Editor, Goemkarponn
AERIAL VIEW
In 1969, on his birth centenary, the country decided to honour him by plastering his face on our currency notes.
Indeed, it was a great honour, but Gandhi would never know what had been purchased by people trading the notes, which has his photo as a mark of honour.
Instead of paying the token respect to the greatest soul, we need to follow his principles and create awareness in society.
Mahatma Gandhi, as he was called, had taken eleven vows, which contain the essence of his teaching in its relation to India and represent a trend in the writings of the world intelligentsia, as well as the secret longings of a large number of inarticulate human beings.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
Is this respect or an insult? Well. Every year the State government has a couple of identical circulars following the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations – one declaring the Dry Day on October 2 and the second one asking the off-shore Casinos to shut operation for 24 hours from midnight 12 am to next midnight.
Well, at least I fail to understand the logic behind calling such Dry Days. Why would anyone want to keep the Father of The Nation happy for just two days – on his birthday and death anniversary.
The joke is we respect him on his birth and death days, and on other days, we trade notes with his photo to purchase Alcohol. Sense?
In 1969, on his birth centenary, the country decided to honour him by plastering his face on our currency notes.
Indeed, it was a great honour, but Gandhi would never know what had been purchased by people trading the notes, which has his photo as a mark of honour.
Instead of paying the token respect to the greatest soul, we need to follow his principles and create awareness in society.
Mahatma Gandhi, as he was called, had taken eleven vows, which contain the essence of his teaching in its relation to India and represent a trend in the writings of the world intelligentsia, as well as the secret longings of a large number of inarticulate human beings.
Gandhi’s vows have something to do with ahimsa or non-violence, freedom from untouchability, body labour; celibacy; non-stealing and non-possession; equal respect for all religions; and Satyagraha.
From the point of view of the Hindus, the untouchability campaign led by Gandhi introduced a new conception-Hinduism without a social hierarchy.
Gandhi, the man who believed intensely in two basic principles, truth and non-violence, would be turning in his grave as he looks at India or, more particularly, Goa, run by politicians who give truth short shrift and use violence as a means to further their ends.
In addition to truth and non-violence, Gandhi also gave us the concept of ‘Sarvodaya’, loosely translated as universal upliftment. With 269 million Indians defined as poor, the country has given short shrift to Sarvodaya as well.
So what do we remember him by?
First, of course, is the dry days we observe on his birth and death anniversary and the last day of ‘Gandhi week’. “Alcohol makes a man forget himself, and while its effects last, he becomes utterly incapable of doing anything useful. Those who take to drinking ruin themselves and ruin their people. They lose all sense of decency and propriety,” Gandhi had said.
So we pay lip service to his thoughts and force the prevention of the sale of Alcohol. It’s completely mindless, as many who want to have a tipple get their Alcohol on dry days as well, and others stock up in anticipation of the dry day.
Believe me, Alcohol is more easily available on Dry Days in Goa at least.
What else has Gandhi given us? Well, he’s given us a holiday. Which, of course, we do not use in introspection, but as, er, any regular holiday. However, this year being a Sunday, people have lost that too.
It seems like the people in Goa may be more upset as being a Sunday; they miss their week-break drink due to Dry Day.
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