tamil Nadu, the idea of hartal/strike against the draconian Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act struck him while he was at C. Rajagopalachari's residence here in 1919.

But two years later, that is in 1921, while in the temple town of Madurai, Gandhi took the drastic decision of forgoing his shirt and cap and be content with khadi dhoti and a shawl.

That too in the land where there is a proverb that says "aal paathi, aadai paathi" meaning fifty per cent of a person's personality is made up of his clothes.

But Gandhi with his decision gave a different meaning to that -- a half-bare -- half-clothed human.

It was this attire of Bapu that led Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill to once describe the Mahatma as "a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type wellknown in the East, striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceregal palace."

History has it that in 1920 Gandhi decided to wear only clothes made of khadi and started promotion of swadeshi goods.

As part of freedom movement, foreign-made clothes were burnt in public places.

The next year Gandhi travelled to Madurai and decided to stay at the residence of Ramji Kalyanji, Madurai at West Masi Street.

While travelling in the train from Madras (now Chennai) to Madurai, Gandhi saw people wearing foreign clothes. Chatting with them gave him the realisation that the poor were not able to afford khadi and so they cannot burn their clothes made with the 'foreign' material.

Gandhi recalls his train journey to Madurai: "On the way I saw in our compartment crowds that were wholly unconcerned with what had happened. Almost everyone without exception were bedecked in foreign fineries. I entered into conversation with some of them and pleaded for Khadi. They shook their heads as they said: 'We are too poor to buy Khadi, it is so dear.' I realised the substratum of truth behind the remark. I had my vest, cap and full dhoti on.

"When these uttered only partial truth, the millions of compulsorily naked men, save for their langoti four inches wide and nearly as many feet long, gave through their limbs the naked truth. What effective answer could I give them, if it was not to divest myself of every inch of clothing I decently could and thus to a still greater extent bring myself in line with ill-clad masses? And this I did the very next morning after the Madura meeting."

On September 22, 1921, Gandhi decided to change his attire to dhoti and shawl.

The place where he first addressed the people in his new attire is called 'Gandhi Pottal' in Madurai.

Gandhi had visited Madurai five times during his lifetime. During his last visit, he went to the famed Meenakshi Amman temple along with Harijans/Dalits on Feb 4, 1946.

While Hindi continues to be a tricky subject in Tamil Nadu politics since 1960s, it was Gandhi who set up the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (DBHPS) here in 1918.

It was set up as a part of freedom movement to have a single Indian language as the national language and unify the people.

The purpose of the DBHPS was to propagate Hindi in southern states. The first Pracharak was Gandhi's own son Devdas Gandhi.

For Bapu, his Tamil Nadu connection became stronger as his son Devdas Gandhi got married to Lakshmi, daughter of Rajaji.

Even when Gandhi was in South Africa, it was a small 16-year old girl Thillaiyadi Valliammai who had inspired him as a 'satyagrahi'.

She was born in South Africa to an immigrant couple R. Munuswamy Mudaliar and Mangalam with roots in Tamil Nadu.

Thillaiyadi is in Tamil Nadu Nagapattinam district.

Valliammai and her mother protested against the South African law annulling all marriages that were not as per the Church practice or the country's marriage law.

They also protested against the imposition of a tax in workers.

Valliammai was imprisoned by the South African government and was released later. Owing to her health worsening in the prison she died soon after her release in 1914.

In 1915 Gandhi had visited Thillaiyadi.

Source: IANS

The post When Gandhi turned ‘half-naked fakir’ in Tamil Nadu appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Chennai, Oct 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mahatma Gandhi had taken some crucial decisions in Tamil Nadu in his fight against the British for freedom, that included turning into what is famously described as the "half-naked fakir", 98-years ago.

It was in Tamil Nadu, the idea of hartal/strike against the draconian Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act struck him while he was at C. Rajagopalachari's residence here in 1919.

But two years later, that is in 1921, while in the temple town of Madurai, Gandhi took the drastic decision of forgoing his shirt and cap and be content with khadi dhoti and a shawl.

That too in the land where there is a proverb that says "aal paathi, aadai paathi" meaning fifty per cent of a person's personality is made up of his clothes.

But Gandhi with his decision gave a different meaning to that -- a half-bare -- half-clothed human.

It was this attire of Bapu that made the then Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill to utter the famous remark "half-naked fakir".

History has it that in 1920 Gandhi decided to wear only clothes made of khadi and started promotion of swadeshi goods.

As part of freedom movement, foreign-made clothes were burnt in public places.

The next year Gandhi travelled to Madurai and decided to stay at the residence of Ramji Kalyanji, Madurai at West Masi Street.

While travelling in the train from Madras (now Chennai) to Madurai, Gandhi saw people wearing foreign clothes. Chatting with them gave him the realisation that the poor were not able to afford khadi and so they cannot burn their clothes made with the 'foreign' material.

Gandhi recalls his train journey to Madurai: "On the way I saw in our compartment crowds that were wholly unconcerned with what had happened. Almost everyone without exception were bedecked in foreign fineries. I entered into conversation with some of them and pleaded for Khadi. They shook their heads as they said: 'We are too poor to buy Khadi, it is so dear.' I realised the substratum of truth behind the remark. I had my vest, cap and full dhoti on.

"When these uttered only partial truth, the millions of compulsorily naked men, save for their langoti four inches wide and nearly as many feet long, gave through their limbs the naked truth. What effective answer could I give them, if it was not to divest myself of every inch of clothing I decently could and thus to a still greater extent bring myself in line with ill-clad masses? And this I did the very next morning after the Madura meeting."

On September 22, 1921, Gandhi decided to change his attire to dhoti and shawl.

The place where he first addressed the people in his new attire is called 'Gandhi Pottal' in Madurai.

Gandhi had visited Madurai five times during his lifetime. During his last visit, he went to the famed Meenakshi Amman temple along with Harijans/Dalits on Feb 4, 1946.

While Hindi continues to be a tricky subject in Tamil Nadu politics since 1960s, it was Gandhi who set up the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (DBHPS) here in 1918.

It was set up as a part of freedom movement to have a single Indian language as the national language and unify the people.

The purpose of the DBHPS was to propagate Hindi in southern states. The first Pracharak was Gandhi's own son Devdas Gandhi.

For Bapu, his Tamil Nadu connection became stronger as his son Devdas Gandhi got married to Lakshmi, daughter of Rajaji.

Even when Gandhi was in South Africa, it was a small 16-year old girl Thillaiyadi Valliammai who had inspired him as a 'satyagrahi'.

She was born in South Africa to an immigrant couple R. Munuswamy Mudaliar and Mangalam with roots in Tamil Nadu.

Thillaiyadi is in Tamil Nadu Nagapattinam district.

Valliammai and her mother protested against the South African law annulling all marriages that were not as per the Church practice or the country's marriage law.

