Today, India commemorates the birthdays of her two illustrious sons: Gandhi and Shastri.
Mr Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (02.10.1869-30.01.1948) better known as Mahatma Gandhi, and also called Bapu or Rashtrapita (The Father of the Nation) was a saint-politician of India. He strongly believed in "truth and non-violence", on the basis of which he could seek independence from the British rule with his iron-will.
Gandhi ji pioneered and practised the principle of Satyagraha for civil rights and freedom. He initiated the Swadeshi movement by taking up the charkha (spinning wheel) and ingeniously deployed it as an important tool for political emancipation from the British rule.
It was his exceptional courage and conviction that he accepted his vices and shortcomings in his autobiography, "My Experiments with Truth".
Albert Einstein had said, "Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a man as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."
I share some of his famous quotes as under:
1. The future depends on what we do in the present.
2. It's easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone.
3. Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.
4. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri (02.10.1904-11.01.1966), the second Prime Minister of India, after the legendary Jawaharlal Nehru, had a very humble background. His father had died in epidemic, when Shastri was hardly two years old. He had completed his schooling under adverse circumstances. As there was no school in his village, he used to swim the river everyday for attending the school across the river.
He dropped his caste-derived surname of Srivastava and replaced it with Shastri, a bachelor's degree awarded to him by Kashi Vidyapeeth. He was a man of humility with great integrity, inner strength and resoluteness.
During the Indo-Pak war of 1965, when India was facing scarcity of food grains. He asked the countrymen to go without food at least once a week, but before addressing the nation, his own family set an example by skipping dinner for a day. He promoted "White Revolution" and "Green Revolution" to make India a self-reliant nation. And now India exports foodgrains to other countries.
He raised the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer) to honour the two biggest pillars of the country- soldiers and farmers, one defends the nation, and the other feeds it.
I share some of his famous quotes are hereunder:
1. We believe in peace, not only for ourselves, but for people all over the world.
2. The strength of the country lies in the villages
3. Discipline and United action are the real source of strength for the nation.
4. We must fight for peace as bravely, as we fought in war.
The life and ideals of Bapu will continue to inspire all generations to walk on the path of truth and non-violence, while Shastri Ji's life based on values of honesty and sincerity will always remain a source of inspiration for every Indian.
Both Gandhi ji and Shastri ji established high standards for the society and politics through their moral values and principles. For them, the country and its people were always ahead of their respective families.
The leadership and principles of the two most iconic leaders continue to inspire millions. If they were resurrected, their first priority would be to focus on healing political rifts, fostering unity and inclusivity, and promoting ethical governance, apart from ardently championing diverse facets of social justice.
On this solemn occasion, we pay our heartfelt tribute to these extraordinary leaders.
--Kaushal Kishore
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