January 30 marks the 67{+t}{+h}anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom. On this day, Gandhian leader M.P. Gurusamy, secretary, Gandhi Memorial Museum, wants people to sally inwards, in self-meditation, for five to 10 minutes, as a tribute to the Father of the Nation. This exercise on the ‘festival of sacrifice,’ he feels, will help people renew their faith in values when materialism, urbanisation and commercialisation are haunting the country.
Talking about the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi today, Mr. Gurusamy looks at ‘love for all’ as more relevant in the present scenario as it is capable of ending discord and violence. “Though he was a Hindu, the Mahatma assimilated the essence of all religions, which is primarily love for others.” The country faces problems on the political, social and religious fronts mainly due to a shift in value system – from being society-centric to individual-centric.
“Today, people are ready to sacrifice even their family for personal gains. The obsession with money and wealth gives room for misdeeds. Standard of life is more important than standard of living,” Mr. Gurusamy says with concern.
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At the same time, he is not pessimistic about the future. “Society is not fully eroded. People still cherish values and are ready to unite against injustice. The anger as a nation at the Delhi rape and overwhelming support for writer Perumal Murugan are clear examples.”
According to him, the problem lies in lack of good teachers and leaders. He strongly believes that peace will rule the nation as long as there is unity in diversity.
“But leaders of today tend to divide society by sowing discord in the name of political affiliation, religion and caste. Their policies are not man-centric,” he says.
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Mr. Gurusamy is optimistic that young leaders, who shun materialism, will bring about a turnaround.
To make this happen, he wants the media to highlight success stories of ordinary people.