Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
The architect of India’s freedom from foreign domination! The venerable man (Mahatma) of India! The man who laid the foundation for the democratic, secular, socialistic republic of India.
Today India honours this great saint on his 150th birthday. He was born at Porbandar in Gujarat on Oct.02, 1869. His father was Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi and mother Putlibai Gandhi. He was married to Kasturba. His four sons were named Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas.
When he worked as a lawyer in South Africa, he saw the enslaving mentality of the white race against the native Africans. He himself had a bitter experience of being thrown out of the train because his skin was brown.
He came back to India with determination in his heart and quickness in his steps. Humble was his disposition. Honest was his intention. Determined were his actions.
He organised the masses and walked with them, fasted with them, went to jail with them, suffered the insolence of the mighty British Raj in India. But, the ‘half-naked fakir’ wasn’t deterred. With a humble dress and a bare body waste up, he humbled the British even by sitting with them at a round table conference negotiating for India’s freedom.
And, finally, he won! He and the masses won India’s freedom. He led them. They followed him. His magnetic power sent electric waves into them to stand up and fight for India’s freedom.
But, the prize this long-distance runner as India’s freedom fighter received was three bullets into his chest. Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic did a terrorist’s job.
Gandhiji is honoured as the father of the Indian nation. We Indians follow his footsteps as much as we can. But, there are sinister forces denouncing this great venerable man in order to foist their terrorist and narrow-minded nationalistic agenda to destroy India’s secular fabric.
Today our prayer today is:
Rise up Mahatma,
Rise up in our blood!
Help us to thwart the sinister forces
That promote a hellish nation
That seek to destroy our secular nation,
That plot to thwart our fraternal feelings
That want to turn India
Into a narrow nationalistic entity,
That destroy religious freedom,
That create panic and trepidation among the masses,
That attempt to terrorise the citizens!
Come Mahatma to our aid.
Give us courage
To cry ‘foul’ against these hellish forces.
Let India regain her losing glory
Of fraternity, equality and justice!
Come Mahatma, come!
Jai Mahatma, Jai Gandhi!