Gandhi - Epidemic and Illness

In current times when information flows incessantly from all directions, it is easier than ever before to feel a little lost in the flood that such information creates. What furthermore complicates the problem is every source of information has its set of vested interests, biases and limitations.

In order to be able to assess all this objectively and stand up – against this maddening flow of information and mis-information,  I thought to look up someone with a distinct expertise in standing one’s ground against all sorts of pre-conceived notions, forces from media and rulers as well as his own idiosyncrasies as an individual  - M.K. Gandhi.  Although there are hardly any direct parallels from the times when Gandhi lived and the current situation, there are a couple of episodes that provide useful reference. They are noted here in brief.

Ø  Outbreak of Plague in Johannesburg

Most Indians in Africa were staying in places that was commonly known as “Coolie location”.   One such location had an outbreak of pneumonic plague.

On receiving the news of an outbreak to 23 individuals at once Gandhi reached at the location and took it upon himself to serve the sick. He used one of the local municipality’s building and turned it into a makeshift hospital.

He also criticized the government and appealed to them for providing as much support as possible to prevent the outbreak from spreading further. He selected individuals who were comparatively healthier and had no other family members to take the nursing responsibilities and even spared the government nurse from coming in direct contact with patients.

His duties were routine and limited to following instructions from the doctor and providing with basic needs and cleanliness of the patients. Since he was attending active patients – he chose to self-isolate himself and consciously avoided his friends and associates during this time. He also was inclined to keep a very light diet during this time and followed through on it rigorously.

Of 23 patients only 2 survived – rest of the patients along with the nurse succumbed to the disease. However, the doctor, Gandhi and his volunteer friends did not catch the plague. In days that followed, it appears that the location was put under similar arrangements that we see today in quarantine areas, “The location was put under a strong guard, passage in and out being made impossible without permission. My co-workers and I had free permits of entry and exit. The decision was to make the whole location population vacate and live under canvas for three weeks in an open plain about thirteen miles from Johannesburg, and then to set fire to the location[1].”  Although difficult – but he was able to get a consensus among Indians to agree with the plan from the municipality and everyone shifter to live under canvas. Gandhi played a role in suggesting people to take care of their savings, helping them open bank accounts and ensuring that their savings were not squandered in this quick and sudden relocation.

His ability to find things that are of help to others and start executing them in an organized manner is amazing.

Ø  In a chapter titled as Near Death’s door in his autobiography Gandhi outlines his experience throughout one of the longest and most severe illnesses he had to go through. This period coincides with another outbreak – that of the Spanish flu – however experts believe he was not ill with that flu[2]. This episode, therefore, becomes relevant for people suffering illnesses other than Covid-19 currently.

As someone who did not take fondly to outside medicines’ use – Gandhi staunchly stuck to his own methods in treating himself. He refused taking either medicines, injections or even milk – (he had avowed to avoid milk from cow and buffalo). Although he later acknowledged that his denial of injections was based on incorrect information and he should not have avoided them. It is important to note that denial of medicines did not mean denial in getting well – he constantly tried approaches he was okay with and consulted several doctors to come up with a treatment that was both – in line with his principles and effective but he refused any compromise – even if it meant risking his life.

What strikes me most as a reader during this chapter is the fact that Gandhi treats his illness as a subject of study – and finds within himself the possible causes of illness. His view might be called too harsh on himself – at times viewing pain as a necessary result of his own actions – but they are not without a basis – he was able to observe his actions that triggered the disease and work towards correcting them. He was also candid in acknowledging that he had become so weak that he almost thought he died – despite doctor suggesting that his pulse was fine!

He also uses the illness as an opportunity to reflect and rise in his understanding of himself. To be able to view himself as objectively as he does - is inspiring! While his level of staunchness in his methods might be unwise to emulate, what we can aspire to achieve is his devotion in studying himself objectively.

Re-reading certain parts of his autobiography certainly helped me take a different perspective of things as they stand!  

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[1] https://www.mkgandhi.org/autobio/chap94.htm

[2] https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/gandhi-at-the-time-of-the-spanish-flu/cid/1766054

Probably what liberals in India (and possibly in US) are missing….

Cable networks in India run a dedicated channel to broadcast Narendra Modi’s interviews and his campaign run up to the Loksabha Elections, supreme court does not find his mention of Armed forces in political canvassing inappropriate, all his promises from past election like job creation, reduction in black money and growth have receded among the infernal din of his national security rhetoric, political jibes and another set of lofty promises. His party has declined to make the list of its source of funds public – despite strong push on transparency and accountability.

