by Rajindar Sachar
There are three holidays in the country which are not religious oriented – 15th August – Independence Day & 26th January – Republic day. And then most important 2nd October (Gandhiji’s Birthday), this day reminds one in concentrated form the sacrifices and the morality in politics in the fight for independence of the country. Any tinkering with grandeur and sobriety of 2nd October is sacrilege. But this is what Modi Government is doing by emphasizing the day as a day of cleanliness. What cheek – that Gandhi believed in cleanliness is no reason for the mischievous act to lessen the sobriety of Gandhi’s birthday. The programmes associated with the birthday must not be diluted by this so called fad of cleanliness day. Cleanliness has to be actually maintained and not by unnecessarily calling to duty all the government servants and make them go through the hypocrisy of arranged photo opportunity item.
I would therefore strongly demand that government should observe Gandhiji’s birthday in the same sober, respectful manner as before. And as government servants and Ministers have been called let them repeat what was Gandhijis main philosophy which he expressed in 1921 and again repeated in 1947, thus; “I would say that Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of mother India just as the trouble in one eye affects the other too, similarly the whole of India suffer when either Hindu or Muslim suffer.” This sober reiteration would alone symbolize the real significance of Gandhiji’s philosophy – a proper tribute to his memory.
