The More We Denigrate Gandhi, The More We Disparage Ourselves
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
12 August
2023
Tere Matam Mein Shamil Hain Zamin O Aasman Wale
Ahinsa Ke Pujari Sog Mein Hain Do Jahan Wale
Tera Arman Pura Hoga Ai Amn-O-Aman Wale
Tere Jhande Ke Niche Aaenge Sare Jahan Wale
(Nazeer
Banarasi immediately penned a long poem, 'Aah Gandhi,' on hearing the news
of Mr Gandhi's assassination on January 30, 1948; I've taken only the opening
four lines of it)
Gandhi's
entire life is a quintessential manifestation of the famous adage that only a
tree which's laden with fruits is pelted with stones.
Vivek
Shukla reminiscing M K Gandhi's visit to Mewat region to stop the exodus of Mewati
Muslims will not go well with today's neo-Hindus who hate Gandhi and call him a
Muslim-pacifier and a Hindu-basher.
In fact,
today's Hindus, educated at WhatsApp University, justify Nathuram Godse's
motive for assassinating the Apostle of Peace. These fanatics forget that
Gandhi visited Noakhali, now in Bangladesh, Calcutta and many other places to
intervene and stop the raging communal riots.
He was in
Calcutta on August 15, 1947 when the entire India was euphoric to have got
freedom. That Gandhi tried to pacify Muslims and was partial to them is a lie
that has become a standard and institutionalized narrative for all those who
leave no stone unturned in condemning him.
All social
platforms are chock-a-block with unverified pieces of 'information' on Gandhi.
Because of constant misinformation coupled with extreme hatred for Muslims,
today's generation is under the impression that Gandhi was responsible for the
Partition and because of his insistence, ALL Muslims didn't migrate to Pakistan
and many of them stayed back in India.
Those
unwanted Muslims who didn't flee to Pakistan and who chose to stay back
(because of Gandhi) are creating all sorts of trouble and violence and not
letting India become a Hindu Rashtra. In other words, M K Gandhi is a villain
to Hindu India.
All the
sane and sensible readers may have noticed that in the last decade, there has
been an organized attempt to malign Gandhi and project him as a traitor and
Uncle Tom; a British agent. This relentless vilification is going on and the
current political dispensation is silent because Gandhi’s nationwide obloquy
goes in its favour. But can the Great M K Gandhi be expunged from the
consciousness of all those who love peace and shun violence of all shades and
hues? I don’t want to repeat what Albert Einstein said of Gandhi, for, that has
become too threadbare and platitudinous, all one can say, the more we denigrate
Gandhi, the more we disparage ourselves.
----
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/denigrate-gandhi-disparage/d/130430
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