And yet he continues to enjoy soaring popularity among Indian voters - at least for now. This popularity of a hard-liner candidate is not a stand-alone case in democracies around the world today. Flag-bearer of democracy, United States too, has its own Narendra Modi in form of its current president Donald Trump! Israel recently re-elected a leader with similar traits and Brazil too elected a strongman in Jair Bolsonaro.

There are Indians who find Modi annoying, obnoxious and even fascist. They portray him as a threat to India’s democracy and constitution. They shout at the top of their voices against him, try to engage in debate, debunk the lies of the government, appeal to people’s reason and hope that they would be able to somehow change people’s mind about him. It is important to realize that people have chosen these leaders for a reason and first step in defeating or moderating the hardliner at the helm is to defeat the hardliner within us. We must remember that Modi or any hardliner leader is not a problem, he is a symptom of a problem that plagues majority of the people. Simply exposing the problems with his leadership is rather narrow a goal that reduces national issues and priorities and ultimately harms the nation.  

For example – we see widespread criticism of terrorism in Kashmir, but hardly see any effort on integrating Kashmiri youth with the rest of the India, we debate vigorously of widening wealth inequality but hardly focus on giving our children more equitable life experiences, we complaint of increasing intolerance but don’t branch far out and consciously make diverse connections. All these and many other participatory actions can be taken around the year – not just at the time of elections.

The process of globalization and economic growth has now become a fatal combination of rising expectations and reducing opportunities – therefore it is natural for anyone with or without resources to act conservatively about them. This situation leads to the popular political slogans of India (Any other country) first. The only way around this tightening noose of hardline leadership is to work towards increasing education, enriching diversity and expanding the understanding of economic growth.  Practicing and spreading simplicity can also go a long way, not just from economic but also from environmental perspective.  

This road is long – and it may take a long time before we may see any result – but it is worth walking on it.

My two cents!

In 2014 I voted for the first time in India’s national elections. Little did I know that when next time India holds its polls I will be sitting in another country and may not have the bandwidth – economic or otherwise – of going back and casting my vote in one of the most vibrant democracies of the world.

Distance often makes it difficult to see things clearly – but sometimes it may also allow you to see things in different light – and therefore I feel that even without voting, I need to express myself to all the friends, relatives and family members who will be voting in India’s next general election.

·         This election is not about saving India’s soul

Anyone who claims that this election is about saving India’s soul – probably considers India’s soul too weak, fixed and simple. While such an expression may make people feel charged up, there is hardly any credibility to it when we stop and think about it for a couple of minutes. What is India’s soul? I don’t know a certain answer to this but surely it is not a fixed thing that can be stolen or broken – because soul evolves, transforms, grows, subsides and goes through the same cycle again and again. This very nature of soul - and its liveliness makes it difficult to even grasp and control a soul of one person – let alone the entire nation.

·         Need for Chowkidaar

It is a very common political ploy to instigate a sense of fear among people, to make them feel unsafe and therefore look for leaders who can provide a sense of safety. The term Chowkidar – a guard – being currently used to suggest that somehow, we as a nation need someone to protect us. We must not fall for such tactics – and must not let fear overtake our common sense. This technique is very similar to those used by Donald Trump during the US presidential elections. India and all its people are strong enough to take care of themselves and need no one to look after them.

Another reason why this need for a guard seems ludicrous is – somehow it leaks an air of superiority of the ruler over those that are ruled. It is exactly opposite of the concept of “Swaraj” on which India had based its freedom movement.  

Let us remember that we are a country of over a billion people, different ideologies, diverse culture, varied skillsets and wide range of opportunities ahead of us. Let’s vote for the basic issues and concerns that touch our daily lives – when each one of us does that – the national picture will automatically start shaping well.

A famous political leader named Ram Manohar Lohia’s quote is also worth remembering - sarkar tave ki roti jaise hoti hai, usko palat tey raho nahin toh jal ke raakh ho jayegi – the government is like a roti that needs to be flipped on the griddle or it will burn. As a first time voter, I did not do a thorough study but just cast my vote for a different party than the then ruling party - and if I were to get another chance, I would probably do the same this time as well!

Letter to a Malawian protesting the statue of Gandhi

If Gandhi’s statue affronts you in any way, it should not be built. As someone who has not only known Gandhi as a father of the nation but also explored his life as a matter of historical interest, I can be sure that had he been alive and asked if his statue should be made or not – he would have declined building a statue and suggested possible better ways to spend the resources reserved for building such a statue.

