(PS: The views expressed by the author are strictly
personal and by no means are meant to harm any sensibilities.)
2nd October, a national holiday and the
reason; Gandhi Jayanti. Amidst all this we forget that there is another great
man, far more important than Gandhi to our history who was born this fateful day.
When I say we, I mean we all, without any exceptions.
The “you share your birthday with” column of the newspaper proudly speaks
volumes about Gandhi but Lal Bahadur Shastri reserves no mention. Even when I was
typing this text, Gandhi was a word in dictionary but Shastri wasn’t and add to
that, Gandhi even if you write in small caps, gets edited to the big G.
I do not wish but I am helpless to say that our
history is nothing but a concocted piece of fiction written by those who wanted
favors. In order to not harm anybody’s sentiments and caliber, let me put it as
that it has been changed suitably to meet “their” needs.
I am not a big time historian but still, of all the
little history I have read in my curriculum, there are few things that I could
decipher and would like to make a note of:-
1) British
left our country not because of any Non-Cooperation movement, it was because
firstly their economy had shaken to the roots because of 2nd world
war and secondly, it was the internal violent movements that were creating
problems for them.
2) All
throughout the pages of my books, Gandhi did nothing but to fast unto death
which finally barren was dropped on account of some violent act.
3) And
yet again there is this mystery surrounding his death, if he was so weak and
died within a fraction of being shot, how come he said “hey ram” and people
heard it too! Was his voice not feeble enough for that(TONGUE IN CHEEK)
4) Now,
we say India is a country where we have freedom of expression. Really??
Because no movie till date that
ever wanted to glorify the “others” of India polity could see the light of the
day.
I do not want to criticize anyone. I
just speak what I feel.
Coming to Shastri, the man who I would
say is practically unknown is one of the most able administrators the country
ever had. He steered the country through the 2nd Indo-Pak war,
signed the Tashkent Agreement and all through his life supported the middle
class and spoke for the farmers.
This man of diminutive stature, mobilized
the masses and gave the slogan, “Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan” to notify the
importance of both for a country that has boundaries to decide and still grow
at a good pace.
I have an honest confession to make
here; my knowledge about Shastri is far less than what should have been about
this nation’s 2nd Prime Minister.
There is one thing though that I know
about him and that is from the story I read.
Shastri, a small kid was caught
picking flowers in a garden but he accepted his mistake willingly and stood for
the punishment.
It requires the heart of a lion to
accept your mistake and apologize even when you know that the consequences are
going to be really bad.
Unlike Gandhi, Shastri was a
practical man who knew what the situation demanded and acted accordingly. He was
a true leader who knew what his people wanted of him and throughout his short
life span, he stood true to that.
On this day, the 2nd of
October, let us all for once remember that the man who we so easily forgot is
actually the one worth remembering.
