What would the grandson of two of the greatest men that India or indeed the world has seen look like?  What would his demeanor be?  Would he share insights into personal stories of his time with Gandhi? I was filled with so many questions as I walked into the home of Puran Dang in Lexington, MA  who was hosting Rajmohan Gandhi.The moment I lay my eyes on Rajmohan Gandhi, I was surprised to see a splitting image of his maternal grandfather Chakravarthy Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), the first Governor General of India. For many Indians of my generation Rajaji’s English versions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata were first real introduction to these epics and thus can be considered a spiritual Guru. He is also the composer of the immortal classic Tamil song,  “Kurai Ondru Illai” that still stirs the soul of the listener at any concert.

After I get over the initial awe, we settled down for a conversation.  My first two questions – What is like to have two of the greatest men in the world as grandfathers?  Could you describe your relation with them? 

With a smile he responds, “Since they were the only ones I had, I have no way of comparing them to others. So I cannot quite answer that.” Sensing my slight disappointment in his not reeling of a lot of intimate details he immediately continued,  “I understand your question of course.  From a very young age I was aware that my grandfather Gandhi was not mine alone.  He was always very affectionate to me and yet I rarely had any one-on-one interaction with him. During my early years he was in jail for long periods of time and hence my interaction with him was limited.   Since Rajaji died only when I was thirty seven I of course knew him well and had a lot of interactions with him”

“I was given my name by Rajaji.  As you can guess it is a combination of Rajagopalachari and Mohandas. When he heard the name, Gandhi teased Rajaji about the fact that he put Raj before Mohan”

Did he have the opportunity to learn about the scriptures from the man who re-introduced them to the younger generation?  Does he know Tamil?

“I do not know Tamil. My parents decided to teach us neither Tamil nor Gujarati but Hindi so they could be fair.  I do not have a flair for languages but some of my siblings do and they know Tamil.  The interesting fact is that even Rajaji did not know Tamil well for a long time. He had never studied it.  Gandhi is the one who urged him to really learn Tamil.  Rajaji never taught me the scriptures.  But my introduction to the scriptures came by reading Rajaji’s books ”

Gandhi was the very symbol of non-violence and yet arguably it was during his life that India saw gruesome violence. Why? “While his was a voice that spoke powerfully on behalf of non- violence, there were so many other almost equally powerful voices that advocated violence. There were times when Gandhi’s message was heard and at other times the opposing voices were louder”

 It seems at times that Gandhi is revered more outside India than within. Why? ”Gandhi is like our conscience. We are not always comfortable with it and it is difficult to follow at times. ”

Gandhi delivered his message of non-violence decades ago and yet why do we continue to see violence?  “ Since the early times messengers of peace like Buddha, Jesus Christ and Gandhi have preached non-violence.  Unfortunately the opposing voices are also spreading their messages constantly and sometimes they win. We should continue to push for the message of non-violence.“

What do you think were the greatest tangible contributions of Gandhi to India?  “He had tremendous influence on the crafting of the constitution which is arguably the most important document for every Indian. Ideas of equality for women and different minority and religious groups are guaranteed in our constitution. While today it may be taken as a given, at that time it was something that needed to be emphasized. Of course his influence is felt in so many other spheres, tangible and intangible around the world”

Rajaji was a brilliant mind.  What outstanding accomplishments of Rajaji would he highlight? “ Perhaps one of the lesser known, but perhaps a most significant one was his stance on nuclear disarmament. It was a cause he espoused early on  In fact when he came to the US during Kennedy’s time, he had extensive discussions with Kennedy on the subject and I believe Kennedy was influenced by the conversation.  I think those thoughts have influenced subsequent policies on nuclear disarmament.

Why did the Gandhi family, unlike the Nehru family not take center stage in India’s politics? “For Gandhi, the entire nation was his family.   So of course so many of his children took to politics. “

What is his message to Indians of today? “As India moves forward as a power on the world stage it is important for India and Indians to understand and put forth what its values are. It is important that Indians introspect carefully and put forth the right values,  for the values  will be critical in shaping the future of not only India but also the world”.

While there was so much to ask and much for him to share he needed to leave for his evening event at the Depot Square about his new book Gandhi and Lincoln.  

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