They also protested against the imposition of a tax in workers.

Valliammai was imprisoned by the South African government and was released later. Owing to her health worsening in the prison she died soon after her release in 1914.

In 1915 Gandhi had visited Thillaiyadi.

Source: IANS

The post When Gandhi turned ‘half-naked fakir’ in TN appeared first on Social News XYZ.

By Manoj Pathak

Motihari, Sep 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) During Mahatma Gandhi's first satyagrah in Champaran in 1917, it was Bhitiharwa village in Motihari which caught his attention. Gandhi laid the foundation of a school here but even after 100 years this school is waiting for recognition by the government.

Upon reaching Champaran for satyagrah in April 2017, Gandhi saw the condition of the indigo farmers who were forced to cultivate indigo instead of their usual crops.

Bapu realised that ignorance and illiteracy among the farmers had made it easy for the Britishers to exploit and repress them. So, Gandhi decided to set up schools to improve the economic and educational conditions of the people there.

He asked for land from the villagers to set up the schools, one of them being in Bhitiharwa village.

This school still exists today and villagers in memory of Gandhi are taking care of it.

Gandhi's wife Kasturba also taught for sometime in Bhitiharwa school.

Well known Gandhian S.N. Subba Rao said, "During his stay, Gandhiji took up residence at the houses of Braj Kishore Babu, Awadhesh Prasad Singh and Vindhyavasini Babu. Here after listening to the grievances of peasants, Gandhiji expressed his desire to set up a school."

Initially no farmer dared to give Bapu land for the school for fear of the landlords (mostly British) who enforced indigo farming at the cost of food crops.

Gandhi again came to Bhitiharwa village in November 2017, and this time Ramnarain Das gave him land to set up the school.

The thatched school was erected within 4 days and a separate cottage was also set up for Bapu.

Gandhi came here again on November 28, this time along with Kasturba, and stayed here for many days.

Kasturba took upon herself the responsibility to teach the children. That year, according to data available, as many as 80 children took admission in the school. Apart from Kasturba, some of Bapu's friends including Sadashiv Laxman Sovan, Balkrishna Yogeshwar and Dr. Shankar Dev, who had visited Champaran, also taught in the school.

Kasturba stayed in the village for six months even after Gandhiji moved to other places. She made sure that girls also attended the school. For this she launched a special drive to bring in the girl students from the village.

But this was not to the liking of the landlords who one day set the school on fire.

Gandhi in his autobiography has written about this in detail.

Now, this Bhitiharwa school has turned into a girls high school and is named Kasturba girls high school after Kasturba Gandhi.

A secretary of the school Dinesh Prasad Yadav told IANS that when no funds were available to construct the building of the school, the villagers came forward with donations and got the school building constructed.

Yadav said the school does not receive any benefits from the government. The biggest problem for the girls getting an education here is that their exam results are not recognised by the government.

Source: IANS

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By Fakir Balaji

Bengaluru, Sep 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) As the Father of the Nation and a hope for thousands of people during the first half of the 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) was a source of inspiration for a generation of freedom-fighters to leave homes, studies, jobs and give up a cosy life to free India from the colonial yoke, fondly recalled 102-year-old freedom fighter Harohalli Srinivasaiah Doreswamy, marking the Sesquicentennial of the Mahatma.

"I had the honour and privilege of seeing and meeting Gandhiji for a couple of times in Bengaluru during the freedom struggle and joined his non-violent movement to free the country from the imperial rulers under his guidance and phenomenal leadership," a Spartan Doreswamy told IANS in an exclusive interview here.

Going down the memory lane, Doreswamy said he met Gandhiji for the first time in mid-1930s when he was a teenager at a state-run guest house in Bengaluru where he was staying to recuperate from a bout of illness at the behest of then Mysuru Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar.

"Though Gandhiji visited the city a couple of times earlier on return from South Africa in 1914, first in May 1915 to unveil the portrait of Poona-based Gopala Krishna Gokhale, who was his political mentor in the Lalbagh botanical garden, it was his second visit in 1924 that created a buzz in the city, as he was by then became a popular face of the freedom struggle in the southern region," noted Doreswamy.

As a high school ward initially and a college student subsequently, Doreswamy heard a lot about Gandhi by word of mouth, listened to his voice in radio and read about him in the vernacular press those days.

"As I was curious to see Gandhiji and listen to his talk on the fight for freedom, my elder brother H.S. Seetharam took me to Kumara Krupa guest house for the prayer meeting one evening in 1936 when I was 18 years and he (Gandhiji) was 67 years old. He spoke in Hindi and English. His memorable words were translated into Kannada by noted scholar D.V. Gundappa for those un-familiar with either language," recounted Doreswamy.

A reading of Gandhi's book "My Early Life" influenced a young Doreswamy to plunge into the freedom struggle, giving up studies and an easy life. What started as a trickle in cities and towns across the country, turned into a mass movement with thousands of young people joining Gandhiji's freedom struggle.

"I had an opportunity to meet Gandhiji again the same year (1936) when he was staying for about 40 days atop the Nandi Hills on the city's northern outskirts. As there was no public transport, I shifted to Chikkaballapur from Bengaluru and stayed at a relative's place so that I could often go up to the nearby Hills on foot to attend the prayer meeting and listen to his talks. I used to climb hundreds of steps briskly to be in time for the meeting and sit closer to him," Doreswamy recollected.

In one of his speeches then, Gandhiji recalled his political guru (Gokhale) advising him to first travel across the country on foot, cycle, bullock carts, buses and trains (Class III compartment) for interacting with the people and know the ground realities than joining a political party (Congress) and resorting to sloganeering against the British Raj.

"Though there were no mikes or loudspeakers those days at all places where Gandhiji spoke, I used to sit in the front circular rows around him to catch every word of him in shrill voice so that we could note down and tell others who were behind or were late for the meeting," pointed out the centurion.

When Gandhiji gave the "Quit India" call and launched the final movement against the British Raj in August 1942, Doreswamy was arrested in December the same year and was kept in the Bangalore central jail for 14 months till March 1944 as a detainee.

"I was inspired by Gandhiji so much that he had a great influence on me. In his book 'My Early Life', I was touched by his call to hug poverty and render voluntary service to the poor and needy. His words had a lasting effect on me to live a frugal life," said Doreswamy.

The last time the veteran freedom fighter met Gandhiji was in December 1947 in Mumbai after India got independence on August 15 at a Congress rally.

"Gandhji's death on January 30, 1948 in New Delhi was a shock to me because I could not believe that someone could even think of shooting him, as he was a noble soul and lived for others," added Doreswamy.

Doreswamy, born on April 10, 1918 near Mysuru, about 150km northwest of Bengaluru, joined the freedom movement when he was in the intermediate college in Bengaluru during the mid-1930s. He was arrested for joining the Quit India movement along with his brother and other freedom fighters.

