BE N N E T T, C OL E M A N & C O. LT D. | E S TA BLI S H E D 183 8 | T IM E S OF IN DI A .

C OM | N E W DE L HI

TODAY’S Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, the influencer. It’s impossible to

STUDENT EDITION
Gandhi’s wisdom We imagine how encapsulate a life so
EDITION on issues of PAGE Mahatma Gandhi PAGE legendary, but a few PAGE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021
health, fitness,
mental health and
2 would have rocked
instagram with 10
3 books and films can
help you get to know
4 Newspaper in
Education

education posts from his life the Mahatma better

THE POWER OF
CLICK HERE: PAGE 1 AND 2 GANDHI’S
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will”, the Mahatma had said more than seven decades ago. His golden words still
reverberate our mind and soul, especially during lockdown times, when our will-power has been tested time and again, changing our outlook towards the world. As the
world fights back and recovers from a pandemic that crippled us economically, socially, politically and emotionally — and hopes for a new dawn — Times NIE,
retrospects the Gandhian philosophy and its relevance. After all, he was the original OMG! How would he have handled the crisis? Let’s find out. Happy Gandhi Jayanti
Three Monkeys
AS AN ECONOMIST ‘See no evil, hear no
evil, speak no evil’
HIS KEY PERSPECTIVE
➠ SWADESHI: Gandhi envisaged villages as self-
sufficient republics. He stressed on the growth
of the rural economy, such as Khadi, hand-
loom, handicraft and sericulture.
Photo: SANDEEP ADHWARYU

Photo: R PRASAD
He encouraged cottage industries edia, to Gandhi, was a pow-
erful tool that could be
AS A STRATEGIST ➠ MINIMALISM: He believed every-
one should get sufficient work to wielded for maximum bene-
make ends meet and that the fit – the benefit of all. The last
means of production of necessities decade has seen the rise of fake
HIS KEY TOOLS news and vicious trolling. If Gandhi
should be under the control of masses
➠ Satyagraha ➠ Ahimsa ➠ Mass welfare were alive, he would have called it
➠ DECENTRALISATION OF ECONOMY: According to him, large- an attack on the freedom of
scale production was meant to be profit-oriented, and expression – because the freedom
HIS STRATEGY TO FIGHT THE therefore, harmful for society, as it could lead to the
PANDEMIC WOULD HAVE BEEN... to spread information is not akin to
concentration of wealth and power in a few hands spreading falsehood. His three

G
andhiji faced several natural and man-
monkeys would have been an
made challenges during his freedom HIS FINANCIAL TIPS WOULD HAVE BEEN... answer to the fake news culture.
Taking the struggle for the nation. But what kept

I
him going and serving humanity was f Gandhi were alive, he Prof N RADHAKRISHNAN,
masses his strategic planning. Whether it was flood, would have reminded us
chairman, Gandhi Peace Mission &
along ... drought, or any other pandemic, he believed of the humaneness and Encourage the
in decentralisation and operating through stability of local pro- Founder of Gandhi Media, Delhi
involving institutions set up at various levels – in- duction, local consumption humaneness
and volving and mobilising youth and women. (gram swaraj) and local and stability
Charkha
While dealing with the corona pandemic, community of relation-
mobilising Mahatma Gandhi would have also involved ships. He would have told
of local
the youth community and caste leaders in creating that unlimited desire (greed) production,
awareness about the pandemic, besides, to hoard is useless, espe- local
and women implementing a proper messaging strat- cially during these pan-
egy in local lingo. demic times, which has consumption,
GAURANG JANI, sociologist, Ahmedabad made life so uncertain. and local
‘Swadeshi’ and ‘Swavlam-
ban’ were his core concepts community of
and he would have promot- relationships
AS A TROUBLESHOOTER ed them vigorously.
SUDARSHAN IYENGER, former
VC, Gujarat Vidyapith
HIS KEY SKILLS

C
➠ Avoiding escalation of conflicts. He said, “An eye for an eye harkha was used by Gandhiji
HE WOULD HAVE ENCOURAGED...
makes the whole world blind” to represent self sufficien-
cy, a factor that played a

