New Delhi: During Operation Sindoor, the United States which had received intelligence suggesting that India had launched BrahMos cruise missiles to strike targets inside...
By repeatedly taking Gandhi’s name in his radio talks, as the author points out, Mr Modi hopes that gradually over time the audience will start identifying him with the greatness of Gandhi. Mr Modi should realize that Gandhi’s greatness lay not in his words but in his kindness, compassion, fair mindedness which attracted people to him like a magnet. He spoke in a slurred voice. Half the people wouldn’t have understood what he was saying, let alone getting impressed by it.
Mr Modi’s attempt at the appropriation of Gandhi’s legacy has been visible on two levels. First the less complimentary one, to Mr Modi that is, which manifested in removing Gandhi’s photo from the khadi gramodyog calendar and putting Mr Modi’s in its place. It is difficult to say if it was an act of an overzealous officer who thought he would endear himself to Mr Modi by this act, or if it was directly sanctioned by Mr Modi himself. Let’s leave it at that, that’s over.
The second and more important attempt at the said appropriation is through the Swacchta campaign. Gandhi ji was all for Swacchta, but why did he not succeed? Modi ji’s intent was admirable, but before spending or allocating huge funds for it, he should have realized that Swacchta is SECOND NATURE to some people, and NOT second nature to some people. Period. There is no magic wand to convert the latter type to the former desirable type.
If you chance to see army barracks in a cantonment, you will understand what I mean by “second nature” to some. Interestingly, a few years ago I had a chance to travel by road through the interiors of Tamil Nadu. I was on road for approximately 13-14 hours, across different parts of the state, so it can be called a large enough “sample” to form an opinion. And believe it or not, I saw the ARMY BARRACKS TYPE OF CLEANLINESS throughout the countryside of Tamil Nadu! And this was BEFORE 2014. Simple, but freshly whitewashed houses, spic and span courtyards and adjoining lands, no dry or wet filth by the roadsides etc. I concluded to myself that cleanliness was “second nature” to the inhabitants of Tamil Nadu. There was no need to teach them Swacchta, they already knew it. As against this, think of or travel through any part of the Hindi belt, to the parts to which I actually belong! Do you see even a shade of Swacchta anywhere, despite crores being spent on this project?
Swacchta will become “second nature” also in these parts of India when today’s school children become big, and start leading adult life. Because Swacchta is “becoming” (hopefully) second nature to them through awareness campaigns in schools. That means 5-10 years from now. There’s no need to mindlessly going on pumping money into this scheme now.
By repeatedly taking Gandhi’s name in his radio talks, as the author points out, Mr Modi hopes that gradually over time the audience will start identifying him with the greatness of Gandhi. Mr Modi should realize that Gandhi’s greatness lay not in his words but in his kindness, compassion, fair mindedness which attracted people to him like a magnet. He spoke in a slurred voice. Half the people wouldn’t have understood what he was saying, let alone getting impressed by it.
Mr Modi’s attempt at the appropriation of Gandhi’s legacy has been visible on two levels. First the less complimentary one, to Mr Modi that is, which manifested in removing Gandhi’s photo from the khadi gramodyog calendar and putting Mr Modi’s in its place. It is difficult to say if it was an act of an overzealous officer who thought he would endear himself to Mr Modi by this act, or if it was directly sanctioned by Mr Modi himself. Let’s leave it at that, that’s over.
The second and more important attempt at the said appropriation is through the Swacchta campaign. Gandhi ji was all for Swacchta, but why did he not succeed? Modi ji’s intent was admirable, but before spending or allocating huge funds for it, he should have realized that Swacchta is SECOND NATURE to some people, and NOT second nature to some people. Period. There is no magic wand to convert the latter type to the former desirable type.
If you chance to see army barracks in a cantonment, you will understand what I mean by “second nature” to some. Interestingly, a few years ago I had a chance to travel by road through the interiors of Tamil Nadu. I was on road for approximately 13-14 hours, across different parts of the state, so it can be called a large enough “sample” to form an opinion. And believe it or not, I saw the ARMY BARRACKS TYPE OF CLEANLINESS throughout the countryside of Tamil Nadu! And this was BEFORE 2014. Simple, but freshly whitewashed houses, spic and span courtyards and adjoining lands, no dry or wet filth by the roadsides etc. I concluded to myself that cleanliness was “second nature” to the inhabitants of Tamil Nadu. There was no need to teach them Swacchta, they already knew it. As against this, think of or travel through any part of the Hindi belt, to the parts to which I actually belong! Do you see even a shade of Swacchta anywhere, despite crores being spent on this project?
Swacchta will become “second nature” also in these parts of India when today’s school children become big, and start leading adult life. Because Swacchta is “becoming” (hopefully) second nature to them through awareness campaigns in schools. That means 5-10 years from now. There’s no need to mindlessly going on pumping money into this scheme now.