When going through the details of your protest online and learning about the historical references behind it – I felt a strange familiarity with them. A search that I had started to find counter-arguments with an intention to talk you out of your protest soon made me realize that perhaps we both are making a same mistake. A mistake of taking a part of someone– and considering that part as a whole version of that person. We make this mistake even worse by forming opinions based on our fragmented versions that we consider to be whole. I am not trying to tell you that you should understand Gandhi more fully – please don’t misunderstand me. I am just saying not to feel hurt by taking a specific piece of history outside of its entirety.

It is this mistake – that politicians around the world capitalize to their own advantage. Not just in any one country, across the world – the tendency to take a small part of someone and come to a full judgement of their value has been the weapon of choice for many demagogues. India and Africa’s shared history of British Imperialism also show such selective view – that somehow considered British rule better than the home rule for both these colonies.

This mistake is also at the very core of racial prejudice we see around us. Be it against people of color, migrants, minorities from religion, sexual orientation or opinions – all forms of discrimination have at their root this tendency of taking small part of a group and using it to project a full image of that group. Those of us who have suffered such discrimination – owe it to ourselves – more than anyone else, not to succumb to such fallacies.  At personal level, such a tendency can have negative impact on way we understand other people around us. Therefore, if time permits - try and tease out what exactly is hurting within you and find a way to heal it. I have no say whether there will be a statue in Malawi, but if it is of any help – I wish they don’t build it.

Personally, I don’t think truth and non-violence needs anyone’s statue to prove their worth. Nor they are property of any country, individual or a group. In some sense, your freedom to express the opinion and the exchange it results into – is a better tribute to Gandhian spirit than any statue and in that endeavor, I wish you well.  

Gandhi

Albert Einstein famously said of him that “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”  And it is to reduce the distance of disbelief that I write this article today, to remind myself of Gandhi and his way of life.  

To unify and galvanize people across geography that would eventually make 3 different countries, religions, castes, age and different economic backgrounds was a mammoth task. And Gandhi almost did it effortlessly.  In a world that was already exposed to warfare between countries, adopting, staying and keeping a whole country on a path of non-violence during its freedom struggle was a massive achievement. 

Just to put it in a perspective, think about how often you successfully influence the opinions and behavior of members of your team at work, or your friends or family members! 

A lot of things come to mind when one tries to analyze what all Gandhi did to gain such an unparalleled influence over people of India at that time. He focused on doing small things right, was honest in his dealings with others as well as with himself, he thought about those at the very bottom of society – antyodaya – his idea of rule of law was that it should benefit those at the bottom of the pyramid first. He led through examples and action, not just words, and always put himself behind the people. 

While all of this and more may be true of his leadership and political abilities – the most important aspect of Gandhi’s leadership was that he connected enlightenment to the common man’s life. 

Gandhi was a unique confluence of progressive ideology and spiritual enlightenment. Before Gandhi, India had many spiritual leaders, characters and teachers – however their message and methods were hard for a common man to even understand – let alone follow. Many things were left open to interpretation, while leaving things open to interpretation is important in its own way, a major drawback of that approach is that it suffers from being elitist and esoteric. 

Gandhi identified tools for enlightenment. These tools were inexpensive, required no special skills to use, were available to everyone and were verifiable instantly!

These tools were “Truth and Non-Violence”, to me – identifying the root of spiritual progress in these two elements is almost as great a thought as the one from Buddha in which he identified root of unhappiness in desires. 

Norwegian Wood - A Book Review

“How wonderful it is to be able to write someone a letter! To feel like conveying your thoughts to a person, to sit at your desk and pick up a pen, to put your thoughts into words like this is truly marvellous. Of course once I do put them into words, I find I can only express a fraction of what I want to say.”

Above portion from the book seems equally relevant to writing a book review for Norwegian wood, a love story from Haruki Murakami. This book is distinctly different from his other books that I have read. It involves no tear or gate in space and time to travel to the other world and remains strongly tethered to the mortal world we all know and live in. However this aspect doesn’t limit the book in anyway. 

Story of this book revolves around a boy named Toru Watambe and his journey from adolescence to adulthood. It poignantly describes the dilemmas of growing up. Toru struggles to reconcile the differences in world he sees ahead of him and the one he sees behind him. The world ahead is constantly barraging him with larger than life success, living on one’s own terms, and a quasi immortality created and fostered by popular culture. Whereas the world behind has a gripping memory of loss of his friend Kizuki to death, guilt of being in a relationship with Kizuki’s girlfriend, his other adolescence romances and the eternal urge of staying seventeen forever. 