P
rosperity that Gand-
➠ Clarity on ends and means. ‘End justifies means’ is why people hi envisioned for In- major role in the freedom move-
are unhappy, believed the Mahatma. He said we are so obsessed dia was not material-
Minimali- ment of our country. Despite
and anxious about the result that we don’t realise that it’s the ism/ consumerism.
sation, hand As a staunch proponent of re- rapid industrialisation, the
means we need to concentrate on. According to him, if our means are cycling and reusing, the Ma- charkha would have remained
pure and our course is just and clear, all anxieties are removed. This crafted, hatma would have worked en- close to Bapu’s heart, as it sym-
way, we can develop an attitude of detachment from ‘fruits’ and attach- native produce ergetically to preserve air, soil
bolises our resolve to stay con-
ment with actions and their consequences and water. In fact, a combina-
Illustration: AJIT NINAN tion of the cultural discipline nected to our roots and create
GANDHI’S STRATEGY WOULD HAVE BEEN... and the Gandhian vibe is opportunities to become
probably the reason why In- ‘Atmanirbhar’.

G
andhi’s strategy always in- dia, despite its exploding
KIRANMAI, teacher, MES KKP School,
volved insights, values, prin-
ciples, and practices based AS AN ECO-WARRIOR population, fares better
in comparison to a Vidyaranyapura, Bengaluru
on moral, non-violent, Work few other
truthful living. He advised to educate g l o b a l
cooperatively to HIS KEY VIEWS
His Lathi
ourselves about our political crises leaders in
involving violence, conflict, op- resist the ➠ Gandhi had cautioned the world about over-utilisation of natu- its fight
pression, injustice, class and caste against
domination, racism, sexism, etc.
negative political ral resources years before ‘environment’ became headlines, and also the climate
Photo: SANDEEP ADHWARYU

As a leader, Gandhi also empha- forces and forewarrned us about the problems of large-scale industrialisation crisis.
sised humility. Even as the exalt-
ed leader, Gandhi was self-critical.
transform them ➠ His seminal work, ‘Hind Swaraj’, written a hundred years ago ARUN
KRISHNAMURTHY,
Therefore, he would have worked ac- into positive in 1909, warned of the environmental destructions that the world environmentalist
cording to situations and looked for political is facing today
solutions taking the masses into
confidence. solutions ➠ Gandhi emphasised the importance of natural resources and its
DOUGLAS ALLEN, Professor, conservation. This has a direct bearing on the man-and-environment
University of Maine, US relationship

G
andhi’s lathi symbolises his
Photo: R PRASAD
simple-living and high
thinking. He used it to help
him walk, rather than as a prop
for violence. The bamboo lathi
THE SOCIAL CUSTOMER IS NETWORKING & that he used was not a new one.
ENTREPRENEUR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Why the THE KING It had been used by a few others
before it came to Gandhi. But it
Mahatma
1 2 3
As a leader of a private or- Gandhi was the first to pro- According to Gita Piramal,Se-
ganisation (INC), the Ma- fess today’s ‘customer is nior Associate Fellow, Oxford became a symbol associated with
hatma mobilised an incred- king’ policy in business. He University, Gandhi had an the Mahatma, and was the ulti-
is the new-age ibly diverse and complex lot
into a united movement against
said: “A customer is the
most important visitor on our
amazing public relations net-
work. A case in point: Dandi March.
mate example of sustainable liv-
ing, fearlessness and courage. In

Management
British imperialism. He understood premises. He is not dependent on He knew he had to create an event to
that if India’s large, diverse popu- us. We are dependent on him. He make an impact. So he took his fol- today’s scenario, the man himself
lation could be mobilised in posi- is not an interruption of our work. lowers on a march that stirred pop- would have used it to encourage
tive ways, the entrepreneural spir- He is the purpose of it. He is not ular imagination of the time.His firm long walks for healthy living.
Guru it would come easy to all of us, and
in the process, make India the most
unique economy in the world.
an outsider of our business. He is
a part of it. We are not doing him
a favour by serving him.”
grasp on human psychology made it
easy for him to communicate with
the maximum number of people.
KAVITA MARWAHA, history teacher,
Vidya Valley, Pune

Gandhism, I follow... Be the change, cut negativity Open mind Gandhi’s whole life
Gandhiji’s simple words, “In a gentle was nothing but a big experi-
Fearlessness Gandhi knew that he ment. In every stage of his life,
way, you can shake the world”, always
Swadeshi and taking pride in it. I imbibed these lingers in my mind. Rather than was doing the right thing. So, when- he kept learning and fine-tuning
Gandhian values from my folks. My father, a arguing with a person, we ever I see something wrong, I confront his techniques whether it was satyagraha,
surgeon, chose to practise medicine in his can learn to be patient and it head on. I know when we are on the path of non-violence, or any other tenet. He was
motherland. My mother fights gender and racist resolve issues peacefully. truth, we will face obstacles. But when you are brave enough to apply them too.
discrimination in society. This keeps negativity at bay. right, there is no need for fear. MANINI SHAH, class X,
AADI VASUDEVAN, class IX, MAHITI REDDY, class X, Edify World School, RAJAT GANGWAR, class XII, Udgam School, Ahmedabad
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi Hyderabad Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru

For more: toistudent.com

 02
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021
As a law student in London in 1888, Mahatma Gandhi tried his hands at many
things including French, dancing and violin lessons. This is also where he
started his experiments with truth, diet, religion and value-based living.
Oh
My Gandhi!

WHAT WOULD 03
04
DO?
W
hile navigating life’s
zillion problems, we
often find our thoughts turning to great political leaders such
as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr, or noble
spiritual beings such as Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama.
However, one inspirational voice that constantly guides us is that of Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, a man who was a master of both the political and spiritual
realms. Faced with today’s mental and physical crises, once again we invoke
Mahatma Gandhi’s timeless wisdom to find some answers...

MENTAL HEALTH TOXIC NEGATIVITY FLAWED FOOD AND DIETS

M ahatma Gandhi said, “A man is but the product
of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
Keeping your frame of mind positive boosts
your health, improves working skills and concentration.
Gandhi introduced the world to the power of ‘ahimsa’ or
T he body was never meant to be treated as a refuse bin, holding all
the foods that the palate demands”. Gandhi believed that exces-
sive eating and over-indulgence of concentrated starches was
“Fasting
was his go-to when-
unhealthy. For 11 days in the summer of 1893, Gandhi ate nothing but raw ever he fell sick. He used to
non-violence. While non-violence became a tool to fight food. Later in life, he would go months without cooking his food. What is practise ‘water fasting’ very
against the oppression of British rule, those values hold remarkable is that he maintained food journals in which often. He believed in a plant-based
true even in modern day Independent India. “Non-violent he carefully recorded everything he ate. “He was a diet, portion control and consider-

I
behaviour is not just about saying no to physical vio- naturalist, never went to doctors for his problems,
f we say that Gandhi was and is the poster boy lence. It is also about staying away from jealousy, verbal ing food as a source of nutrition,
and healed his body through food. He believed
of mental health, it won’t be an exaggeration. aggression and excessive ego. For instance, trolling is not gluttony,” shares Luke
that kitchen is your best pharmacy. He cam-
“Be the change you wish to see in this world,” also violence – an online one – but nevertheless violent,” Coutinho, holistic
paigned for eating frugal to cleanse and balance
he said. So, often, we look to our external environ- says Dr Chugh. So, the youth must follow the path of lifestyle coach
body. Whether it was eating millets, going vegan
ment seeking a change. We non-violence – both physical and emotional – to create a or eating before sunset, most of his practices
find dissatisfaction in healthy society. were scientifically proven,” says Luke Coutinho.
His our lives which leads
compassion and to depression, or
empathy towards fellow
beings and especially for the less
loss of hope.
What Gandhiji CULTURE OF EXCESS FITNESS FADS AND GADGETS
G
privileged are eternal values. Today teaches us is

B
we talk of teaching empathy in school to initiate a “Marie andhi would have smirked at modern day fitness trackers.
change within. e it the Scandinavian art of Lagom — living a sim- The man walked approx 22,000
so that kids don’t bully each other
ple and balanced life — or the Japanese mantra of
Kondo’s minimalist
This change is steps every day for around 40
and learn inclusive culture – exactly Ikkigai (a reason for being), he laid the ground- approach in re-organising
about being years without the fanfare of flashy
what Gandhi preached,” says work for most thorough life lessons. If you were to visit one’s personal belongings not
your best version to fitness gadgets that we are so
psychiatrist Dr the National Gandhi Museum in Delhi you could view only unclutters your space, it is also
acclimatise to every hooked to now. Gandhi’s protest
Sanjay Chugh Mahatma Gandhi’s final possessions on display. What make a mindfulness exercise which declut- against the British rule was not about
situation without
having a conflict up his “worldly remains” are just a suitcase full of bare embarking on cars and caravans and had an
ters your brain. Gandhi advocated
within. The act of forgiveness was also an important essentials. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t own more things. It element of fitness, self-reliance and sim-
is just what he chose to do. He used to give away or auc- this 100 years ago!” says Geeta plicity. The historic Dandi March started
part of Gandhian philosophy. He said, “An eye for an
eye will only make the whole world blind.” When you tion any gift that was ever given to him. He genuinely Ramakrishnan, ontological solo with him covering a 390-kilometer
forgive someone, you set the person free along with believed in “reducing himself to zero”. Rings a bell? coach and walk and was soon followed by
freeing up space in your mind. Gandhi was what you could call the original Marie Kondo. author 10,000 more people.

