2008- Your life is your message!

1947- Marina Beach, chennai

1912- Mahatma Gandhi 'a British agent who did great harm to India'

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Known for his penchant for stirring controversies, former chairman of Press Club of India, Justice Markandey Katju has called Mahatma Gandhi 'a British agent who did great harm to India'.

His blog, posted on his Facebook page was shared by more than 1,300 people by the time this report was being filed.

This is what Justice Katju wrote in his blog titled - 'Gandhi—A British Agent'.
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Blog-
This post is bound to draw a lot of flak at me, but that does not matter as I am not a popularity seeker I have often said things knowing that initially that will make me very unpopular, and I will be vilified and denounced by many. Nevertheless I say such things as I believe they must be said in my country's interest. I submit that Gandhi was objectively a British agent who did great harm to India."

"These are my reasons for saying this:
1. India has tremendous diversity, so many religions, castes, races, languages, etc ( see my article ' What is India ?' on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in ).

Realizing this the British policy was of divide and rule ( see online ' History in the Service of Imperialism ' , which is a speech delivered by Prof B N Pande in the Rajya Sabha ).

By constantly injecting religion into politics continuously for several decades, Gandhi furthered the British policy of divide and rule.

If we read Gandhi's public speeches and writings ( e.g. in his newspapers 'Young India', ' Harijan ', etc ) we find that ever since Gandhi came to India from South Africa in 1915 or so till his death in 1948, in almost every speech or article he would emphasize Hindu religious ideas e.g. Ramrajya, Go Raksha ( cow protection ), brahmacharya ( celibacy ), varnashram dharma ( caste system ), etc ( see Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi ).

Thus Gandhi wrote in ' Young India ' on 10.6.1921 " I am a Sanatani Hindu. I believe in the varnashram dharma. I believe in protection of the cow ". In his public meetings the Hindu bhajan ' Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram ' would be loudly sung.

Now Indians are a religious people, and they were even more religious in the first half of the 20th century. A sadhu or swamiji may preach such ideas to his followers in his ashram, but when they are preached day in and day out by a political leader, what effect will these speeches and writings have on an orthodox Muslim mind ? It would surely drive him towards a Muslim organization like the Muslim League, and so it did. Was this not serving the British policy of divide and rule ? By constantly injecting religion into politics for several decades, was Gandhi not objectively acting as a British agent ?

2. In India a revolutionary movement against British rule had started in the early 20th century under the Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar, and revolutionaries like Surya Sen, Ramprasad Bismil ( who wrote the song ' Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai ), Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, etc ( who were all hanged by the British ). Gandhi successfully diverted the freedom struggle from this revolutionary direction to a harmless nonsensical channel called Satyagrah. This also served British interests.

3. Gandhi's economic ideas were thoroughly reactionary. He advocated self sufficient village communities, though everybody knows that these communities were totally casteist and in the grip of landlords and money lenders..Gandhi was against industrialization, and preached handspinning by charkha and other such reactionary nonsense. Similarly, his ' trusteeship ' theory was all nonsense, and an act of deceiving the people

Some people praise Gandhi's bravery in going to Noakhali, etc to douse the communal violence at the time of Partition. But the question is why did he help setting the house on fire in the first place by preaching religious ideas in public political meetings for several decades, which were bound to divide the Indian people on religious lines? First you set the house on fire, and then you do the drama of trying to douse the flames.

(Blog taken from Justice Markandey Katju's Facebook page)

1364-From my scrap book: Gandhi vs. us!

Gandhi was totally non-violent-- in thought, word and deed. We are violent!

He was absolutely clean. Some of us are cleaner- we launder even our money!

He identified himself with the poorest of the poor. We identify ourselves with loafers and Bofors!

He had sterling character. We are chasing 'Dollar values'!

He was guided by distant stars. We are guided by film stars!

He was self-effacing. We are self-degrading!

He was supremely happy possessing nothing. We are terribly unhappy obsessed with possessions!

He had boundless compassion. We are full of passion!

He never ridiculed anyone. We do not do anything else!

He spread sweetness and light. WE spread sourness and blight!

He felt he was an instrument in the hands of God! We use even God as an Instrument to serve our ends!

He was very humble and felt he should reduce himself to a zero. We are born zeros!

He was a a giant of a man.We are little insects crawling the earth thinking we own it!

His slogan was 'service before self'. Ours is self service!
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1091- What if Branson met Gandhi?

Stephen Manallack

They both used creative symbolism to propel their causes into the Spotlight — Mahatma Gandhiwith his spinning wheel and simple clothing, Sir Richard Branson with balloon flights and other challenges. But what if they met — would they have got on?