Post Kizuki’s death, Naoko and Toru come close for a brief moment, however things fall apart as Naoko further sinks in grief and has to be transferred to a mental institute for treatment. Toru finds himself conflicted whether to wait for Naoko to return to normalcy or to move forward with other romantic interests that life may bring to him. 

Through wide range of characters the book’s story transcends from just love story to a wider narrative about current times. For example, character of Nagasawa shows to Toru difference of hard work and manual labour. Nagasawa is shown as supremely successful young man who always believes in staying one step ahead of the time to ensure he can position himself at the right time at a right place. Toru contrasts his input to the condition of a man on deathbed who has worked just as hard in maintaining a book shop and raising his daughter. If that man did not get a chance to check what was ahead of him and place himself to leverage that, is it really his fault ? 

Another interesting character is Midori, a girl Toru finds attractive. She is the one who lends Toru much needed relief from his emotional conflict between waiting for Naoko and moving forward with life. Even by the end of the book, we are not sure which road Toru finally took, but one can definitely say that Midori was the only source of comfort when Toru found it very hard especially after Naoko succumbed to suicide. 

Story of this book brings many other characters that touch readers’ lives, Reiko, Storm Trooper, Hatsumi - all of them are brief yet able to offer a glimpse into different parts of human psyche with which readers can connect easily. 

Murakami’s strong understanding of human nature reflects throughout the book, and provides soothing assurance of finding beauty even in most dark moments of life! 

Italicised part is taken from the book. 

From Sachin Tendulkar to Steve Smith and David Warner

Ball tampering incidents from Cape Town test between South Africa and Australia brought back long forgotten and discomforting memories of 2001. Though consequences in both the incidents were vastly different - there are underlying commonalities that tie these two events. 

These common threads are important to understand how we succumb to human frailties and cross a boundary of propriety to suit our own prejudices. How we are swift to transfer a truckload of dormant guilt of our own many little misdeeds to those who are a little more vulnerable than us to such accusations. 

When Sachin was accused of tampering with a cricket ball during a test match in South Africa, I was a teenager and like many other teenagers there was nothing that could have made me believe that there may be some merit to those allegations against him. Far from a possibility of any debate, I was closed to any information which may oppose my long held adulation and love for the living legend.  I was not the only one to be closed to hearing the other side of the argument - it turns out entire country was in the same position. Such an unparalleled love and respect we have for our icons. There is absolutely nothing wrong in this kind of love and respect to our heroes. However this makes our heroes victims of our love. We start looking at them more as gods and forget that they are humans too. Sentiments of a teenager who used to bunk classes by lying about stomach ache were used to determine whether or not a particular sportsman erred in his conduct during a cricket match or not. This seemed perfectly fine back in 2001 to me as it suited my prejudice however looking back at it now, it seems ludicrous!

Steve Smith and David Warner found themselves on the wrong side of such sentiments last week.  Though their acknowledgement of error was valorous and worthy of praise, it did not go down well with the public opinion in Australia, a country which idolises its Cricketers. People from Australia and around the world were quick to latch onto the confession as a tool to offload their own guilt to him. Australian culture idolises their cricketers and place them even higher than the national leaders in the hierarchy of public figures. It is said that Australia had a cricket captain before it had a prime minister! It is no surprise therefore that people feel betrayed when their heroes fall. However justified the public anger may be, it cannot be and should not be used as a tool to pass judgement on persons accused.

Ball tampering (planned or accidental) in cricket is no different from exaggerating one’s qualities on a resume to land a coveted job. It is no different from flattering a boss or someone in position of power to gain an advantage or curry favours. It is no different from lying about stomach ache in order to avoid school. 

One has to agree that sports heroes have some responsibilities to their fans and followers and need to be held accountable for their actions when they overstep a boundary set by rules however to use the intensity of public emotions to determine the degree of their misconduct is grossly unjust towards the sportspersons involved. 

We must support cricketers to receive a trial that is free of public emotions and perceptions in order to determine the severity and sentence of their misconduct. This is not only important from their point of view but also for ours - as we would not have any place if the same standards were employed to judge our own daily actions! 

Photo taken from google search

https://www.google.com/search?q=justice&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKptCcpZnaAhWBVN8KHYFkAi4Q_AUIDCgD&biw=1275&bih=635#imgrc=nd47eRwkEvCpcM: