Gandhian

Excerpt from the book - Great Soul by Joseph Lelyveld

In India today, the term "Gandhian" is ultimately synonymous with social conscience; his example - of courage, persistence, identification with the poorest, striving for selflessness - still has a power to inspire, more so even than his doctrines of nonviolence and techniques of resistance, certainly more than his assorted dogmas and pronouncements on subjects like spinning, diet, and sex. It may not happen often, but the inspiration is still there to be imbibed; and when it is, the results can still be called Gandhian, even though the man himself, that great soul, never liked or accepted the word. 

(It was Joseph Lelyveld in the above paragraph, making his ending remarks about the Great Soul)

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We surely know when the term 'Gandhian' is chanted and when it is not. It is an inspiration for sure but for the actions that still are un-welcomed in 'Gandhian' way.

And perhaps, many are not even aware of what it actually means.

Srik

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test

Excerpt from the book - Great Soul by Joseph Lelyveld

"Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test: Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubt and your self melting away."

(It was Mahatma Gandhi in the above paragraph)

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A challenging test for sure. I do not know how many of us take up such tests on 'self'.

Srik

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essence of the man

Excerpt from the book - Great Soul by Joseph Lelyveld

"the essence of his teaching was fearlessness and truth and action allied to these," Jawaharlal Nehru would write. "this voice was somehow different from others, it was quiet and low, and yet it could be heard above the shouting of the multitude; it was soft and gentle, and yet there seemed to be steel hidden away somewhere in it...Behind the language of peace and friendship there was power and the quivering shadow of action and a determination not to submit to a wrong."

(the words of Nehru in the above paragraph describing the Mahatma)

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The leader. Need I say more?
It is the essence of true, spirited leadership to make the change!

Srik

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pianist

Excerpt from the book - Great Soul by Joseph Lelyveld

I can't devote myself entirely to untouchability and say, "Neglect Hindu-Muslim unity or swaraj." All these things run into one another and are interdependent. You will find at one time in my life an emphasis on one thing, at another time on [an]other. But that is just like a pianist, now emphasizing one note and now [an]other. 

(It was Mahatma Gandhi in the above paragraph)

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Loved the above paragraph.

Of course many things are interdependent on many more other things. One has to realize the importance of them and take appropriate step. Just like a pianist. 

Srik

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plan for freedom

Excerpt from the book - Great Soul by Joseph Lelyveld

"I am biding my time," Mahatma finally wrote in a letter dated May 1928, "and you will find me leading the country in the field of politics when the country is ready. I have no false modesty about me. I am undoubtedly a politician in my own way, and I have a plan for the country's freedom."

(It was Mahatma Gandhi in the above paragraph)
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Well, It was his determination to lead the country towards freedom. An inspiration for sure. How many of our current politicians or leaders have such plans for the country? 

Mahatma was a true visionary.

Srik

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a sorry affair

Excerpt from the book - Great Soul by Joseph Lelyveld

Those who depend on what he called "truth force" were "strangers to disappointment and defeat," he claimed in his book. Yet here he was, at the end of his days, expressing chronic disappointment and, sometimes, a sense of defeat. He'd had more to do with India's independence than any other individual - in declaring the goal and making it seem attainable, in convincing the nation that it was a nation - but he was not among those who celebrated that day. Instead, he fasted. The celebrations were, he said, "a sorry affair."

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That was Mahatma Gandhi in the above paragraph. 

In a way it is so true that it was not an occasion to celebrate. It was a defeat in his own mind that the real freedom was not achieved. 

Srik

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