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) is regarded in India as the Father of the Nation, leading the campaign for freedom from British rule, and Sir Richard Branson (1950-) is the British founder of the Virgin business empire, also known for humanitarian activism.

The quietly spoken Gandhi opens the discussion by reminding Branson: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

Gandhi explains what this means for business: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises; he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.”

Branson is nodding and interjects: “No company can train its front-end people to handle every situation, but you can strive to create an environment in which they feel at ease doing as they would be done by.”

As Gandhi continues with the cotton spinning wheel, Branson enthuses: “…it is necessary to give other people the space to thrive, to catch people doing something right, rather than getting things wrong.” Gandhi is vigorous in agreement: “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”

But what about choosing the right approach to life? Gandhi sets the scene with: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Branson, the enthusiast, responds: “Look for people who take their roles seriously and lead from the front, but who are not slow to see the lighter side of life.”

A Family

In response to Gandhi’s quizzical look, Branson continues: “A company should genuinely be a family, who achieve together, grow together and laugh together.”

Gandhi reminds his colleague that even in families, disputes can occur and anger can arise. He points out: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” As Branson nods in agreement, Gandhi continues: “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”

Branson wants to discuss creativity, leading with: “No one has a monopoly on good ideas or good advice, so as a leader you should always be listening. Be visible, note down what you hear and you’ll be surprised how much you learn.” Gandhi responds with wisdom: “The golden rule is to test everything in the light of reason and experience, no matter from where it comes.”

And leadership? Again, from Branson: “Nobody respects a leader who doesn’t know how to get his hands dirty and innovate personally.” This point of character was so important to Gandhi: “If you have no character to lose, people will have no faith in you”.

Gandhi warms to the theme: “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” Branson can barely restrain his thoughts: “Having a personality of caring about people is important,” he says. “You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them.”

But Gandhi wants to move from big picture to the individual, reminding Branson to: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

Taking Pride

Reflecting on this point, Branson highlights the importance of being proud of what you do: “If you make something you are proud of, that filters down to your staff, as well as your customers.” But Gandhi is more impressed with action than words: “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” He reminds Branson that tolerance is a key human value, explaining that he has “…a tolerance for all faiths”.

Glancing at his enthusiastic visitor, Gandhi cannot resist stirring the pot: “There is enough in this world for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed” and explains the real source of a happy life: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Branson relishes this shift in the conversation and expands on business in the community: “Take a look around at your community and you will likely see problems that need to be fixed – from reversing environmental degradation to creating local jobs. As an entrepreneur or business leader, you have a role to play in solving those problems.”

Coke deed

Inspired by the great man, Branson sets out a vision: “Coca-Cola sells 1.7 billion drinks every day, from Paris to Mumbai. If a fraction of those consumers were inspired to do something good each time they drank a Coke, the company really would be teaching the world to sing.”

Gandhi almost shudders at the mention of the fizzy western drink, removes his round glasses and his parting words linger in the mind of Branson as he flies home: “The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.”

The writer is the author of ‘Soft Skills for a Flat World, combining the best of India and the best of the west’.  

“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”

(The Hindu, empower, 30:01:2013)

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Questions & Answers

An email forward
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How many children did Mahatma Gandhi have?

Gandhi and Kasturba had four sons –
Harilal (1888-1948) who was born in India,
Manilal (1892-1956) born in India,
Ramdas (1897-1969) born in South Africa, and
Devdas (1900-1957) born in South Africa.
Mahatma Gandhi’s sons resented their upbringing as disciples. They were not, for example, allowed the formal education which Mohandas himself had received and which would have provided them with their own choice of livelihood.

Harilal Mohandas Gandhi (1888-1948) was the first son of Mahatma Gandhi. He rebelled most strongly. He had a very troubled relationship with his father, who eventually disowned him. . Harilal renounced all family ties in 1911 and embarked upon a tragic, lifelong path of self-destruction- an alcoholic, an embezzler; accounts of his arrests, public drunkenness, and destitution became commonplace.
Harilal converted to Islam in the 1930s, adopting the name "Abdullah Gandhi". This act deeply offended his father. He allowed himself to be used in public meetings as an example by Muslim mullahs in Karachi to convert Hindus to Islam. In one of these meetings, when a Muslim speaker disparaged his father, Harilal flew into rage and kicked the speaker in anger. Harilal later converted back to Hinduism. The strain in the relationship between father and son was underscored by Harilal's proposal to remarry upon the death of his first wife in 1918, despite firm objections from his father. Said Mahatma Gandhi on his son's wishes to marry: "How can I, who has always advocated renunciation of sex, encourage you to gratify it?"
Harilal appeared at his father's funeral in such derelict condition that few recognized him. Harilal died of tuberculosis in June 1948, within months of his father's death.

