MAHATMA - A SOUL IN DISTRESS

I am sure you are deeply distressed with the way of things going on here. You must be turning in your grave ever since you were gunned down (even before that) by one of your own countrymen 63 years ago. Even before that, I mean while you were alive spending your days amongst the masses and often languishing in various prisons after being subjected to ruthless assaults, nothing could force you to backtrack from the path chosen by you since your youthful days abroad and across the nation. Life to you was a relentless struggle for freedom from the forces of suppression - overbearing authority by an alien power and to counter them the path chosen by you, entirely different from the paths bordering on the aggressive, chosen by veteran freedom fighters both contemporary and those great revolutionaries of yore. You did believe and held on to your ideals and with your personal magnetism rally the masses behind and organized massive struggles sticking to the chosen paths of Non-violence and Satyagraha (fast-unto-death).
Though you did struggle for the freedom of the nation choosing the way of Non-violence a heavy chunk of fighters especially the youthful fighters whose blood boiled at the very thought of their land languishing under the yoke of a foreign power and to drive away those forces who went on an exploitation-spree draining away the massive wealth to their land leaving our masses high and dry. Our people starved and millions perished in large-scale famines and the scathing anger and protests of our people lay hidden like embers in a heap of ash. Ever since you entered the scene, you could very well channelize their anger and protests through peaceful means. You took padayatras(long bare-footed walks) across the length and breadth of our nation organising and consolidating masses and many great men of prominence joined hands with you forgetting their differences over your approach and peaceful paths adopted by you.
The seething discontent and consequent anger prevailing among a large section took a different turn as the youth blood cried for violent struggles - it naturally turned violent led to massive blood-bath and lakhs and lakhs of youths turned martyrs in their ceaseless struggles for freedom. Such violent uprisings and the merciless suppression unleashed by the foreigners pained you, disgusted you and you reached those places then and there and advocated peace and calm to prevail.
After non-stop struggles for freedom of the country from under the yoke of a foreign power since centuries the foreigners before fleeing the nation for good, did a disservice by dividing the nation into two parts creating a new nation dividing a united country and they are still at loggerheads with each other. Till the last moment you pleaded for a united country your dreams though didn’t materialize. With a heavy heart even after winning freedom without hankering after power you were amongst the two feuding communities conducting prayer meetings for calm and peace.
While you were busy with your mission among the masses your close confidents were seriously engaged in forming a govt at Delhi, the Capital city.
At last, at a prayer meeting for communal harmony at Birla House, you were brutally gunned down by a Hindu fanatic and the nation stood still with shock and pain writ large on its collective psyche.
Now that 63 years have elapsed since you left us even while you were alive and after death you couldn’t remain at peace still remaining painful and restless turning in your grave over the way the country is being run.
Today’s self-proclaimed leaders of our country, the new Avatars who swear by you day-in and day-out preaching your ideals from high pedestals at the top of their voices are literally looting our country, making the lives of masses miserable. Those sitting on the sidelines, mute witnesses as well as activists aplenty – the ones with dignity and integrity getting pained over the ugly state of developments in our country on different fronts like corruption to the tune of millions and millions, lavish life style of big Baboos and industrial tycoons entrusted with the onus of serving teeming millions, poverty and malnourishment ruling the roost, women and children being exploited in various ways our country literally pushed into an abyss. Since decades, of-late corruption reaching mountainous proportions while even millions leading pathetic existences without a cover over their heads, similarly lack of sanitation facilities and safe drinking water, a select few enjoy life more than its maximum potential all you must be witnessing. In a century and in a world where even God is being celebrated as branded figure nothing surprising that you once lived with the halo of a God being celebrated as a branded figure. The modern Godseys are still engaged in a shooting spree imagining your presence everywhere.