Dear Gandhi Ji,
You are an icon, a symbol of non-violence; not only to Indians, but to people all over the world, regardless of their citizenship. The hope that you symbolise for the exploited minorities is immense and very significant. Now, every group uses peaceful and non-violent means to express their discontent rather than violent means, as it used to be a century ago. And sir, you are the reason for this change of trend.
People may ridicule peaceful negotiation processes and non-cooperation as being ineffective in modern times, but they are wrong. No one respects violent processes anymore. The tag of terrorism for any group is feared, because then state starts taking a suppressive tactic rather than a negotiating one that accompanies non-violent protest.
While others may criticise and find faults with your policies, they forget one crucial fact. You are human. No one is perfect. But if anyone has neared perfection in thought and action, it has to be you. You are an idol to me. You are an idol to millions. You have persistently sought to the right thing, for the country, for the people even at the cost of yourself. Despite having so much power over people, you never misused it. They say power corrupts people. But you negated this. You proved that power can be used for good. You purified the concept of power.
No wonder personalities such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. drew their base ideologies from your thought. You were a revolutionary. A revolutionary, who never drew blood to prove his point, a revolutionary that used concepts of non-cooperation and negotiation, and garnered support of millions, regardless of caste and creed.
How important are you in today’s world? I’d have to say more than ever. Despite self-determination of so many countries, discontent and protest are widespread. So many deaths occur every day because every protest ends up violent. More than ever, we need a reassertion of Gandhian principles.
Today, Gandhi Jayanti, is an excellent day to remember that. Remember these principles. Remember what you fought for. Remember it and then apply it to our lives. That is how your sacrifices will have meaning. That is how our own lives will have meaning. That is how our own lives will have light and enrichment, so that we all develop into wholesome good individuals.
Thank you Gandhiji, for your fight. Thank you for being born.
Yours faithfully,
Asha Sundaramurthy
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