Gandhi in these times.

Gandhi holds a mirror to us. Most of us do not have the stomach to look into it. I understand, because i have looked and what I have seen is not very pleasant. One sees oneself as part of the cause of the wrongs one wishes to address.

That is why he is unpopular these days.

Mohanakrishnan Gopalakrishnan I think he is unpopular because he is hardly understood. He was unpopular with me as well, but when I spent time understanding him, it opened many doors for me.

Aparna Krishnan Yes. And why do people not even want to engage, to understand. Anyway the loss is not Gandhi's, it is the country's.

Aparna Krishnan It is also a hard line and it demands facing oneself. Its easier to carry placards against the Other all the time !

Mohanakrishnan Gopalakrishnan Aparna I can't say why people don't want to engage with him. But in my case, I didn't engage with him because it was not fashionable. In fact it was fashionable to bash up gandhism from the left point of view and that is the path I took.

Aparna Krishnan even in our times ? i thought that was the present times.

Aparna Krishnan yes, the day one is able to step out of what is cool in one's group, is the day one grows up. And then one finds one's path.

Mohanakrishnan Gopalakrishnan Aparna yes, even in those times. The 'learned' view was that Gandhi was a nice person and all but his views were impractical and not fit for the 'modern' times😊

Aparna Krishnan Mohanakrishnan Gopalakrishnan i see. i think i was always a little away from 'learned' discussions with the 'learned'. Even today - my deepest learnings have been from the 'illiterate' people of my village.

Vepathangudi Ramachandrarao Devika Gandhi is questioned only because only questioning him- will not get people beaten up

Aparna Krishnan why do you say that Vepathangudi Ramachandrarao Devika ?

Vepathangudi Ramachandrarao Devika Because followers of all other leaders past and present do not tolerate any questions about their leader.

Aparna Krishnan The real tragedy is the heritage and legacy and learning that is lost as people make beating him a way a name and fame and peer acceptability. When the country desperately needs to find both roots and bearings, which can be found here as nowhere else.

Aparna Krishnan You have been with Gandhi studies for very long now. Have you see this anti-Gandhi as the majoritatian view for a long time now ? Among the Intelligensia.

Mohanakrishnan Gopalakrishnan And that is how it should be. Do we need a situation where no one criticises Gandhi because people are afraid of criticising him?

Aparna Krishnan Well, every leader needs to be see in perspective and understood. Critically and with humility seeing that their sacrifices and contributions finally far exceed ours.

Aparna Krishnan What I see nowadays is a fashion of Gandhi bashing with only loses us a rich inheritence which may still help us find ourselves as a civilization. Anyway, this is only among the Intelligensia - a small minority.

  

Vepathangudi Ramachandrarao Devika Yes Mr.Mohanakrishnan Gandhi should be criticized. These questions keep him alive. But hatred is what we should abhor. Great debates took place between Tagore, Gandhi etc but they did it with affection and respect for each other's differing points of view.