On January 30, Mahatma Gandhiji’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi was in Dharwad. He came with his wife, Usha, to take part in the Dakshinayan conversation organised by Rajendra Chenni and G.N. Devy. January 30 is a tragic day: the day the Mahatma was assassinated by Nathuram Ghodse. Martyr’s Day as it is called. Hiremallur Eshwaran College welcomed Rajmohan Gandhi with warmth and reverence. The night was lit by the light of hundreds of candles: he walked in silence. Rajmohan was hardly a few meters away from the home of M.M. Kalburgi who was shot dead. On the day of Gandhi’s death, Rajmohan Gandhi quietly walked in the city where Kalburgi had been killed.
Inside, he paid a floral tribute to Gandhi and began to speak. “What was I doing on the day Gandhiji was killed?” he tried to recall. He was taking part in a Sports Meet at school and was sure that he would win some trophies. In a few minutes, someone came to school to pick him. On the way, he heard that Gandhiji had been shot dead. He had no clue what was happening. He went with his father Devdas. Around Gandhiji’s mortal remains, Rajaji, Nehru, Patel and other leaders stood. Rajmohan thought that Gandhiji was asleep and would wake up in a while. But that did not happen. He had never seen Gandhiji sleep like that. He was always writing, reading, giving a speech, sweeping, walking... something. The little Rajmohan was a bit disturbed to see him like this, listless.
It was only after many years had passed by that he felt he should live like Gandhiji. “I have been trying as much as possible. There are so many people trying to live like him. Look at all those women on a padayatra in Bangalore. Gandhiji’s family does not include me alone, it includes everyone who lives truthfully, who believe in simplicity, and practise ahimsa and satyagraha.” He slipped into silence.
“Up in heaven, Gandhi has company. Narendra Dabholkar, M.M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Gouri Lankesh who believed in truth and justice have joined him.” Rajmohan Gandhi embraced silence again, and people’s eyes welled with tears. “Once, in a Muslim gathering Gandhiji had said, ‘pray, pray that the man who may kill me may be forgiven. That is a great gesture of respect towards me’.”
“When Gandhiji died Ambedkar wept. He was Gandhiji’s fiercest critic, but they had love for each other. You have to learn to respect your critics. Gandhiji was fond of prayer and in it there was the Gita, Kuran, Gurbani, Kabir...everything.”
Rajmohan remembered an incident from his childhood. He had bought a new pair of glasses. Gandhi called him and asked, “Why new glasses?” “Don’t you know that I have an eye problem?” I retorted. “Ït would have been okay to change glasses, but why frame? You should not unnecessarily spend money,” he told me. Gandhiji was very frugal in his living, he disliked unnecessary spending and kept an account of everything. “When I grew up I realised the truth of it. All projects that the country does not need, are immoral. We should take up projects that fulfil the basic needs of people. Else, the country will be burdened by loan. We cannot do this to our future generation, it is immoral,” he said in deep pain.
Gandhiji, he said, did not invent theories. He unearthed the goodness in common people. He incorporated them in his speech and action. He wrote about the challenges of practising what one preaches. He had great dreams for a healthy society. He thought of a hundred ways to realise his dreams and make this a better place to live. Though he looked calm, deep within him was a turbulent mind. “For someone like me, who has watched him from close, read him closely... I constantly experience his restlessness. If I stop living with this relentlessly toiling old man, I’ll be dead and gone.” He folded his hands respectfully and sat down.
The auditorium was filled with Vaishnava Janato....
Translated by Deepa Ganesh