If alive today, Gandhi would have reiterated that education is the potent
weapon to liberate human beings from all vices

L iteracy is neither the beginning

nor the end of education.” The
education system is going through
a reform after a long, long time. The last
Inclusivity would have got
Gandhi’s stamp of approval
he basic premise of the NEP 2020
CAN GANDHISM
BE TAUGHT?
Freedom of choice, the
Gandhi way
andhi is symbolic of freedom. He
time we had an education policy, it
was 1986. In 2020, the Narendra
Modi government declared a new
education policy for our country.
T is to make education available to
all. The father of the nation would
have stressed on why education should not I
t is argued in certain quarters that Gandhi is
unteachable. A 2021 batch student struggling
with his lessons through Zoom platform,
G would have advocated a better
way to ensure that education is
not limited to a certain section of the soci-
be an elite concept but should be equally whether in an urban area or a disadvantaged ety. Gandhi would have adopted non-violent
Most of the policy is being accessible to all sections of the society. means to make sure that no one is robbed
rural setting, has more or less the same snag to
rolled out in educational insti-

As today’s
The NEP aims to do exactly that. experience. Technical availability or unavailabili- of basic education at any level.
tutions across India. The
ty apart, students can gain strength from the
features of the NEP 2020
teachings of Gandhi. But, Gandhi might be more DHEERAJ DAS, PROFESSOR, JAMIA MILLIA
would have resonated with PANKAJ JHA, LECTURER, DELHI UNIVERSITY:
appealing to young minds if suitable methodolo- ISLAMIA: “Gandhi would have vehemently
Gandhi at various levels. “Gandhi would have approved of the free educa-
tion for all philosophy. He would have emphasised gy can be devised by teachers and parents in opposed private coaching and making education
While, at the same time, such a way that the home, its ecosystem and
certain things like the urban on the importance of primary education for all accessible only to a handful. The ongoing NEET
children irrespective of their social and economic the parents become the springboard of ideals controversy in Tamil Nadu would have also upset
and rural divide, onslaught of and practices Gandhi represented.
fabric. Up-skilling and reskilling are two important Gandhi. He would have batted for inclusivity and
technology and privatization of
teachings of the Mahatma, which have found Prof N Radhakrishnan, totally opposed the idea of private coaching
education would have deeply dis- acceptance in today’s educational reforms.” chairman, Gandhi Peace Mission & institutes turning education into a business.”
turbed the Mahatma.
Founder of Gandhi Media, Delhi

Gandhism, I follow... Standing up for truth Many times Non-cooperation with evil
people fail to support the truth, fearing is as much a duty as is
Sarvodaya It also means ‘universal
consequences. I believe it is not only cooperation with the
Practising what one preaches Mahatma’s ability to important to speak the truth, spirit’ or ‘progress for all’ - some- good: In this age when
make people stay together and act together was but also stand up for it. thing that I truly believe in. In this truth is oppressed, these words are my
commedable. There is so much violence in the world. Also, stand up for some- world, be it real or virtual, we see people hurting guiding lights. This ideology inspires me
If only we could build a world that stays thing you believe in truth- one another, trolling each other. Mahatma’s values to stand up against injustice and raise my
together. fully, so that you don’t fall of ‘not hurting’ and ‘supporting all’ are so apt now. voice against the wrongs, eradicate evil
INAYA GALA, class VIII, Springdales School, for anything. SIDDHARTH KOTHARI, class X, St Joseph's Boys High and fulfil Bapu’s dream.
Pusa Road, New Delhi School, Bengaluru
A UMESH, Class X, G.T.V.A.M, Chennai JOEL JOMY, class XI, Loyola School, T’puram
 Oh
My Gandhi!
In London, Gandhi read Sir Edwin Arnold’s ‘The Song Celestial’, a translation of the
‘Gita’, which helped him rediscover Hinduism. He also read books on Christianity,
Islam among others. This lead him to develop a syncretic way of thought.
CLICK HERE: PAGE 3 AND 4
03
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021

PICS: TOI ARCHIVES

GANDHI, the Influencer

If Mahatma Gandhi were to open an Instagram account today, he’d easily break all previously held records
of followers for sure. After all, the lure of Brand Gandhi is still strong. But it’s his sage advice that can easily
slide into the hashtag reality of the popular photo-sharing app. And he’d soon acquire a status of an influencer.
From his views on women empowerment to his ecologically sound advice to his fitness regimen and diet,
Gandhi was made for the Instagram life. We imagine – with 10 posts taken from his writings, quotes and
lifestyle – how he’d be on-point in today’s world of internet fame, and answer the important question...

