Why Gandhi ticks?
It was one of those evenings when Mahatma Gandhi surprised me yet again. During the dusk of Wednesday 04 th April 2012, I had the opportunity to release my book ‘Air, Fire & Water’ on Indian independence, at the Nehru Centre in London. It was interesting to note why Gandhi’s business is still valid today and in fact more relevant. I spoke in the evening on Gandhiji’s Ahimsa or non-violence and why it can have an effect now. To extend on it, all we need to do is to look at Sri Lanka where ironically Gandhi’s statue has been vandalised recently. The 26-year-long war against terror on the island nation was rounded up in 2009 with more terror by the military, making it hard to distance the military from the terror outfit itself, given the scale of civilian causalities. While violence over violence has ripped off the gloss and shine over the victory of the Sri Lankan army in less than 3 years, Gandhi stands tall, in stark contrast. His universal appeal...