MAHATMA GHANDI

There is one place I really wanted to pay respects in India it is the grave of Ghandi .. Father of modern India who was assassinated almost 70 years ago in 1948. He was truly a peacemaker who dedicated and eventually gave his life for non-violent efforts to fight for justice. I read a couple of books on Ghandi and on the India-Pakistan story. I was able to visit his home in Mumbai where there is a mini-museum.

We remember him initially in his sartorial best as a lawyer, a die-hard activist, a politician and eventually as a martyr. We will not forget that thin, even scrawny and bespectacled old man wrapped in a bundle of cotton cloth, aided by a walking stick that was nothing more than a branch from a tree, on which he made history in a 'Walkathon'. On that same outfit he addressed the British Parliament after successfully negotiated India's independence. He was indeed a man of his times. He is one story we should encourage the next generation to read lest they will think the clowns who manipulate global politics today are in fact our 'leaders' which of course they are not, starting with those at our own doorsteps.

Incidentally if you have not watched the movie Ghandi, with Ben Kingsley in the lead, you have to. You must. It has to be one of the best ever portrayal of a political figure by an actor in movie history. I must have watched it 20 times, I can remember the lines. My favorite is that unique mannerism on Ghandi (or was it Kingsley) when he moved his lips slightly as though he was about to swallow something, when he was on a hunger strike and subsequently became a trademark. Outstanding acting!