Manilal Mohandas Gandhi (October 28, 1892, -1956)
was the second son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi and was active in his father's movement.He was born in India. was in disgrace in 1916 after he lent his elder brother some money. Mohandas sent him to South Africa, where he edited an
Indian newspaper.Gandhi worked for almost four decades, from 1917 onwards, as the editor of the Gujarati-English weekly publication, Indian Opinion, at Phoenix, Durban. Like his father, Gandhi was also sent to jail several times by the British colonial government after protesting against unjust laws.
In 1927, Manilal married Sushila Mashruwala, and had two daughters, Sita (1928) and Ela (1940), and one son, Arun (1934). Arun and Ela are also social-political activists.

Ramdas Gandhi (1897 - 1969) was the third son of Mahatma Gandhi. Born and raised in South Africa, he never adjusted to the idealistic poverty imposed by his father, yet participated in the grueling civil protests of the 1930s. Numerous jailings wrecked his health. He outlived his parents and all of his brothers. He and his wife Nirmala had three children -- Sumitra, Kanu and Usha.

Devdas Gandhi (1900 - 1957) was the fourth and youngest son of Mahatma Gandhi. Mohandas acted as midwife at the delivery of his youngest son, Devadas Gandhi (1900-1957). He was born in South Africa and returned to India with his parents as a young man. He became active in his father's movement, spending many terms in jail. He also became a prominent journalist, serving as editor of the Hindustan Times. Devdas fell in love with Lakshmi, the daughter of his father's associate in the Indian independence struggle Rajaji C. Rajagopalachari. Due to Lakshmi's age at that time; she was only fifteen, whereas Devdas was twenty eight years old - both Mahatma Gandhi and Rajaji asked the couple to wait for five years without seeing each other. After five years had passed, they were married with Mahatma Gandhi's and Rajaji's permissions in 1933. Devdas and Lakshmi had four children, including Rajmohan Gandhi and Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Alone of all the sons, Devadas stayed near his father, sometimes being granted the privilege of serving as his secretary.


Grandchildren:
Harilal and his wife Chanchal produced four children, Manilal and his wife Sushila three, Ramdas and his wife Nirmala two and Devdas and his wife Lakshmi four. Thus Gandhi had thirteen grandchildren.

In 1976 Gandhi's direct descendants numbered 47 in five nations. According to Ved Mehta, author of 'Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles', they "do everything from selling life insurance to working in space engineering; one is a Moral Re-Armament evangelist." The family name is well and truly alive today.

As for the grandchildren the reknowned three are:
Arun - son of Manilal - is today Founder Director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ramchandra - son of Devdas - is an academic, and
Rajmohan - also son of Devdas - has been a journalist, academic, politician and activist. He is also a high quality author. In 1995 he published a biography of his grandfather, "The Good Boatman", (Viking, New Delhi). In the preface of this book, Rajmohan describes Gandhi as being to him personally "both a wonder and a weight".
(Indian Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi is no relation.)
(From Wikipedia)
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The power of non-violence

Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of
the M.K.Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, in his June 9 lecture at the
University of Puerto Rico, shared the following story:
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I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the
institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of
Durban, South Africa, in the middle of the sugar plantations.
We were deep in the country and had no neighbors, so my
two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town
to visit friends or go to the movies.
One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an
all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. Since I was
going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she
needed and, since I had all day in town, my father asked me
to take care of several pending chores, such as getting the
car serviced.
When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, "I will
meet you here at 5:00 p.m., and we will go home together."
After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to
the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John
Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30
before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and
got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for
me, it was almost 6:00.

He anxiously asked me, "Why were you late?"

I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne
western movie that I said, "The car wasn't ready, so I had
to wait," not realizing that he had already called the
garage.

When he caught me in the lie, he said: "There's something
wrong in the way I brought you up that didn't give you
the confidence to tell me the truth. In order to figure out
where I went wrong with you, I'm going to walk home 18 miles
and think about it."
So, dressed in his suit and dress shoes, he began to walk
home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads.

I couldn't leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove
behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a
stupid lie that I uttered. I decided then and there that I
was never going to lie again. I often think about that
episode and wonder, if he had punished me the way we punish
our children, whether I would have learned a lesson at all.
I don't think so. I would have suffered the punishment and
gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent
action was so powerful that it is still as if it happened
yesterday. That is the power of non-violence.
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