WHAT IF GANDHI WAS ON INSTAGRAM?

m_k_gandhi m_k_gandhi
Adman Alyque
m_k_gandhi
Young India, Oct. 4, 1930 In Harijan, 13-4-1940
Padamsee, who From his book “Diet and Diet Reform”
played Mohammed
Ali Jinnah in ‘Gandhi’
had said: PRASAD BIDAPA
“International Fashion & Textile curator
leaders from Martin
Luther King Jr to
Barack Obama have
all used Brand
IN KHADI,
Gandhi to reach out
to the masses” WE TRUST
The pervasive influence on fashion
Examining Google search data
the Mahatma wields till today

A
Gandhiji with Sarojini Naidu A portrait of Gandhiji since 2004, search interest in Gandhiji on his way to Naokhali, 1946
s young students of fashion at National
Gandhi has been fairly Institute of Design, in Ahmedabad, we were
consistent, with regular, often exposed to the wonders of traditional
Liked by girlboss and others Liked by consciousfashionista and others annual peaks around his Liked by eatthisnotthat and others Indian textiles. It was my great good fortune
birth anniversary. Search to meet and be influenced by great names
TO THE WOMEN OF INDIA The spinning wheel represents to me the hope of the on the Mahatma far WHAT I EAT DAILY like Pupul Jaykar, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay & Martand
To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to masses. The masses lost their freedom, such as it was, outweighs I take generally: 8 tolas of germinating wheat, 8 tolas of Singh, who revealed to us the beauty of Indian hand-
woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is with the loss of the Charkha. The Charkha supplemented his political sweet almonds reduced to a paste, 8 tolas of green loom and heritage
woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral the agriculture of the villagers and gave it dignity. It was contemporaries. leaves pounded, 6 sour lemons, and 2 ounces of honey. In 2013, to commemorate textiles, and educated
the friend and the solace of the widow. It kept the Average search The food is divided into two parts, the first meal is taken Gandhi’s historic salt march in us on why we should
power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior. Has she
interest on Gandhi is
not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she villagers from idleness. For the Charkha included all the at 11 a.m. the second at 6.15 p.m. The only thing touched 1930, luxury pen company Mont always ensure their suc-
around 2.5 times Blanc unveiled an 18-carat gold cess.
not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater anterior and posterior industries – ginning, carding, more than in case of
by fire is water. I take in the morning and once more nib plated with rhodium pen
warping, sizing, dyeing and weaving. during the day – boiling water, lemon and honey. Mahatma Gandhi
courage? Without her, man could not be. Nehru and which costs `14 lakh — making chose khadi as a
#notallmen #weshouldallbefeminists #womenrule #vocalforlocal #iwearhandlooms #handmadeinindia B R Ambedkar #foodie #eatlocal #whatieatinaday the Mahatma their brand metaphor, and it became a
ambassador powerful tool to fight the
British – encapsulating the
m_k_gandhi m_k_gandhi m_k_gandhi m_k_gandhi spirit of ahimsa (non-vio-
lence) and striking a
chord with every right-
“I will not let anyone walk thinking Indian. He called
the act of spinning on the
through my mind with their charkha one of the great-
dirty feet.” est of contemplative
human experiences,
allowing and focusing
❁❂❁ your mind into a stratos-
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi pheric state of meditation.
The concentration it
Gandhiji & M A Jinnah during
talks with Viceroy, 1939 Gandhiji in Darjeeling, 1925 Gandhiji at Birla House in New Delhi, 1945 required to spin on this
simple device was so
Liked by positivequotes and others great that if any distrac-
tion happened, it actually
Liked by sylefile and others Liked by gogreentoday and others Liked by happinessguru and others #mondaymotivation #positivevibesonly broke the thread!
If you are left with only one piece of homespun, wear it What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and #idontknowwhoneedstohearthis All fabrics in ancient
with dignity reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another. what you do are in harmony. times were variations of
#mypersonalstyle #capsulewardrobe #ecowarrior #gogreen #climatechangeisreal #lifegoals #positivevibesonly #behappy khadi, and this skill continued undisturbed until Edmund
