Category: Soirée
Atal Bihari Vajpayee – A Man of Exceptions
The memory of the poet, orator, politician, statesman, India’s favourite former Prime Minister will live on…
As a child, I was interested in politics. I sat with my family to hear politicians speak in the Lok Sabha. And I always waited to hear him speak.
His words made my blood rush with a patriotic fervour. His poems were my personal favourite. As a poet, I wondered if I could ever write like him. Or if my words would affect the mass with the fervent desire to uplift the world. His words did that. He made people think. His words always ensured positive and progressive thoughts in one and all. That was the power of his words.
His smile to me was the balm of the early morning sun. It brightened me. His winsome smile motivated me. It made me want to contribute in the building a stronger society that was bound by values and traditions. Yet, it drove me to think differently, to break from the dead norms. It made me learn to be modern while respecting my roots.
It was when I saw him in those sunglasses that I wondered if I had got it all wrong. That simple man had an evergreen suave. It made me confident that he was a modern man with a traditional heart.
I remember Pokhran. I remember the Kargil war. Most importantly, I remember his poise when the going got tough. I remember his peaceful countenance when India achieved its national goals.
Today, it is tough to trust politicians. He on the other hand looked and sounded trustworthy. He was a man who had friends, advisors and probably detractors. However, this man had no adversaries. No enemies! How did he manage that? But he did! That was because he was extraordinary. His strong character stood out at times of crisis and at times of joy.
Born on Christmas, call him 93 or just a man in his early 20s. The truth is, he was such a young person at heart. The sparkle in his eyes, the serenity of his smile and his salt n pepper look. I liked it all.
The only politician I ever admired and look up to is gone. He has left a void that no one can fill.
There is plenty of reason why I hold him in such a high regard. The primary reason is that it easy to get carried away when one is powerful. It is easy to get swayed when the stakes are high. Only the strongest person can forgo all the trappings of the world to toil for the nation and its’ people.
This man did. He was as his name suggested. He was strong, uncompromising, generous and unmoved by temptations. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, my favourite statesman, poet and orator will always live in my memory. He will consistently inspire me. He will forever push me to be a better poet.
The poem of Indian politics has become quiet. But we will spread his lyrics throughout the world by building a strong nation.
RIP Mr Vajpayee. You will be missed by the nation.
The Battered Woman
The battered woman swayed down the street elegantly.
With her hair flying around, she strategically hid the wounds. She was a vision in black, the modern day muse of Byron’s ‘She walks in beauty’.
With her hair flying around, she strategically hid the wounds. She was a vision in black, the modern day muse of Byron’s ‘She walks in beauty’.
She turned heads with her poise. But one look at her tear-drenched face would give her beholders sleepless nights. She was a dream for many. But in her home, she was the object that was whipped, kicked, abused and banged against the wall…
She was oblivious to the concerned passersby who looked and re-looked at her tortured beauty. The people took a measure of her condition but she was suffering too much to notice. Her painful strides were purposeful. With each step, she evaluated her life.
What was her fate? Was her courage failing? Or was she just that drifting wind that people closed their windows on? Who was she? Why was she broken and bruised? Why was the vision so helpless, a putty in the hands of that Satan?
Who would rescue her, someone asked. She overheard the question. She wiped the ceaseless tears and said to herself, ‘ I will save her. Because I love her. And I won’t be assaulted and disparaged anymore. I’ll stand up for myself. But I won’t lose my compassion. I’m not weak because I am constantly tortured. I’m strong. I’ve learned from my past. And I’m equipped for the future.’
Her statement acted like a magical prayer. She grew wings of pastel pristine shades. The wings flapped. With each flap of her wings, all her bruises vanished. Her pinions swayed and buzzed with courage. With each move, she found a new purpose. She soon felt the sunshine soothe her torn soul. She flew and with that, she freed herself of further doom.
“No woman has to be a victim of physical abuse. Women have to feel like they are not alone.” – Salma Hayek
Did Mahatma Gandhi Promote Violence?
Did Mahatma Gandhi promote violence? Did the man who promoted non-violence in the modern era, actually promote an act of violence?
These thoughts have been nagging me since I read an article on Facebook on Nathuram Godse.
The World Health Organization defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation…” (Refer Wikipedia)
Mahatma Gandhi promoted non-violence by fasting. He also said that if a person slaps you, present him with your other cheek. He urged people to do Satyagraha by sitting out in the sun and protest against the British regime. Honesty, is that what non-violence means? Isn’t harming oneself a form of violence?
Mahatma Gandhi promoted masochism as a way of non-violence. But violence is not always external. It can also be internal. As a person who is born in a different era, and who has never met Mahatma Gandhi, it would be wrong on my part to blame Gandhi. He might not have realised what repercussions his conceptions would have on the nation as a whole. His method was effective enough to get India freedom. But at what cost?
There is a lot that India lost. But mostly, it came up with a generation that likes to shout slogans and waste time fighting over nothing. Agitation is a great way to go about making a change. But how about constructive agitation like they follow in Japan? What is better, to stop production in a shoe factory completely and sit outside the factory and shout slogans? Or is it more productive to make only the left shoe while agitating? In the first case, the workers waste time and sweat to get their demands fulfilled. In the second example, the workers never stop production. Therefore, when the shoe factory resumes functioning, the factory that has no shoes suffers huger loss than the factory that only produced the left foot of shoes.
It is possible, Gandhi never wanted the agitators to stop being productive. But that’s what his non-violent struggle has taught Indians. His kind of non-violence is a violence to the self (like fasting or going through the physical ordeal for a particular cause). It is a violence to the nation (where workers waste time and agitate) and violence to the whole democratic system. It’s time we review our concept of non-violence in India.
What appalled me the most, however, was what Gandhi’s assassination on 30 January 1948 did to the nation. The man who assassinated Gandhi was Nathuram Godse. His ideas were different from Gandhi’s. He shot Gandhi and surrendered, did not fight arrest. He did not fight ridicule. Godse accepted what came to him. He accepted it as his fate. Here are the excerpts on his final statement in 1948–
.I do not desire any mercy to be shown to me… I did fire shots at Gandhiji in open daylight. I did not make any attempt to run away; in fact, I never entertained any idea of running away. I did not try to shoot myself… for, it was my ardent desire to give vent to my thoughts in an open Court. My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism levelled against it on all sides. I have no doubt, honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future.”
Nathuram Godse didn’t question the court’s decision. He did make an appeal against his death sentence. That’s all he did. As a citizen of free India, he exercised his right. I am sure he knew his death sentence wouldn’t be reversed. But he wanted to exercise his rights. Every citizen has that right.
It is 2018 now. Even after 70 years of Gandhi’s death, Nathuram Godse’s autobiography is banned. He is still disregarded by the people. People only remember him as a murderer. People have forgotten what a strong person he was. We have refused to learn from his honesty. Is Nathuram Godse given any importance in India? He only gets derision.
Sadly, the man who stood for non-violence could not preach non-violence. If he had done so, Nathuram Godse would not have been killed by law. He would have got a life sentence along with counselling.
The symbol of non-violence was the most violent man. Because he could not preach the goodness, compassion and forgiveness he so boasted of. Gandhi’s assassination led to riots. After his death, the one who assassinated him was hung to death. His books were banned. He was treated as a villain. Even after decades of the incident’s passing, we are as violent to Nathuram Godse as we were in 1948. Does any person deserve such aggression? I don’t think so.
Would Mahatma Gandhi agree with me?
Hear Heart’s Hymns
Gift
Childlike Humanity
Cry for Help!
Damsel Outraged
