Reclaiming History

Shouldn't all political parties have come together to reclaim Gandhiji's personal effects, as much as they come together to vote an increase in salaries and perquisites for Members of Parliament, asks Melanie P Kumar

Reclaiming History

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Reclaiming History

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And if he's still tuning in from somewhere, he would not have missed the irony of the whole episode. For how did the personal possessions of someone who had no concept of private property or material attachments, end up commanding such a high price? Another delicious irony in this whole matter is that the flamboyant Mallya, who helped the Government of India procure Gandhi's possessions, is his very antithesis in every imaginable way.u00a0u00a0
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Having just returned from Wardha and visited Sewagram, which Gandhi set up as a model village on the outskirts of the town, I could get a first-hand idea of Gandhi's lifestyle, outside of what is put out in history textbooks.u00a0

The cottage in which he dwelt is an epitome of simplicity with items like his old writing desk, a telephone, a spinning wheel and another pair of spectacles placed on display for the public.u00a0

There is a steady stream of visitors to the place, and I think we should be really grateful to the young and old followers of Gandhi who are making an effort to keep alive this slice of history, as also the Gandhian way of life.
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For apart from these dedicated groups, successive governments and politicians of all hues seem to have completely forgotten Gandhi, except for garlanding his statue and paying lip-service to his ideals, twice a year.

Otherwise, how is it possible that they dithered long enough for his belongings to end up at the auctioneers?

Did they feel that these items were too small to merit a huge fork-out from the Government of India's coffers?u00a0

Shouldn't all political parties have come together to reclaim this piece of history, as much as they come together to vote an increase in salaries and perquisites for Members of Parliament?

For a 2,500 year-old civilisation, we seem to have scant regard for our history, from our heritage buildings, many of which are falling apart, to our high taxation of auctioned items imported from abroad, even if they involve history. Tipu Sultan's sword could not return to India, thanks to this strict adherence to the rulebook.u00a0

And yet, the government has been known to blink occasionally, as when a much-admired but fabulously well-off cricketer, was permitted a waiver, on request, when importing a Ferrari.

Whilst being extremely thankful to Mallya for ensuring that Gandhi's belongings return to India, I can only think that the amount of worldwide publicity that he has got out of this noble act may help his accountants put the amount under the company's worldwide advertisement budget head!u00a0 And whilst I rejoice, I also mourn the fact that even Mahatma Gandhi's personal effects had to fall to the hammer of 21st century materialism.