Cartwright invented the power loom in 1785 in England
– and machine-made textiles became the very base of
m_k_gandhi their industrialisation and consequent global
m_k_gandhi m_k_gandhi
In Young India, 22-9-1927 domination. Handwoven fabrics were a direct
threat and they did everything in their power to
ensure the death of the handloom arts of India.
Their soldiers smashed the thousands of handlooms
in the country, and a popular narrative speaks of
them slicing off the thumbs of weavers to prevent
them from plying their trade. This is not strictly
true, for they actually cut the long thumbnail
the weavers grew which they used to sepa-
rate the yarn on the loom!
Gandhiji was very successful in getting
Indians to return to khadi, and it is to the
Gandhiji on a tour of Bihar, 1947
eternal credit of Indian women, who
refused to give up their handwoven saris,
Gandhiji collecting funds for
Harijan welfare in Bengal, 1946 that the tradition of spinning & weaving
Liked by fitlife and others continued. With freedom secured, the
While studying law in England (1888-91), he initially stayed as priority was to revive this moribund cot-
tage industry all over the country.
Liked by iwearkhadi and others a tenant with an English family. But finding himself short of
Jawaharlal Nehru tasked an army of
money, he decided to cut his expenses by half. He took revivalists to bring our glorious her-
If we have the ‘khadi spirit’ in us, we would surround
independent rooms of his own, selected so that he could walk itage textiles back to life.
ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life. The ‘khadi Gandhijis belongings lying in the room he
used at Mani Bhavan in Mumbai. Pic from 1999 to his workplace in half an hour:“The new arrangement To me, khadi and hand-
spirit’ means illimitable patience. For those who know
combined walks and economy, as it meant a saving of fares loom textiles of India repre-
anything about the production of khadi know how
and gave me walks of eight or ten miles a day. sent true luxury, deserving
patiently the spinners and the weavers have to toil at their to be called the finest tex-
Liked by minimalistic and others Gandhi used to walk around 18 km (22,500 steps) every day
trade…The ‘khadi spirit’ means also an equally illimitable tiles in the world. India is
The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not for 40 years. Bapu also covered a total of 79,000 km for his
faith…The ‘khadi spirit’ means fellow-feeling with every one of the last countries
enough for everyone’s greed. campaigns between 1913 and 1948
human being on earth. to possess such a
#beaminimalist #lessismore #bethechange #fitlife #fitforlife #myworkoutroutine
#khadispirit #simplelivinghighthinking #khadi wealth of fabrics,
woven by hand and
Other than India, most Gandhi is googled reflecting a 3,000 year
In the 1990s, When people search for
web searches for Brand across India, but search interest In the Brand Trust Report 2014, old history that encapsu-
US-based Apple Gandhi, many of them are
Gandhi came from Mexico. is strong in the North-East. Mahatma Gandhi was voted the lates the traditions of our
used Gandhi’s searching for his quotes.
France, Italy, Spain and Arunachal, Assam and ‘Most Trusted Personality in spectacular heritage.
meditating Gandhi was a prolific writer,
Brazil, followed by the US Nagaland searched for Gandhi India’. Ranked immediately Today, we are firmly set
image to launch authoring 26 books, but many
and UK the most over the last 15 years below him were Amitabh on the road to make Indian
its Macintosh of his principles are captured
compared to Tamil Nadu, Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and textiles recognisable the
range of in memorable quotes.
Maharashtra and Karnataka Sachin Tendulkar world over as true luxury –
computers Searches for these quotes are allowing every designer to
among the top Gandhi-related create an exclusive range
queries on Google
BRAND GANDHI HARISH BIJOOR
that is impossible to copy.
This is where Gandhiji
would have liked to see
Brand guru Khadi – celebrated glob-
ally as the finest of
Was the Gandhi still is India’s most brand Mahatma Gandhi. A brand built bottom-
up and not top-down. A brand that is durable
than ever
before. His what India has to offer.
Charkha a loved human branding and powerful in its recall. Mahatma Gandhi, the message of The writer is a
brand is a powerful thought – it’s non-violence and fashion & textile
logo for

