(http://www.intervoiceonline.org)"Can you imagine, this is the same land where Gandhi was born" said the Reigning Geek. We were watching yet another movie where violence reigned. Yet another movie where the Gunda was the Hero. Yet another movie where the lady falls for the ruffian! And I stopped to think about Gandhi.
Then there was this topic in Sunday Scribblings today. Experiment! What a beautiful topic.. as I thought of the numerous experiments I have done in life, (nothing as profound as what I am about to describe now) I thought of Gandhi again. His words seemed to echo in my ears "...it is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiography. I simply want to tell the story of my numerous experiments with truth, and as my life consists of nothing but those experiments, it is true that the story will take the shape of an autobiography...",
My interest in Gandhi started in school. We had a lesson called "Truth and Confession". Apparently as a child Gandhi was misled by a friend and he ate meat and smoked without his father's knowledge. This was against his religion as they were staunch vegetarians. He even stole his brother's bracelet to pay for the smoke. Later, guilt ridden and unable to lie to his father, he wrote a letter of confession and gave it to his father. His father did not utter a harsh word, instead tears rolled down his eyes. And that is where Gandhi's journey of a Life of truth started. He kept his word till his death.
I was touched by this story. We (Indians) have all been brought up with stories of Gandhi and his non-violent fight for independence. We even call him Bapu (Father of the Nation). But that is not just what impresses me about him. I am really impressed with his conviction and determination. He stuck to the truth and non-violence. He believed in his conviction and determinedly fought for the cause without frustration. How many of us can claim that today?
Here is a must read for everyone Indian and Non-Indian alike. The life of this man in his own words. His Experiments with Truth. I leave you with an online pdf file of the book - The stories of my experiments with Truth - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
