Thursday, 1 October 2015

Meeting Mahatma..

‘Happy birthday Gandhi! Happy birthday Gandhi! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday Mr.Gandhi!’ I sang as I opened my laptop to post my annual ‘Happy Gandhi jayanti to all!’ on Facebook. I sat on the sofa in the living room. 

No one was home. My family had gone to their respective work place to get a photo clicked of them holding a broom and cleaning an already clean road to show their support to the ‘Swacch bharat Abhiyan’ (more particularly, to appear in tomorrow’s newspaper).

I opened Facebook and typed a long and boring message highlighting what Mr.Gandhi did for the country and how we can contribute to it. These things are very odd to post in my age, when people post useless shit.

‘Thank you’ a voice said. The voice appeared to be that of an old person. I brought my ears near the laptop’s speaker to check whether the sound was coming from it.

‘I said thank you’ the voice again said. I shifted my view to the other sofa in the room. What I saw made me shift in my own seat. Mahatma Gandhi was sitting on it, smiling at me.

‘What the!’ I screamed as I got up and covered my face with my palm. I was really scared at that particular moment. Thinking that the spirit would've vanished, I removed my hand from my face. And to my horror, he was still sitting there, smiling at me like I had seen in his photos. He was wearing his all time white dhoti and Kurta.

Frankly, I emptied the whole water bottle. Sweat beads appeared on my face even though the fan was on its maximum speed. I was in a state of horror and shock.

‘Mahatma?’ I said fixing my gaze on the person who out of nowhere appeared in my  house and sat on my sofa smiling kindly at me and ‘Thanking’ me for wishing him.
I mentally kicked myself. Who the hell told you to stay at home and sing that Happy Birthday song of yours? You think you are Arijit Singh huh?

‘Laksh’ he said, ‘what are you thinking?’.

‘Thinking how someone who died a long time ago can appear in front of me’

‘I am here only because of you’ he said, his expression serious.

‘Me? Wait, I haven’t done anything wrong! I love my country! See my laptop’s wallpaper is a photo of Tiranga’ I said showing him my laptop with shivering hands.

‘I know that you love your country. You wanted to ask me some questions don’t you?’ he said. He was right. I had thought about some questions to debate on with my friends. I wanted to knew what Mahatma would think about the present situation of our country. His ideas of practicality and non violence always amazed me.

‘Come on. Ask me whatever you want to’ He said.

‘Will you have some tea?’ I said. Which spirit on earth drinks tea Mr malhotra?

‘Oh sorry. I have three questions. All three of them are based...’ I said as he interrupted me.

‘Based on the present situation of our country?’ he said.

‘Um. Yes’ I said.

‘My first question. What do you make of the ‘Swach Bharat Abhiyan’?’ I asked, ‘And is it necessary for us?’

‘Laksh, have you ever been to a temple?’ He asked me. Well, I am an atheist and the last time I went to a temple was nearly four years ago.

‘Yes, I have been there’ I said scratching my head. How is temple related to the Clean India Campaign?

‘So what do you do before entering it?’ he asked. It looked like he was interviewing me.

‘The temple?’

 ‘Yes, the temple’

‘I...Remove my shoes’

‘Oh so does anyone remind you about that? Does anyone keeps telling you to remove your shoes every time you go to the temple or you do it by yourself?’
‘I do it by myself’

‘Yes that is the point. When you remove shoes by yourself, without anyone telling you, why don’t you throw waste at right place without these big holdings and banners that remind you of disposing things at a proper place?’ He said, his expression the same. He had a point.

‘But I don’t throw waste on road!’ I protested.
‘What about the wrapper you threw from your car on the road yesterday?’ He said. Looks like you cant outsmart Mahatma Gandhi!

‘What can I do?. There are no dustbins’ I said in defense.
‘Tell the government to use the money they spend on my statues to buy dustbins and place them in every locality’ he said, 'I dont need that large land the government has occupied in the name of my grave. I never said bury me in 100's of hectares of land. The land could be used to make new schools, hospitals and many more things that can help the nation!'

‘They will think I am an idiot!’ I said. Who on earth will believe that I met Mahatma Gandhi?
‘Everyone has views  like that. But they don't express it because they think they will come across as an idiot. And that is where our nation sets back’

'So we simply don't need this clean India campaign?' I asked puzzled.

'The world doesn't need it. But our country does' he said his eyes observing the living room.

‘Okay, I have your views on the Clean India campaign. Now my next question, what do you have to say about the terrorism that is growing day by day in this world?’ I asked. The conversation was getting interesting!
You know what, a bullet could only kill me. Not my ideas’ he said.

‘Yes I understand’
‘But you know what peace and nonviolence can do?’
‘No’ I said. I guess all it can do is increase the syllabus of history in schools!
‘It can change a person’s mindset. You can convince him to get on the right path and he will turn into a good person. It can create new ideas’

‘So what you want to say is that we can convince them to get on a right path’

‘Yes. The main cause of terrorism is illiteracy. These people are young, literate and gullible. And this is where evil people strike and take advantage of their innocence’ he said, letting out a breath.

‘But we simply cant go and speak to them. It is difficult’ I said. His expression suddenly become cold.
‘It was never easy to get India independent son, still we did it’ he responded.

‘And my last question, do you have anything to say to the youth?’ I asked, coming to the end of the conversation-interview which I wanted never to end.

‘I only have to say is that you are good. All you need is to become better. Its you who will make the country better. How more do you think these old people in the parliament will keep the country balanced.  Today you have  these Facebook and many more social networking. Use them as a platfrom to discus social issues. Use them to bring changes. Change your mindset not your profile picture’ He said, with that smile returning to his face. Even Mahatma Gandhi has a good knowledge of social networking, I smirked.

‘Thank you Mahatma for answering all my questions. I just loved your answers. Wait, let me bring my camera. I want a photo with you’ I said as I rushed towards my bed and picked my camera.
As I returned back to the living room, the sofa was again empty. The spirit of Mahatma Gandhi had disappeared teaching me a lot of things. Things every youth has to follow.





‘Wake up’ My mom said.

‘What time and date is it?’ I asked her rolling my eyes.

‘It is 10:00 and the date is 2nd of October. You slept on the sofa whole night and what book is that
you are holding?’ she asked me as I brought the book closer to my face. It was ‘My Experiments with Truth’.

‘Gosh Laksh, you were reading it all night. Go have some sleep’ she said as I stood up and rushed towards my bedroom and opened my laptop.

‘What are you doing?’ my mom said following me to my room.



‘Writing a blog....’