S
ome six years A 2010, Google a thought that resonates strong his spirit of gram- curator. He presents
Brand ago, I did a study that Insight India to this day. That is the true power rajya are durable, the work of Indian
covered 89 countries. research shows that of a brand. relevant and original designers and
Gandhi? Or, was The question: Which when Brand Gandhi Brand Gandhi’s strength lies in to this day. As the world artisans globally
the Dandi March of 1930 a Indian brand have you was pitted against visual branding. His use of icons gets rejigged by the pan-
heard of? The one brand that brands such as such as his loincloth, khadi and demic, Mahatma Gandhi’s Internet users
brilliant representation of was recounted in 84 countries Pepsi, Coke, Lux and the spinning wheel were strong ethos is a living ethos. A one are also reading up more about Gandhi
efficient event management was not a brand of tea or tech – it
was a human brand. It was
Colgate, the number elements to stamp his message on to live by. One to live with. And than most other world leaders, according to data
of web searches for the masses. possibly, one to live for. from Wikipedia. Since 2015, Gandhi page has been
that yielded dramatic Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi whitewashed Brand Mahatma Gandhi and all The writer is a brand expert and visited more than 30 million times at a monthly
That is the true blue power of
results? We find out how the others
by almost 10:1
he stood for is more relevant today founder of Harish Bijoor Consults average of 606,000 page views, and has been fairly
steady over the last few years. This average is more
than that of pages for Nehru, King, and Mandela
Sources: theeconomictimes.com, businessstandard.com, mint.com
 03
04
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021
Reading Henry Stephens Salt’s ‘A Plea for Vegetarianism’ inspired Gandhi to turn
vegetarian. In his autobiography, he wrote, “From the date of reading this
book, I may claim to have become a vegetarian by choice.”
Oh
My Gandhi!

Mahatma:
from pages
It’s impossible to encapsulate the life of Gandhi in a single body of work – whether a
to reel
book or a film. To get an understanding of his values, and to know the man who would be
Mahatma, one has to pick a few books to read and a few films to watch. Try these...

