I know it may appear as a blatant attempt to jump on the Shashi Tharoor Twitter tweet band wagon about Bapu's Birthday which has already kick-started the debate about the legitimacy of October 2nd being a holiday and the way we should be honouring the father of our nation while commemorating his birth anniversaries. I don't call it his birthday as I think Mahatma Gandhi would have followed the Hindu calendar to celebrate his true birthday. (I am not a Gandhi expert but I don't think people know his principles more from his autobiography taught as text books in schools than the movies like "Munnabhai MBBS and Gandhi").
Well I have been meaning to write it all of last week and this weekend, but seriously could not find enough time to take it up. The root of this post lies in the question I was asked on this October 2nd by one of my Belgian colleagues about how we celebrate October 2nd back home in India. I casually answered her, "Oh nothing much. There are official functions and sweets distribution in schools but basically its just a holiday on a day when sale of all liquor and alcoholic beverages is banned by state decree.
To my credit this was before Mr. Tharoor tweeted about not having it as a holiday, because the man who said "work is worship" must have not liked it as a holiday himself and a day off from all work is basically tantamount to disrespecting his principles.
After answering this in such a playful almost irreverent way, I was contemplating about it myself. Is it correct to have a holiday just for the sake of it. Shouldn't there be some sort of "Egg-less Cake Cutting" on the birthday of the father of our nation? I mean like every holiday is associated with a special way of celebration shouldn't the birthday of the Saint from Sabarmati have its own too, which should be kind of standardised. I know I have been conditioned with my 4 years in the IT industry to look for standards and find them more comforting that the chaotic unease and lawlessness the absence of them pervades.
Should we as Indians just take whatever comes our way as holidays and thank the heavens if they happen to coincide with the weekends? Dont we have a moral responsibility to Bapu's principles that led us being united in freedom and having the right to choose our own future. Well I don't know about others and I don't stand on any higher moral ground about being a fervent follower of his principles either to be all preachy about what to do and what not. But since I celebrate all religious festivals the way they are supposed to I have decided to make the rest of the October 2nds in my life about Gandhi and his principles.
May be I'd wear designer khadi jackets, or be a vegetarian for a day, but I'll do something to show my respect. I'll think of some way every year to pay my respect for the father of our nation. Jai Hind!
Well I have been meaning to write it all of last week and this weekend, but seriously could not find enough time to take it up. The root of this post lies in the question I was asked on this October 2nd by one of my Belgian colleagues about how we celebrate October 2nd back home in India. I casually answered her, "Oh nothing much. There are official functions and sweets distribution in schools but basically its just a holiday on a day when sale of all liquor and alcoholic beverages is banned by state decree.
To my credit this was before Mr. Tharoor tweeted about not having it as a holiday, because the man who said "work is worship" must have not liked it as a holiday himself and a day off from all work is basically tantamount to disrespecting his principles.
After answering this in such a playful almost irreverent way, I was contemplating about it myself. Is it correct to have a holiday just for the sake of it. Shouldn't there be some sort of "Egg-less Cake Cutting" on the birthday of the father of our nation? I mean like every holiday is associated with a special way of celebration shouldn't the birthday of the Saint from Sabarmati have its own too, which should be kind of standardised. I know I have been conditioned with my 4 years in the IT industry to look for standards and find them more comforting that the chaotic unease and lawlessness the absence of them pervades.
Should we as Indians just take whatever comes our way as holidays and thank the heavens if they happen to coincide with the weekends? Dont we have a moral responsibility to Bapu's principles that led us being united in freedom and having the right to choose our own future. Well I don't know about others and I don't stand on any higher moral ground about being a fervent follower of his principles either to be all preachy about what to do and what not. But since I celebrate all religious festivals the way they are supposed to I have decided to make the rest of the October 2nds in my life about Gandhi and his principles.
May be I'd wear designer khadi jackets, or be a vegetarian for a day, but I'll do something to show my respect. I'll think of some way every year to pay my respect for the father of our nation. Jai Hind!
