Today morning as I woke up and read the newspaper, I was shocked to see the front page screaming at me about the back to back serial blasts that had taken place in Agartala, an Indian city.
Shocked because this is the fifth incident of blasts in the last month. In fact four of them, in different indian cities have taken place within the last week or ten days and numerous people have been killed for no reason.
For a year now, India has suffered with serial blasts taking place almost every month and we, the people, have felt more and more helpless. But its seems the monthly event is now becoming weekly or even daily.
New Delhi was struck twice in the last month. The first time it was serial blasts that caused many lives to be lost and injured. After 5 bombs had exploded, they found two more live bombs. The second time it was a low grade crude bomb. Two men on a bike sped through a marketplace and dropped a bag. A 9 year old boy picked up the bag and ran after them, calling out to them that they had dropped something behind. The bag blasted along with the bomb inside it and the boy lost his life. Many others were greiviously injured.
Everytime I see these snippets, I ask myself "what kind of people are these" and feel more exposed, more vulnerable to their whims and fancies.
Today, 2nd October, is an important day to be remembered in this regard. Its a national holiday in India and the birth anniversary of the man we call the Father of the nation. Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma meaning 'great soul'. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a regular guy, a lawyer by proffesion who had studied in london and practised in South Africa before returning to India. It was in South Africa that he started fighting for the rights of people and when back in India, he was able to collect the entire might of the country behind him and unite them for the cause of India.
Its not easy to unite the people of such a vast country who are extremely diverse in language, culture, religion and faith. But he did it. He did it by the power of his thinking and philosophy. This regular guy went on to become the father of the nation. He strived for and won India's independence with one weapon and one weapon only. Ahinsa. Non-violence. That was his path and he taught the entire nation how to walk on it. Non-violence. The people of an entire country, a huge country, marched behind him, fasted with him, went to jail with him based on their only weapon. Non-violence.
Today as I look at the futile death and destruction around, I feel more people need to know about this man and his path. The path of truth and non-violence.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
-Mahatma Gandhi