BOOKS ON GANDHI... ...ON THE SILVER SCREEN

The Mahatma And The The Making Of The Mahatma (1996)
Being Gandhi by Paro Anand
Monkeys: What Gandhiji One of the most powerful novels from Sahitya
DIRECTOR: Shyam Benegal
Did, What Gandhiji Said Akademi Award winner Paro Anand, this is a CAST: Rajit Kapur, Pallavi Joshi
poignant story of love, loss and learning. Set Directed by Shyam Benegal, this film is about the early life of
by Anu Kumar during the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – during his 21 years in South
A great introduction to Mahatma ‘Being Gandhi’ is about
Gandhi for young readers be- Chandrashekhar, who’s Africa. It’s based upon the book, ‘The Apprenticeship of a
tween 8-12 years old, it covers var- asked to act like Gand- Mahatma’, by Fatima Meer. Gandhi was invited to South Africa in
ious aspects of Gandhi’s life in hi for a school project. 1893 to settle a case for a wealthy Indian settled there. He expect-
brief chapters under titles like He couldn’t even have
‘caring for others’, ‘telling the imagined how his
ed to return in a few months but instead got involved in the freedom
truth’, ‘the wonder years’. By role in real life movement and even-
reading about his quest for truth, would change as tually stayed for 21
non-violence, equality and freedom, the book empowers the days go from years. During those
readers and helps them adapt to his philosophies. bad to worse.
years, his ideas took Gandhi My Father (2007)
shape and his personal DIRECTOR: Feroz Abbas Khan
My Gandhi Story ‘Gandhi’. For exam- and political philosophy CAST: Darshan Jariwala, Akshaye
ple: “Did Gandhiji
by Nina Sabnani, Rajesh Chaitya work hard in
evolved. The film traces the Khanna, Bhumika Chawla, Shefali Shah
Vangad and Ankit Chadha school too?” origins of these principles: The movie is based on the biography of
Says the Mahat- passive resistance, civil dis- Harilal Gandhi, titled ‘Harilal Gandhi: A
This award-winning book, which de- ma, “I was not obedience and Satyagraha. Life’ by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal.
picts Gandhi’s life in traditional War- lazy, but I was not
li paintings, is a collaboration be- very good at studies. I Mahatma Gandhi’s eldest son, Harilal —
who had to live under the shadow of his
tween a Warli artist, a storyteller and found multiplication Hey Ram (2000) an alternative story of a
a filmmaker. Questions are posed by very difficult. I
man called Saket Ram, who illustrious father — wasn’t ever able to
a childlike narrator, and answered by was also shy”. DIRECTOR: Kamal Haasan
come to terms with it. Harilal had a tur-
CAST: Kamal Haasan, Shah is torn apart by the viole-
bulent life trying to support his father’s
Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin nce of Partition and holds
Mahatma Gandhi: Little Gandhi in 150 Gandhi responsible for it.
ideology while simultaneously trying to
Shah, Hema Malini, create a life for himself. The ensuing
People, Big Dreams by Anecdotes by Arthy Rani Mukerji He plots to kill the Maha-
weight of expectations makes Harilal his
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Muthanna Singh and tma but later changes his
father’s biggest critic.
The critically-acclaimed, multi- Mamta Nainy mind, and even leads his
million-copy best-selling ‘Little Published in 2019 on Gandhi’s life according to Gandhian
People, BIG DREAMS’ series of- 150th birth anniversary, this principles. The movie is Gandhi (1982)
fers a beautifully illustrated ac- book offers anecdotes from his DIRECTOR: Richard Attenborough
count of Gand- life. For exam-
a journey of a man
hi’s life for ple, when he This historical drama from anger and CAST: Ben Kingsley, Rohini
young readers. was a child, was written, directed the potential to Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
As a teenager, Gandhi’s elder This biographical film is based on the
Gandhi lead a sister saw him
and produced by violence to the abandon-
rebellious life, climbing up a Kamal Haasan. He is ment of the idea of vio- life of Mahatma Gandhi. ‘Gandhi’ was
often going guava tree in the protagonist of lence altogether. A must- produced and directed by Richard
against his par- a neigh-
the film, which tells watch in today’s world. Attenborough. Kingsley won the
ents principles. b o u r ’ s
Academy Award in the Best Actor cate-
As he grows old- backyard
er, the same principles become with pieces of torn cloth. gory, and the film received 11 Academy
the foundation of his life. His It so transpired that young
dream to unite all people and re- Gandhi wanted to band- Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
ligion lead him to peaceful age the guavas that had DIRECTOR: Raju Hirani, CAST: Sanjay Dutt,
protests to free India from been ‘injured’ by
British rule. the birds that Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani
had snacked A beautiful radio disc jockey (Vidya Balan) innocently
on them! believes that her roguish boyfriend, Munna Bhai
(Sanjay Dutt), is a history professor. The joke is
on Munna Bhai, the gangster, who has to
choose the path of non-violence, when his girl-
friend asks him to give a history lecture on nominations. ‘Gandhi’ begins in South
Gandhi and Gandhian principles. Munna Africa, when Gandhi was a lawyer. It
Bhai and his best friend, Circuit covers his journey to becoming the
(Arshad Warsi), must walk in Mahatma later in India during the
Mahatma’s shoes only to realise that Indian Independence Movement, and
the path of non-violence is hard, but the ends with his assassination in 1948.
only path human beings must choose.

The Story of my
Experiments with Truth
by Mahatma Gandhi
No one could have penned a better story than the
man himself. In his autobiography, Gandhi writes
about his life – from childhood to 1921. Initially writ-
ten in Gujarati, the book’s chapters were published in
weekly installments in ‘Navjivan’ from 1925 to 1929. The
English version was translated by Mahadev Desai in 1940. Bapu
writes with honesty, sharing a candid account of his early life,
ideologies, mistakes, and the lessons he learnt from them. Best suit-
ed for older/mature readers.

Gandhism, I follow... Truth, Peace and Freedom Socialism with a difference Gandhian
“The truth is far more socialism was based on the ideas of
powerful than any Transparency, ability to listen
non-possession and trusteeship. I
Selflessness Small acts of kindness not only lead weapon of mass destruc- Mahatma’s ability to listen patiently to
believe that if the privileged take care
to the upliftment of others’ lives but also help one tion.” Being truthful gives every opinion and communicate uniformly, trans- of the underprivileged, there will be a
gain contentment and happiness in their own lives. me unlimited freedom to be who I am parently and truthfully to all paved the way to sense of purpose in the lives
Rightfully, the world gave a standing and express my feelings. Truth always India’s Independence. I find these qualities most of the rich.
ovation to Mahatma’s selflessness. offers peace of mind, which is some- alluring.
ISHIR NARAYAN,
PIUSHI AJWANI, class XI, Jamnabai Narsee thing we all need right now. DHWANI GULATI, class VII, Sacred Heart Senior
School, Mumbai class X, Indus Valley World
NIMISHA SONI, class IX, Zebar School, Ahmedabad Secondary School, Chandigarh
School, Kolkata