Mohandas K Gandhi, known as “Mahatma” Gandhi was a transformative figure of the twentieth century.   He fought the lone battle to free the people of India from British colonial rule.  With faith and determination, he successfully led the massive grass-root volunteer force that practiced civil disobedience against the unjust laws paralyzing the minority and foreign rulers.  His principles of nonviolent struggle led to the emancipation of the millions in Africa and Asia  and also other stalwarts like Martin Luther King in  USA and Nelson Mandela in South Africa.  Gandhi’s experiments in “truth” are a matter of serious introspection by all thinkers and philosophers in the world.

New England has had a close relationship with the Gandhi philosophy and the ideas spanning centuries.  The early no-tax tea-party rebellion against the British fueled the American struggle for independence.  Henry David Thoreau began his solitary civil-disobedience against racial injustice in 19th century.  Martin Luther King was exposed to Gandhi ideals while he was a student in Boston.   Nonviolence and pacifism have been a part of the religious reformation movement in the area.

For the second year, the Boston-based India Discovery Center held a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday at the meeting room of the Center.  The overcast fall afternoon with a few sprinkles of rain from the autumn cloud was the perfect setting for this reflective gathering.

The event started with the melodious rendering of the song “Vaishnava Jan To ….” a song dear to Gandhiji, by Preeti Nagar and Aruna accompanied by Prem Nagar on Tabla.  The song, composed by15th century poet Narsinh Mehta in the Gujarati language stresses that a man of God is the one who feels the pain of others in their own hearts; who helps others in their misery, and is not conceited about doing such good deeds.

The invocation was followed by a discussion amongst the participants.

C. Gopinath, a Business professor commented on the leadership and managerial aspects of Gandhi, which is not commonly examined. Gandhi’s charisma grew out of his ideas, perseverance, and his morality.  His principles of Non-Violence and Satyagraha grew out of his morality and were not merely tools or techniques for his movement. He was an excellent communicator – both one-to-one and one-to-many and was a master in using the media. He effectively confounded those in power and authority.

Examining his major activities, such as the Champaran movement or the Salt March, we see that he was a very good project manager.  He never rushed into a situation, but spent time collecting data, understanding the problem, and presenting a win-win solution as part of his negotiating style. Gandhiji was also very resourceful in raising funds, not just from major philanthropists but even small donations from the masses, all of which he spent with care and recorded diligently. However, managing the ashrams was one of his weaknesses as he got too involved in minutiae.  

K. Subramanian (Subbu) of Lexington referred to a recent performance at the Lexington community center of a solo artiste cum scholar from India on the relationship between the poet Rabindranath Tagore and Gandhiji.  Tagore felt that Indians should be educated on the role and value of freedom and then the enlightened mass will rise up against the British Empire and achieve freedom for India. Gandhiji agreed that education was essential but freedom will be the result of targeted projects and initiatives by Indians committed for freedom.

Amit Akkad narrated an incident involving a friend, Mr. Zahir, whose father was engaged in violent resistance of the British rule in India. One day he met Gandhiji in a brief encounter which inspired him to abandon his violent methods and became an ardent follower of the Satyagraha movement and fought for India’s freedom through peaceful means, and subsequently received a freedom fighter award from the Govt. of India.

Bijoy Misra, President of India Discovery Center, addressed the use of the term ‘truth’ by Gandhi, by which he did not mean the antonym of untruth, but the ability to know one’s self and that all life was one. This leads one to see the self in any and all objects, the very essence of truth. Thus, one cannot hurt anyone without hurting oneself. Pramod Thaker, a Gandhi scholar, discussed the role of religion and politics in Gandhi’s life and message. Religion was an integral part of all his actions, although he did not view religion in its commonplace understanding but as an underlying spirituality across all religions. He suggested that for Gandhiji religion and politics were like two sides of a coin.  

Emily Lovering, a Lincoln resident, observed that Gandhi needs more reflection and studies.  She was followed by Ruth Hill, oral historian from Radcliffe College, who generated a discussion by raising issues related to Gandhi’s involvement and activity with the native Africans in South Africa.  

Sajed Kamal, a poet, narrated a story about his mother Sufia Kamal, also a poet and social activist, who was born into the princely family of Shayestabad, in Barisal, East Bengal. She met Gandhi at an early age and presented him with some yarn she had personally spun. In response, Gandhiji blessed her for a long life. Mrs. Rosie Kamal read a poem on Mahatma written by Sufia Kamal, shown below.

The event closed with a soul filling rendering of the inter-denominational prayer song “Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram …” by Preeti, Archana and Premji, joined by everyone in the gathering.  The afternoon ended with a meditation followed by refreshments.

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