In memory of the greatest Indian ever
October 2, 2019, marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas K ar am ch and Gandhi, the father of the nation, the man who led India’s freedom movement, and the visionary who introduced the world to the power of truth as a force (satyagraha), non violence and civil disobedience, inspiring political leaders and mass movements in many countries. Gandhi continues to dominate public consciousness in India and elsewhere. At 72, India is still young enough to remember the man who became the Mahatma. Yet, more than a billion of its 1.2 billion population were born after his death and could do with a refresher on why Gandhi matters today (the truth is, he matters more than ever before).
The problem is, it is almost impossible to fit a comprehensive retrospective of Gandhi’s life and work into a finite space (although the great man’s faithful biographer, Ramachandra Guha, would disagree). And so, the Hindustan Times newsroom, which was once headed by Gandhi’s son, Devadas Mohandas Gandhi, decided to focus on ground reports, opinions, and photographs (including of objects) to bring Gandhi alive. Starting today and culminating on October 2, every issue of Hindustan Times will feature a page (some days will have more) on MK Gandhi: 150 Years On. The special coverage includes reports from Champaran, Bihar, where Gandhi launched his first Satyagraha movement in India, and Dandi, where, in 1930, he broke the British’s iniquitous salt law; walkabouts (with a Gandhi-focus) from London, Delhi, and Mumbai; columns by two of Gandhi’s grandsons and a great granddaughter and some of the world’s pre-eminent Gandhi scholars; two special articles by Guha (who also helped curate the columnists for the special coverage); and lots of rare photographs (including some from HT’s invaluable archives). For a more comprehensive sampling of what’s in store, see overleaf. The articles and the columns — they cover everything from the economy to the women’s movement to leadership to modern political thought — are another reminder of why many consider Gandhi the greatest Indian to ever walk the earth.