"Though we were caned and treated badly by the British, we followed Gandhiji's ideals of non-violence and satyagraha," reminisced Doreswamy.

Source: IANS

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By Anindya Banerjee

New Delhi, Sep 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mahatma Gandhi was a staunch Hindu and definitely one of the earliest examples in Indian polity where religion was used for political purpose. Much ahead of BJP in 2014 or AIMIM in state polls.

One may blame the Lynch mobs in name of cow protection on the ruling party today, but the first Indian who propagated cow protection was Gandhi. He smartly interlinked religion to it to create a nucleus around which the independence movement could be taken forward. Gandhi's last utterance ever was "Hey Ram", the same For Ram who is at centre of a bitterly fought legal case in the Supreme Court right now.

But Gandhi's Hinduism was inclusive and accommodative rather than exclusive and reactionary. Gandhi had elaborated his taken Hinduism, "Hinduism is not an exclusive religion. In it, there is room for worship of all the prophets of the world. It is not a missionary religion in the ordinary sense of the term. Hinduism tells everyone to worship God according to his own faith or dharma, and so it lives at peace with all religions."

Gandhis Hinduism was an amalgamation of pragmatic use of religion for independence movement and upholding liberty. Though he was a firm believer of "Gau seva", something he would preach to his followers, he refused to give in to demands for a cow slaughter ban.

When Gandhi was told his preaching had deep effect and around 25,000 letters were sent from across the nation demanding a nation wide cow slaughter ban, he didn't give in. He had famously said, "I have another telegram which says that a friend has started a fast for this cause. In India no law can be made to ban cow-slaughter. I do not doubt that Hindus are forbidden the slaughter of cows. I have been long pledged to serve the cow but how can my religion also be the religion of the rest of the Indians? "

Gandhi's Hinduism was unique. One cannot brand it as black or white but his beliefs lay in the grey.

In 1928, during the First Annual Meeting of Federation of International fellowship at Sabarmathi Ashramam, Ahmedabad, he said, "All religions are almost as dear to me as my own Hinduism... The aim of the fellowship should be to help a Hindu to become better Hindu, a Mussalman to become a better Mussalman, and a Christian to become a better Christian"

In spite of such liberal take on Hinduism, when he had shared a stage with Veer Savarkar in London in the early 1900 on invitation of the Indian diaspora, he ended up agreeing with the Hindutva icon when he had said that all religions have a right to flourish in India but around the core religion which shall remain Hinduism.

Gandhi believed in Geeta but he had its own interpretations, he followed Hindu scriptures but also other religious scriptures. Gandhi saw violence in Geeta. In the columns of Young India, Gandhi's radical interpretation of the scripture started to appear, by 1931. Gandhi's sense of Hinduism made him read and re-reda Geeta but his sense of "ahimsa" or non violence made him allege the author of Geeta used war imageries liberally. Some of his interpretations and beliefs were so radical that it led to his assassination in January 30, 1984. During his trial, Nathuram Godse, who had pulled the trigger on Gandhi had claimed that "Gandhiji's views" had always been "detrimental to the Hindu community and its interests".

But in spite of that, for Gandhi, politics bereft of religion was "absolute dirt, ever to be shunned". Yet, he managed the contradictions that came along with it. Neither did he flash his Janeu like Rahul Gandhi, nor did he announce himself as a nonbeliever in God like our communists. He had balanced both. Gandhi's use of symbolism in politics was unparralel. Yet stayed firm to his beliefs.

The word religion comes from a Latin word 'religare'. It's meaning is 'to bind again'. Gandhi's Hinduism was intended to bind a country together and fight in pursuit of independence. Different symbolism helped him bind the nation together.

"I could not live for a single second without religion", Gandhi had famously said. But he would also criticize the same religion to reform it. That was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Source: IANS

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By Saroj Kumar

New Delhi, Sep 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mob lynching, the scourge of India that has led to nearly a 100 hundred deaths in the past few years, is hardly a new phenomenon. Around 125 years ago, a young Indian lawyer named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi faced a similar faceless and mindless mob in South Africa.

But unlike many in present-day India, he was lucky to have survived. Had he not, the world would have never known of Mahatma Gandhi.

Barrister Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 to offer legal aid to Dada Abdullah in his business and within three years established himself as a political leader fighting against apartheid and for the interests of Indians in South Africa. For his struggle he established the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) on August 22, 1894 and returned to India in 1896 to continue his fight here.

While he was at Rajkot, a 27-year-old Gandhi wrote and issued a "Green Pamphlet", in which he exposed the condition of Indian indentured labourers and coolies in South Africa and the human rights violations there.

The "Green Pamphlet" was taken by the British as an anti-government publication. When Gandhi went back to Durban with his family, his ship was not allowed to dock for three days. And when he finally deboarded, he was beaten by the "whites".

He was saved by Durban Police Superintendent R.C. Alexander's wife Sarah Alexander, who was passing by the area and spread her umbrella over Gandhi to cover him from the mob. Sarah also informed her husband after which the police reached the spot and rescued Gandhi.

He was taken to his friend Jeevanji Rustomji's house, where his wife and children had already reached. His clothes were torn, there were severe wounds on his body. A doctor were called and he was given first-aid.

But barely had he reached Rustomji's house, the mob too arrived there and demanded Gandhi be handed over to it. On the advice of Police Superintendent Alexander, Gandhi disguised himself as a policemen and left the spot.

The news of Gandhi being lynched reached the British government and Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlane ordered action against the rioters. However, Gandhi requested against the action. "The attackers were young, they got confused with a wrong news published by Reuters," he wrote to the government. He continued to work for the Indian Natal Congress.

Source: IANS

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By Manoj Pathak

Motihari (Bihar), Sep 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Champaran -- the workplace of Mahatma Gandhi, has many memories of the Mahatma. A 'Neem tree' in East Champaran district is one of them.

The tree situated in Turkaulia block office -- 10 km away from Motihari -- at the district headquarters, is part of history, it bears witness when great movements unfolded.

However, its condition is not well at all. The district administration is now taking some steps to save the witness to the Champaran Satyagrah.

A Gandhian thinker from East Champaran Rai Sunder Dev Sharma told IANS, "The Neem tree has witnessed the atrocities which the Britishers rained on farmers. They used to tie farmers who refused to pay 'lagan' for harvesting indigo with this tree and beat them up.

"First President Dr Rajendra Prasad's book also mentions this tree. Gandhi started his 'Satyagrah' movement against these atrocities. This 120-year-old tree is of great historic importance."

Another Gandhian thinker and a journalist Kumar Krishnan told IANS: "This is not just any tree, it is a sort of heritage. Gandhi used to sit under this tree and meet people. He mobilised farmers and villagers for the 'Satyagrah'."

He said Gandhi came on August 4, 1917 during Champaran Satyagrah and looked into the atrocities on farmers cultivating indigo and registered statements of more than thousands of villagers.

District Collector Raman Kumar has now ordered the Forest Department to find out the reason behind the drying up of the tree and take appropriate action to curb it.

A Forest Department officer said: "The department has looked into the reasons and filed its report to the District Collector of East Champaran suggesting remedies to revive the tree."

The Forest Department in its report has said that due to the platform around the tree, it is not getting sufficient nutrients due to which the leaves of the trees are shedding and the tree is not doing well, Forest division officer (FDO) East Champaran Prabhakar Jha said.

If the platform around it will be removed the tree would revive. The trunk of the tree is still green. The soil around the tree needs treatment, it has suggested.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will launch his much anticipated campaign Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali from October 2 marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Sep 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) It is a known fact that Mahatma Gandhi travelled in trains, that too, in the third class compartment and later that class was abolished by the railways.

A cursory look at the plaque outside Welcomhotel on Cathedral Road here and one can jocularly say that Gandhiji had been here!

The wording at the bottom of the plaque reads as: "It was here then Gandhiji met Rajaji for the first time and stayed as his guest."

The youth of this generation may truly believe this, as meetings between leaders happen in star hotels these days.

"In the place where the hotel exists now, there was a house where C. Rajagopalachari (popularly known as Rajaji) lived, paying rent. It was at his residence that Gandhiji met Rajagopalachari for the first time. It was here that the idea of 'hartal' (strike) came to Gandhiji," Vakula S. Varadarajan, a historian told IANS.

He said that the house rented by Rajagopalachari was then owned by S. Kasturi Ranga Iyengar who had acquired The Hindu publication.

A full reading of the plaque would show the historical importance of that residence.

It was at Rajaji's residence where Gandhiji dreamt about the hartal against the draconian Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act.

"In this premises known as 'Tilak Bhavan' Mahatma Gandhi spent the restless historic night of 18th March 1919, when the sad tidings of the passing of the humiliating Rowlatt Bills enveloped him. Before the day dawned, the idea of all-India hartal occurred to Gandhiji in a dream which later blossomed into the non-violent non-cooperation movement.

"Referring to this memorable event, Gandhiji writes - I was still in that twilight condition between sleep and consciousness when suddenly the idea broke upon me - it was as if in a dream that we should call upon the country to observe a general hartal. The whole of India from one end to the other, towns as well as villages, observed a complete hartal on that day. It was a most wonderful spectacle."

The Rowlatt Act provided for preventive detention for an indefinite period, an imprisonment without trial and judicial review.

The plaque also had a quote from Jawaharlal Nehru: "Whereever Bapu sat became a temple. Where he trod was hallowed ground."

The plaque was opened by Acharya Kriplani on 13.4.1968 and was donated by M/s Satyanarayana Bros.

Source: IANS

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Gandhi had promoted the use of 'Khadi' clothing in the 1920s as a twin-pronged approach for empowering people with technology on the one hand and for opposing the commercial interests of the British on the other, eminent Gandhians told IANS.

The Khadi movement had the objectives of boycotting imported foreign cloth and promoting the spinning of khadi for self-employment.

"Technology is a powerful tool when it is given in the hands of people. Gandhi had promoted this alternative technology in the textile sector that was affordable to people. The vision behind the movement was to make people self-reliant which ultimately led to fearlessness. The basic philosophy behind the movement was to empower people with technology so that they became fearless. This philosophy is relevant in the present day as well because people should be economically self-reliant," A. Annamalai, Director, National Gandhi Museum told IANS.

Another Gandhian philosopher Ravindra Kumar, former Vice-Chancellor of Meerut University, told IANS it was Gandhi's foresight that he launched his campaign against foreign clothes in 1917 but took to the Khadi movement only in 1920.

"These three years were spent in acclimatising people in the production of alternate clothing. It was an economic philosophy and was an essential part of the national movement as well," said Kumar.

According to experts on Gandhian philosophy, the Khadi movement was also a step towards Gandhi's concept of Swarajya or self-governance. The promotion of Khadi by Gandhi was aimed at achieving self-sufficiency and was also aimed at promoting indigenous cottage industries.

Experts said Gandhi had the foresight to believe that the national movement to free the country from the yoke of colonial rule, which was impoverishing the people, could be achieved only if economic self-sufficiency of the masses grew.

"Khadi has its relevance in present day India because it is a symbol of the country's culture. It is also relevant as a symbol of the Swadeshi concept of indigenousness. A significant section of India's population uses Khadi clothing even today. That's because the fabric is suitable for the hot and humid climate of the country. It is not only a symbol of refinement but a symbol of necessity so far as clothing is considered as a basic need of man like food and shelter," added Kumar.

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By Mohammed Shafeeq

Hyderabad, Sep 28 (IANS) Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Arun Gandhi says those who killed the Father of the Nation are so intimidated by him that they are still trying to demonise him and justify his assassination.

The writer feels that the nation has to decide whether their icon is going to be a murderer or somebody, who is revered and whose philosophy of peace and non-violence is relevant throughout the world even today.

Tushar, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi's second son Arun Manilal Gandhi, believes that truth prevails while lies have to be sustained. He wants those who believe in Gandhi's ideals to counter the campaign of lies as when lies go unchallenged, people start believing them.

He told IANS that he doesn't feel threatened with Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse dominating the national discourse. He is more determined to spread Bapu's ideology the way he understands.

For him, Godse is a representative of the intolerant, hateful extremist thought in the country. "Godse is merely symbol, a symbol of counter point to everything that Bapu stood for," he says.

Is he concerned about the growing support for Godse? "No, I am not concerned. Because 70 years after they murdered him, he continues to intimidate them so much that they are still trying to demonise him, trying to justify that murder. Which means they have not succeeded in doing that in 70 years. A phase is there where we see the campaign becoming more acceptable, but they still have to keep doing it. Godse's is not like the worship of Gandhi. Gandhi's worship is spontaneous. Nobody has to go hammering people to worship him. Even if they are less in number, it happens spontaneously, but for the worship of the murderer, they have to keep going doing stunts, otherwise nobody will remember. That is why the difference is so stark."

"I am not worried personally as they become louder. Because I am given the opportunity to become even louder. I know I have the ability to do that. Lies are always intimidated. They know they have to sustain themselves. Truth isn't intimidated because it survives. It may seem to become weak or inconsequential, but that never happens. It is the campaign of lies, which is inherently weak. It doesn't intimidate me that there this an increase in Godse's ideology in the country."

"Bapu is my ancestor. Even if the whole nation tomorrow declares Godse as the father of the nation, it is not going to change the fact that Bapu is my great grandfather. I am not bothered. The nation has to decide whether their icon is going to be a murderer or an icon, somebody who is revered whose ideals of peace and non-violence are relevant throughout the world even today," said Tushar, who was in Hyderabad to deliver a talk at the programme organised by 'Sanskruti', a women's organisation, on 'Bapu and Baa' (Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi).

He is of the view that Gandhians became complacent which allowed the campaign of lies to grow and gain acceptance. "We should have been aware to counter it much earlier. Now countering campaign become all the more difficult because for five decades they have been able to do it without being challenged but it's never too late. Truth prevails but lies have to be sustained and that is why they have to be so shrilled and so loud they have to keep creating lies. If somebody counters them with the truth they will be helpless."

He narrated a recent incident in which a youth from Pune put up a very derogatory and abusive post on Bapu on Facebook. Some young people who had formed a group to learn about Gandhi felt offended and decided to take legal action. As soon as that man got the information that legal action was taken he removed all the quotes.

"There was cowardice over there. They themselves know what they are saying are lies. If they are telling truth he would have said okay, challenge me, let us see who is speaking truth. The cowardly action shows the weakness of their belief in the ideology that they themselves are trying to promote."

Tushar wants those who believe in Gandhian ideals to be alert and counter such attempts to spread lies.

"When lies go unchallenged then people will start believe that this is truth because other point is not being presented to them that is what happened propagation of the belief that what Godse did was right that is where his worship has increased and his acceptance has increased. It is easy to counter it. Lies they have spread are very easy to be countered. Fault lies with us who are called Gandhian did not bother to respond in a timely manner."

Tushar believes that Bapu's ideals and his philosophy are timeless. "They are the basis on which our modern Indian nation was created. As long as those values of truth, peace and unity are important for us, then the ideals can't become irrelevant," said

"Everybody wants to know whether Gandhi is relevant whereas we need to ask are we deserving of his legacy. Today the way we are direction in which we are moving, the signs of civil strife, intolerance and hatred that we see in our society, we have to ask ourselves whether we deserve the legacy of people like Gandhi or Buddha or other great people we take pride in as being part of our ancestry," said Tushar, sharing his views at Bapu Ghat, the memorial in Hyderabad where Gandhi's ashes were immersed in Musi river.

He believes that like gods, Gandhi has been reduced to an image reduced to rituals. "To people like him homage comes in the practice of their ideology and philosophy not in mere rituals. None of the great people whom we revered today ever were bothered about the ritualisation. They preferred to see their ideals in practice. As long as those ideals were in practice their worship would be meaningful. Otherwise it is mere pretence."

Is he satisfied with the way government is organising 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi. "Governments always limited by their requirements and needs. I am disappointed with the Gandhian organisations. In 1969 when centenary was celebrated all Gandhian organisations came together and executed nation-wide programme for the whole year. The government had also partnered with the Gandhian organisations. This time we had the same possibility. If all Gandhian organisations had come together and declared a joint programme for the whole year, the government would also have been forced to join in the celebrations."

Every Gandhian organization is doing its own programme and the government is also not bothered and it is its own thing. "None of the celebrations are worthwhile. They are just mere events not celebrations by which something constructive can happen for society. Unless something constructive happens for society and the society realizes that we have long term benefit from what is happening, they will never associate."

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Hajipur, Sep 28 (IANS) Bogies of Saptkranti Express, which runs between Muzaffarpur and Anand Vihar via Champaran, the work place of Mahatama Gandhi, will have on display photographs of events from his life.

"'Mohan to Mahatma', the exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,
and opens October 2, his birth anniversary. It has been planned to make people aware of the Gandhian philosophy," said Rajesh Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer of East-Central Railways.

"Each bogie of the train, which starts from Muzaffarpur in Bihar on October 2, will carry photographs from Bapu's life. And the Indian Railways has ensured the photographs on display are protected from any damage by the passengers," he added.

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Narsinghpur (MP), Sep 28 (IANS) The Gandhi cap may be a rare sight these days, but there is a school in Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur where children wear the Gandhi cap everyday in school. Not only this, the children also sing the famous Gandhi prayer "Vashno janato tene kahiyeche...." everyday.

Situated 10 kms from the district headquarter in Narsinghpur, the government secondary school in village Badha presents a different look from the rest.

"We don't know exactly when this practice started. But there is a date inscribed on a wall in the school which says that on October 3, 1945 Mahatma Gandhi had arrived at the school. There is also a message which says -- 'will follow principles of truth and non-violence, Gandhi's blessings'," said Sandeep Sharma, a teacher from the school.

Locals recall that Gandhi had visited the village during the non-cooperation movement. And since then, the villagers started wearing the cap, and the school followed the tradition over the decades.

Sharma says, "I also wore this cap when I was studying in this school and today I am a teacher here and everyone continues to do this."

Along with the Gandhi cap, the school sings another of Gandhi's favourite songs "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" as the morning prayer.

The locals believe that by wearing the Gandhi caps, the children develop confidence, patriotism and right values to stay away from vices.

As per the records available, the school was started in 1844, and once had a loom section also where mats and caps were made to be used by the children.

The school is popular in Narsinghpur as the children and the locals take pride in wearing the Gandhi cap. The rest of the country may have given up wearing the cap but this school is continuing with the tradition.

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New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) In a world ridden with conflicts, Mahatma Gandhi's principles of non-violence remain relevant nearly a century later, say experts citing the examples of Hong Kong and Sudan.

Angshuman Choudhury, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi, told IANS, "From Hong Kong to Sudan, we have seen ample examples in the recent past where non-violence was used to express dissatisfaction against the state of affairs, despite being confronted with powerful detractors."

Choudhury, who works in the areas of armed conflict, peace processes and forced displacement, said the post-Cold War world has witnessed a rising number of identity-based, political and ideological violence across the world.

While a large chunk of this violence has been civil in nature, often perpetrated by non-state groups against other groups or the state, governments too have indulged in violent acts against individuals or communities.

"In this context, the Gandhian principle of non-violence and peaceful dissent become relevant more than ever before. Such is the legacy of Gandhian principles that even nearly a century later, people around the world continue to believe in non-violence as an effective medium of political expression," he added.

Choudhury said though violence is often the easy way to challenge authority or voice grievances, but it ultimately, leads to greater instability, uncertainty and repression.

Peaceful dissent can be effective in today's social media age. "To maintain a non-violent conscience in the face of overwhelming state power is often tough, but accrues outcomes that are better for everyone. Further, in the age of social media, peaceful dissent can have a larger audience, which is very important for non-violence to work. Thus today, non-violence can be practiced through ways that are creative, effective and pervasive," he added.

As per trends in organised violence and peace agreements collected by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) in 2018, UCDP recorded almost 76,000 deaths globally, a decrease of 20 per cent compared to 2017, and 43 per cent compared to the latest peak in 2014. The number of fatalities in organised violence decreased for the fourth consecutive year, to reach the lowest level since 2012.

"Organised violence, 1989-2018 and peace agreements", an article by Pettersson, Therese; Stina Hogbladh & Magnus Oberg (2019), in the Journal of Peace Research based on the data, notes that state-based armed conflict drives this downward trend in organised violence, with Syria accounting for much of the change.

"The number of civilians killed in one-sided violence also dropped in 2018, reaching its lowest level since 2012. In contrast, non-state conflict remained on a high level. The general decline in fatalities from organised violence does not correspond with the trend in the number of active conflicts. In fact, the world has seen a new peak in the number of conflicts after 2014, matched only by the number of conflicts in the early 1990s," according to the article.

"In 1991, the peak in the number of armed conflicts corresponded with a similar peak in the number of signed peace agreements. This was followed by a decrease in the number of conflicts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, the most recent rise in armed conflicts has not been matched by a similar rise in the number of peace agreements. Two circumstances that characterise the recent rise in conflicts have also been found to make conflicts harder to solve: explicitly religious claims and high levels of internationalisation," said the article.

The US based Council on Foreign Relations' Global Conflict Tracker points out the worsening conflict status in Afghanistan, Yemen, Mali and Venezuela among others.

While conflict zones continue to be volatile, a unique march based on Gandhi's principles will set out to spread his message.

On October 2, 2019 - the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, a 14,000 km, one-year global march for justice and peace, called 'Jai Jagat 2020', will start from New Delhi to Geneva.

"The arrival of the great march of 'Jai Jagat' bearing the message of Gandhi and the voice of the voiceless is the perfect occasion, through a non-violent dialogue, to promote various solutions for a world that works for everyone," according to the organisers.

For a whole year, it will cross half the planet to carry the message of Mahatma Gandhi in favour of change through non-violence, as well as the voice of the voiceless.

"It is also an opportunity to see how others manage conflict in the various countries through which we travel, and in the process grow to understand cultural and religious differences. In the training itself, we begin by identifying indirect conflict, and determining the causal chain that leads to conflict. From this, we can also learn how to pre-empt conflict and violence. We follow Gandhi's framework in so far as we start with the presumption of non-violence and work to see how this can be integrated into social settings and development interventions," they added.

The post Gandhi’s non-violence at a time of conflict appeared first on Social News XYZ.

By Natalia Ningthoujam

New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, fondly known as Mahatma Gandhi, breathed his last on January 30, 1948, but he has been brought alive on the big screen several times.

As India is all set to celebrate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we take a look at actors who essayed the role of Gandhi with elan.

BEN KINGSLEY in "Gandhi" (1982)
British actor Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's 1982 Oscar-winning film "Gandhi" is one that is etched on everyone's minds.

NASEERUDDIN SHAH in "Hey Ram" (2000)
The Kamal Haasan-starrer film revolved around India's Partition and the assassination of Gandhi by Nathuram Godse. Interestingly, Naseeruddin had auditioned for the role of Gandhi in Attenborough's film. The role eventually went to Kingsley. Naseeruddin's Gandhi in "Hey Ram" didn't received the acclaim that Kingsley's effort did, but he was praised for nailing the act and getting the Gujarati accent right.

JS CASHYAP in "Nine Hours To Rama" (1963)
Mark Robson's English language film is about the nine hours of Nathuram Godse's life before he assassinated Gandhi. Goidse was essaywed by German actor Horst Buchholz.

ANNU KAPOOR in "Sardar" (1993)
The Ketan Mehta film on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had Annu Kapoor stepping into the shoes of Gandhi. Apart from playing the great Indian leader on the big screen, Annu also lent his voice as narrator to "Khaar" -- a docudrama on Gandhi's Dandi March.
"The Dandi March initiated by Gandhiji was an iconic movement against the British and a milestone in India's movement for freedom," Annu said last year.

RAJIT KAPUR in "The Making Of The Mahatma" (1996)
Kapur, popular for playing the Bengali detective Byomkesh Bakshi on television, played Gandhi in Shyam Benegal's "The Making of The Mahatma". His role in the film, fetched him a National Film Award as Best Actor.

MOHAN GOKHALE in "Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar" (2000)
The film didn't center around him but he managed to make his presence felt in the movie on BR Ambedkar, known mainly for helping the the downtrodden and oppressed classes in India.

DARSHAN JARIWALA IN "Gandhi, My Father" (2007)
His performance in the critically-acclaimed film was lauded by many, including the Indian government that honoured him with a National Award for his effort. "'Gandhi, My Father' happened in a curious way. Feroz Abbas Khan (director) had approached me for Gandhi's role in his famous play 'Mahatma v/s Gandhi'. I was his first choice. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with other business interests then, and it was my misfortune that I couldn't do it. So here I am, playing Gandhi in his directorial debut," Darshan had said in an interview.

DILIP PRABHAWALKAR in "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" (2006)
The Sanjay Dutt-starrer was probably one of the most commercial Bollywood films to feature. The film wasn't just about the great leader but his teachings were highlighted well in the comedy-drama by filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. It showed why Gandhi continues to be relevant even today. Dilip was also honoured with a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his act in the blockbuster.

SURENDRA RAJAN in "The Legend Of Bhagat Singh" (2002); "Veer Savarkar" (2001); "Bose: The Forgotten Hero" (2004)
Few know, but Rajan is the actor to have essayed the Mahatma the maximum number of times. the Bollywood character actor may not be a known face in Hindi films, but his roles as Gandhi in "The Legend Of Bhagat Singh", Veer Savarkar", and "Bose" have become his calling cards.

SRIKANTH in "Mahatma" (2009 Telugu film)
The film was about a hooligan whose life sees transformation after he gets to know of Gandhism by chance. Actor Srikanth essyaed the role of the Mahatma.

The post 10 times Mahatma Gandhi was brought alive on screen appeared first on Social News XYZ.

By Manoj Pathak

Patna, Sep 27 (IANS) Shram Bharti 'Khadigram' was constituted to fulfil the dream of Mahatma Gandhi to make people self-sufficient after Independence but the organisation itself is seeking aid from others.

The All India Spinners' Association established Khadigram Bhavan on a piece of land purchased from Raja Kalanand Singh Bahadur of Sultanganj in Noomer village of Jamui district of Bihar on November 30, 1943. On March 13, 1948, the Association was merged with Sarv Sewa Sangh -- established under the chairmanship of Dr Rajendra Prasad on an appeal made by Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Gandhian thinker Prasun Latant said that the properties of the Association were transferred to Sarv Sewa Sangh after the merger. It also had to manage the operations of the association.

Chairman of All India Spinners' Association Dheerendra Majumdar became the first Chairman of Sarv Sewa Sangh. Sarv Sewa Sangh started 'Shram Bharti', its first centre under his leadership on March 12, 1952. It was on his appeal that the Sarvoday workers from across the country developed it by planting trees and building ponds. Thereafter it became a training centre of Sarvoday workers.

Latant told IANS, "During their visit to Khadigram in 1957, Dr Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru advised Dhreerendra Majumdar to continue working for the development of Khadi.

"U.N. Devar, Acharya G.B. Kriplani, Jayaprakash Narayan, Zakir Hussain applauded the work done by the Sangh and encouraged the volunteers."

They not only built ponds but also opened schools for married women and labourshops. Acharya Rammoorti also came here and managed the operation of Shram Bharti. As soon as he started managing Shram Bharti he started practicing self-reliance. The agriculture was the main focus and agricultural science centres were opened.

Manjri Singh, a resident of Muzaffarpur who has worked with Acharya Rammoorti, said, "Things drastically changed after the death of Acharya and the current situation of Khadigram itself reveals that Bapu's dream of making people self-sufficient couldn't come true. Now, neither cotton is harvested here nor there is any brainstorming on khadi."

She said that looking at the bad administration of this area, Acharya along with a German lady Sister Mary opened up women school on April 18, 2004, so as to provide education to the girls. The girls were taught here from class first to sixth and hostel was also provided.

"All the expenses, which included the living expense, food etc., were taken care by Sister Mary. Sister Mary came to visit Khadigram after the establishment of Shram Bharti as a nurse," added Singh.

Manjri Singh further said that the school which has helped in making more than 1,000 girls self-dependent till 2015 is closed from last four years. The closure of the school not only deprived the girls of education but also took away the means of earning of many families who were associated with the school.

She told IANS that the girls were taught stitching, embroidery, home science, gardening, music, etc. so that they can become self-dependent in future.

The locals said that Gandhian people used to visit Shram Bharti Khadigram in Jamui and inform them about new methods of agriculture.

In order to promote self employment, Union Ministry of House and Urban Development started preparing the cheap raw materials so as to provide cheap houses. People from Kaimur to Kishanganj were benefited from this. HUDCO closed this scheme in 2013. The activities of agricultural science centre operated in the premises have also been affected over the last five years. Employees of the agricultural science centres have not been paid salaries from last many months.

Sarv Sewa Sangh convener Ramesh Pankaj said that since the agricultural science centres started operating here Khadigram started desolating from last 20-25 years and homes were demolished.

Sewa Sangh chairman Mahadev Vidrohi said that now we will rejuvenate Shram Bharti. Necessary decisions will be taken in accordance with it. A women school will be reopened.

Sarv Sewa Sangh wants to bring khadigram in its original form as it was during its establishment. A steering committee will be formed to manage the activities of Khadigram, he added.

He further said, "We will again start such activities in Khadigram that they can rejuvenate Sarvoday and then only Bapu's dream of self-dependence be realised."

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By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Sep 27 (IANS) For Mumbai businessman Kishore Jhunjhunwalla, what started as a curiosity for Mohandas K. Gandhi, five decades ago, soon became a passion and then a haunting obsession which has resulted into what is the worlds largest private collection of memorabilia related to the Father of The Nation.

It was way back in 1969, when the world was celebrating Gandhiji's birth centenary in varied manner, scores of countries rose to pay tributes to the Apostle of Non-Violence by way of stamps, coins, currency notes, artefacts, books, and other commemorative articles.

"When the 78-year old Gandhiji was assassinated (Jan. 1948), I was barely four years old, but for the world which had witnessed that epochal event just 22 years ago, on his birth centenary (1969) it was a sheer spontaneous outpouring of love and respect for the one of a kind man who once walked on Earth," Jhunjhunwalla told IANS.

With over 100 countries issuing postal stamps and first-day-covers to honour Gandhiji, he started collecting them, like a dedicated Magpie. Today, at the age of 76, the young Jhunjhunwalla has nearly 1,000 stamps dedicated to Gandhiji from around the world.

That was just the beginning of his hobby, but as he viewed and studied the stamps in different shapes, sizes and colours, it ignited a passion in him and, like Oliver Twist, he said: "I wanted some more... and lot more!"

Soon Jhunjhunwalla's accumulation not only soared in quantity, but sheer variety and quality - priceless by any measure - literally piling up in his apartment in Walkeshwar Road in the posh south Mumbai.

"Yes, I 'invested' a little to acquire some items, but mostly ordinary folks simply walked in and gifted me many Gandhiji-related items as 'they had no clue' what to do with it," chuckles Jhunjhunwalla.

"I have everything from A-to-Z concerning or related, directly or indirectly, to Gandhi, many touched or felt by him, from everywhere on the planet. This collection is extensive enough to set up large and independent, thematic museums in each continent," he said.

He unhesitatingly displays a few of his "owner's pride, other's envy" samples - Gandhiji's ashes, barely 100 gm stored in an urn, a 1946 palm-print of Gandhiji taken in Kolkata with quote in his own writing on it, original self-corrected copies of his speeches, sermons and writings, over 50 hand-penned letters on the now-ageing paper, including the oldest dated in 1904 from South Africa and the last to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948, barely 12 days before his martyrdom, Gujarat's oldest newspaper dated July 3, 1892 announcing his return from England as a Barrister, and an issue of 'Time' Magazine when it nominated him 'Man Of The Year' (1930).

There is a staggering variety of colourful postal stamps, currency notes, flags, gold, silver, platinum and other metallic coins from virtually every country in the world, gramophone records in Gandhiji's voice and autographed items.

Plus a huge collection of newspaper-magazine clippings, which could be converted into a book, rare black-and-white pictures of Gandhiji with historical figures like Pandit Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Indira Gandhi, and other luminaries like King George VI, Lord Louis Mountbatten, then British PM Clement Attlee, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, other national and global celebrities.

"There are trivia matchboxes with his pictures, paintings, portraits, sketches, wedding cards replacing the family deity with Gandhiji's image, New Year or festival greeting cards, door locks, a cigarette case, a torch, ceramic pickle jars, bottles, table-crockery items, leather items, statuettes, busts, buttons, playing cards, and what-not...You must understand these items indicate how much Gandhiji penetrated and lived in the hearts of the common masses," he pointed out.

As the obsession possessed him, Jhunjhunwalla undertook extensive tours all over India, South Africa and England, went on a Dandi Yatra route and scoured other places to further fuel his collections and came back hugely rewarded.

And now, Jhunjhunwalla is eagerly looking forward to further enrich his collection with the upcoming Gandhi sesquicentenary when the world will flood with more accolades.

Not one to sit back on the laurels of his overawing collection, Jhunjhunwalla has launched a one-man marathon effort to find out and catalogue each and every place on the planet named after Gandhiji, and found more than 100 just in Mumbai alone...!

"It will be a cumbersome but extremely rewarding effort and I want to complete it as early as possible," he assured.

For over two decades now, he is a practical recluse from his supportive family and their traditional business of manufacturing rubber-products.

However, though the spirit is strong, Jhunjhunwalla's body is now showing signs of reluctance to keep pace with his expanding collectibles and so he wants to ensure it has a safe future.

