There was a short but wonderful course "Know Your Gandhi" conducted by Gandhi Study Centre, Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya, T. Nagar, Chennai - 17. Consider myself fortunate to have attended this course. The Course was conducted by people with keen interest in Gandhian philosophy and the Centre houses a library containing very rare books on Mahatma Gandhi.

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So what is the message that you want to convey to CD members?
Could you eloborate about the usefulness of the course.
TK A

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

There was this "Original" movie on Mahatma Gandhi produced by A.K. Chettiar, which is now available as CD. The producer had run from pillar to post from as early as 1930 to collect rare footages of Mahatma Gandhi . Like this one of Tilak's visit to S. Africa in 1912 filmed by Mahatma's partner in Phoenix farm, by name Pollack. At that time film production itself was in its infant stage. There are other rare clippings like Dandi March, on events leading to the Partition, Mahatma Gandhi's funeral procession etc.
On what was learnt at the contact class:
1. When Mahatma Gandhi was asked the question as to what was his message, he had replied that his life itself was his message. So one has to read his biography to learn more about him. Truth and Non-violence are the two principles for which he lived.
2. The authors whose works on the Mahatma's life are considered standard are by Joseph J. Doke, Romain Rolland, Louis Fischer, C.F.Andrews, Geoffrey Ashe and Rajmohan Gandhi.
3. That of the two important 'isms' , not much has been studied regarding Marx's personal life. Not only Mahatma's ideals are studied, his life is also brought under the scanner every time.
4. That unlike capitalism, which considers labor as ‘cost’, Mahatma Gandhi considered them as human beings with qualities like trusteeship, charity, co-operation and loyalty. That economics should be need based and not greed based.
5. According to Mahatma Gandhi western civilization is no civilization at all.
6. On education, Mahatma Gandhi wanted it to link body, mind and soul. (Three of the greatest men from the last century Tagore, Ramanujam and Bharathiar did not have much formal education).
On item no.6 the lecturer tells us that today's education in India only helps the children in making money when they are grown up but makes them not of service, either to their parents (who educate them) or to the country.
7. That Mahatma Gandhi wanted the British to leave India when in 1915 he saw that more than 90% of our people lived in abject poverty. That just his 3 Movements were sufficient to throw them out. 1. Non Co-operation (1920) 2. Salt Sathyagraha (1930) and 3. Quit India (1942).

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Mahatma Gandhi apart from the high moral standards he set, especially for those in public life was a brilliant political strategist. Considering the humiliation and lynching he was subjected to S. Africa and then in India, when Britan took a severe beating during the World Wars, he would have joined hands with Britan's enemies, had he been a lesser mortal. In fact, both USA and USSR were fence sitting watching England being bombed, may be just paying lip service. Stalin had indirect understanding with Hitler until Russia itself was attacked. But Gandhiji criticised Hitler, even when he was just growing up as a political leader. If he had supported Germany just like Netaji Bose, millions of lives in India would have been lost and the Allies might have even lost the War. India, might have had share in the sin on the pograms on Jews.
Secondly because of their arrogance as superpowers, Britan and USA created Israel amidst Palesstine. This also Gandhiji criticised vehmently. The world is paying for this, even after nearly 60 years.

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Hi Ramar,

You have written Netaji supported Germany (part of a sentence). Could you please tell me in what way and in doing what did Netaji support Germany?

I am aware that Netaji believed that foreign assistance was a must to free India from the British clutches and that he met Hitler in Germany to discuss Germany's help in freeing India from the British.

But then he had also tried organising a militia from Russia and Afghanistan for the same end.

Berlin was his sanctuary when he aired his speech on Azad Hind Radio to communicate to fellow Indians that he was alive.

As far as I am aware Netaji was opposed to the racial theory of Nazism but he appreciated German army's organisational strength and discipline and wanted the same level of organisation and discipline in his Azad Hind Fauj.

But I am not aware as to how Netaji supported Germany/ Hitler. In doing what? Perpetuating the Holocaust? Please clarify.


Thanks.

The strength of the German army or unity within the Germans at Hitler’s time was built on hating the Jews and others (though Geramn technology is superior, even today ). Can we coin as Negative Love . Like BJP, Hitler had to depend on one sect, with provocation on others.

The Indian politicians ,including congress after independence, had made Netaji a great leader. No doubt about the Netajis patriotism. His actions, in my openion , were wrong and not ideal for the generations to come. Netaji will fade with time . Hope Gandhi will remain.

Gandhi and Netaji are different personalities and incomparable –one for universal love while other for Indian freedom at any cost.

Do not use this post to deviate from Gandhi to criticize Netaji.

- Netaji won the congress presidency by trouncing Gandhi's nominee ( pattabhi ) even though Gandhi publicly proclaimed that defeating Pattabhi is defeating Gandhi

-- That was the popularity of Netaji in freedom movement

-- He was disillusioned with the weak policies of Gandhi / Nehru coterie and went to form Azad Hind Fauz

-- Infact Azad Hind Fauz liberated a small part of ocupied Indian teritory much before Aug 15 ,1947 .

-- As he was fighting the British rule , he wanted to take the help of the enemies of the British to unseat them in India.

-- Fearing his popularity , the post independent govt. did never conduct a search effort or inquiry to trace him back.

-- BTW german technology is far superior to any other in the world, and much of the american technological progress after second world war is owed to technology taken from germany and the german engineers working in US

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Non illigitamus carborundum