Remembering Gandhi

I am not very fond of some of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles but at the same time I hold the highest regard for his unmatched principle of non-violence and peace. I am certain that this earth will never witness a second Gandhi, the standard established by him cannot be matched and he truly deserves to be called as one of the greatest human kind of all time. The sacrifice and selfless approach for humanity adopted by him is unparalleled till date. I always feel scarcity of words while talking about how great a person , a leader Gandhi was and his lessons , preaches  will remain relevant till this civilization exists .

I am remembering Mahatma Gandhi for a very special reason, how coincidently this remains his birth month, the world paid tribute to this great personality on 2^nd of October , his 141^th Birth anniversary. I was fortunate enough to have travelled by Gandhidham-Bangalore express from Mumbai to Bangalore on 13^th of October, it was also a coincidence that I recalled Mahatma’s voyage to explore India while travelling on an October night in a train named after Mahatma which originated from the home state of the great man.

I am fortunate to have read Gandhi’s Autobiography “My experiments with Truth “, A real master piece in its own right. Why this journey of mine refreshed my liking and respect of mahatma is because of the circumstances I am travelling in. I had booked a ticket from Mumbai to Bangalore which did not get confirmed till the journey commenced, thanks to Pathetic Railway system in India. It was a very unfamiliar condition for me; so far I haven’t travelled a long journey without a confirmed berth. Obviously it was a challenge. Given the urgency of my commitments in Bangalore, I was not in luxury of postponing my trip but tension grew many folds because of the fact that I didn’t have a confirmed berth. My sincere efforts also yielded no results, not even an RAC could I get. Seeing my efforts going in vain, I finally did buy a ticket for 2^nd class unreserved berth (Famously called General) and consequently boarded the train.

Second class as usual was very crowded, no place to even settle myself. I remembered the Heroics of Gandhi who travelled in general class while exploring India. Though his was a self made decision, mine was a compromising decision after not being successful in getting a confirmed berth. I started recalling every words mentioned by Gandhi in his autobiography. It is true that majority of Indians cannot afford anything other than 2^nd class for travel. The poverty line statistics show that above 42% Indians live on less than 1.25 $ a day. That actually gives the real picture of India that is how Gandhi had described India. The poor who reside in rural areas constitute the majority, and development of a handful of population do not account for country’s development. Gandhi did lead by example; he always maintained an economical way of life but high on values. The austerity drive presently seen in Media, and some leaders boasting themselves for being economical only to get a frontline mention in news do not actually go accordance with beliefs of Gandhi. I feel Gandhi was of the belief that the leaders should experience the challenges and hurdles a commoner face in day to day life that is why probably he advocated the theory of austerity.

The India of Gandhi’s dream has come to a full circle, the poor are still poor , their lives are miserable but the leaders representing them have become richer with every passing day. The poor are left with no option but to travel in inadequate facilities while their leaders do enjoy the highest quality service everywhere. The comforts enjoyed by them at no point suggest the extreme poverty   nation faces. It is but natural that these leaders’ promises to eradicate poverty are mere hollow promises as they actually do not know the problem and hence are incapable of coming with any solution.

I can feel that one journey in trying condition really jolted me, I have complains for almost everything. The facility in the 2nd class compartment was below standard. The cleanliness of the compartment was very unhygienic, no of people were 3-4 times more than its capacity, the fans were not functioning properly, the condition of toilets was very pathetic so was the water supply. Of course people travelling in these coaches deserve a more improved facility, after all the humans cannot be treated as cattle as they are being forced to currently. I definitely want to salute Gandhi for his ability to face the challenging conditions though it was not mandatory for him. I understand that as long as these 2^nd class facilities do not improve, the poor, the majority in this country will continue to suffer. Here I have referenced problems in Indian Railways while the problems of such quality remain in every sector and thus keeping majority of Indians away from self patting campaign of India Shining. India cannot be called a Developed country unless until the majority of the population get the feel of development! In my opinion that is where India stands , a story of booming of a new economic powerhouse remains a hoax unless the majority enjoys their share of the rising economy, perhaps that is what Bapu of the nation also dreamt!