"So far, it has come to light only in three private exhibitions, from Oct. 2, it will be displayed in a big way at the National Gallery Of Modern Art, and later at the Nehru Science Centre here. I am willing to take it to any country in the world which is ready to host an exhibition," he said.

Among the options he is toying with are: develop a permanent museum if he can get a grant of around 25,000 sq. feet constructed area, which is practically impossible in urban centres like Mumbai.

Other plans he's toying with are to "segregate the collection country-wise" and hand it over to the respective governments worldwide, or consider if some world-class museum is willing to take it over.

"Over the decades, I have realized that Indians have little or no value for their rich past and such magnificent collections, and it has remained my one-man effort so far," Jhunjhunwalla rued.

Apart from Gandhiji, he has a big, exclusive collection of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, but he said: "We shall speak about it at an appropriate time..!"

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated by the country, had learnt his first lessons in non-violence and satyagraha in South Africa where he practised law.

Before returning to India to lead the Independence movement, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was inspired by John Ruskins' book 'Unto This Last' and had set up the Phoenix Farm in Durban.

In this farm, Gandhi trained his cadres in non-violence and peaceful restraint against aggression. Later, he set up the 'Tolstoy Farm', where he developed non-violence as a tool of protest.

In South Africa, he came across the worst kind of apartheid when he was thrown off a train despite possessing first class ticket. The reason was that a white man had complained to authorities that an Indian was sharing the compartment with him.

After this incident, a new Gandhi was born.

Gandhi had arrived in Durban in 1893 and became a leader of the Indian community in South Africa after forming Natal Indian Congress in 1894.

This organisation used to agitate and protest for the rights of the native people and Indians living in the country. He came back to India in 1896 and took around 800 people with him to work for the people of that country.

Upon arrival in South Africa, he faced violence and was injured. But his organisation organised non-violent protests.

During the Boer war, he organised volunteers to support the British. He also set up Indian Ambulance Corps as he thought "The authorities may not always be right but as long as the subjects owe allegiance to the state, it is their clear duty to accord their support".

There too, he faced ethnic discrimination. In September 1906, the first satyagraha was organised to protest Transvaal Asiatic Ordinance that was against local Indians. In June 1907, he protested against the Black act.

Between 1908 and 1913, Gandhi fought against the British and was sentenced to jail for organising the non-violent movements, first in 1908 and then in 1909.

But after the intervention from General Smuts, he was released but Smuts broke his commitment.

After a brief time, he was again imprisoned in Pretoria in 1909 for three months for protests, which he called satyagraha.

Gandhi also led a movement against the nullification of non-Christian marriages in 1913. Later General Smuts said that "men like Mahatma Gandhi redeem us from a sense of commonplace and futility and are an inspiration to us not to weary in well doing."

A critical analysis of Gandhi's stay in South Africa has been done by some writers. Ashwin Desai, Professor at University of Johannesburg and Ghoolam Vahed, Professor at University of Kwazulu Natal, wrote a book titled 'The South African Gandhi-Stretcher Bearer Of Empire.' The book, in a sense, is controversial as it presents an argument that Gandhi was fighting for Indians and not for Africans.

As per the book, Gandhi described native Africans as "raw and savage" and living a life "of nakedness" as he tried to prove to the Britishers that the Indians in South Africa were superior to native Africans.

The author, in his book, claims that the first issue against which Gandhi fought in South Africa was about separate entrances for whites and blacks at post offices in Durban.

The book says Gandhi objected that Indians were "classified with the native Africans".

The book says in a letter to the Natal Parliament in 1893, Gandhi wrote: "I venture to point out that both the English and the Indians spring from a common stock, called the Indo-Aryan. A general belief seems to prevail in the Colony that the Indians are little better, if at all, than savages or the Natives of Africa. Even the children are taught to believe in that manner, with the result that the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kaffir."

Despite these arguments in the book, Gandhi is revered as an inspiration in South Africa for showing the path to freedom. Nelson Mandela, while accepting the Nobel peace prize in 1994, had said that he owed his success to Gandhi.

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By Anindya Banerjee

New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) When one thinks of two persons poles apart in terms of political ideology in pre-Independent India, one can easily think of the two gentlemen who later went on to become phenomena we still discuss -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Gandhi went on to be called "Mahatma", while the title "Veer" was bestowed on Savarkar. Mahatma believed in an independent but undivided India, while Savarkar had a "Hindu nation" in mind. So how would have the two, who were contemporaries, dealt with each other with such contrarian views?

As the world celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of the man who has come to be known as the "Father of the Nation", Gandhi has been made to look like the mascot of the "liberal left", while Savarkar has been made to look like the face of "Hindu right wing conservatives".

But in spite of the smear campaign, the two freedom fighters used to respect the views of each other. In fact, the two were in absolute agreement on any issues.

In spite of the array of differences between the two, both had strong views on Hinduism and were firm believers of the faith.

However, their interpretation of Hinduism was starkly different. In 1909, Gandhi was invited by the Indian diaspora in the UK to attend an event on the occasion of Dussehra. The same event was attended by Savarkar, then a student in London. The two finally shared a stage.

While Gandhi talked about Lord Ram as selfless and conciliatory, Savarkar spoke about Goddess Durga as the epitome of "Vinashkari" (destroyer), someone who killed the evil.

Many of Savarkar's followers would be surprised to know that the man pitched for an inclusive India where all religions have a right to belong and thrive around Hinduism. And Gandhi was in agreement to what Savarkar had said.

The Congress of today may very well make fun of Savarkar, but Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue J. Nandakumar argues, "Mahatma Gandhi called Savarkar 'a faithful son of Bharat... brave, clever and frankly, a revolutionary'. In an article published in Young India, Mahatma Gandhi fiercely argued why 'Royal Clemency' should be given to Veer Savarkar and his 'talent should be utilised for public welfare'."

Gandhi and Savarkar both opposed untouchability, but supported the very root cause of untouchability, that is, the Varnashrama Dharma.

They had more in common. Both justified division of labour between men and women where women were restricted to the private sphere, while the public sphere was for men. However, Gandhi acknowledged that women can venture into public domain but only for nationalist purposes.

In an article titled "Masculinity and Nation: A study of Gandhi and Savarkar", Indraprastha University researcher Rashmi Gopi wrote: "Gandhi supported feminine-masculinity but never endorsed masculine-femininity. On the part of Savarkar, he never acknowledged women's role as independent agents in public sphere. Thus the underlying assumption for both of them was that women are different from men and women have to be always under the guidance of men."

Decades after sharing the stage in London, the same Savarkar was put on trial on allegations of hatching the plot for Gandhi's assassination. Though he was acquitted, he continues to remain a "villain" for many.

But what no one can alter is the fact that both Gandhi and Savarkar agreed on multiple issues which will be considered as retrograde in today's time. And whenever Gandhi and Savarkar had strong disagreement, they had agreed to disagree.

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