But Gandhi's initiatives of late seem like leaves pulled out of another book; his newly found public persona strongly reminiscent of a 'surname'sake before him.
Remember Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi? The man, who for all his vision and fallacies, was the epitome of a public figure. A harbinger of many revolutions, MK became the source that gave strength to an entire nation of orphans during independence.
MK gave the country's larger populace an ideology to live by and a lifestyle that could be adopted. He introduced terms like satyagrah, harijan and non violence.
Along came a leader whose ideas could be emulated. MK was also a journalist during much of his youth. He edited several journals and also launched a handful of weeklies. Of these, the Indian Opinion, Young India and Harijan, all three printed in English, Hindi and Gujrati, were hotsellers.
MK was a passionate writer and translated much of his thoughts and advice for people in the editorials of these weeklies. He sought a mouthpiece suitable for discussion and public consumption, and he produced one.
Look at Rahul today. Despite criticism and a chequered beginning, the crown prince is being seen as his own man, than his late father's reproduction. But, his work and workstyle shows a distinct affiliation to the thinking of MK.
Look at the magazine -- a step at connecting with the youth through a mass medium. The austerity drive -- remember MK smiling in bare minimum facilities. The train travel -- MK travelled in a third class compartment of a train. Dalit companionship -- can you forget the fight for harijans?
Through the years, Rahul has launched several initiatives in his attempt to connect with the people of the day and reach out to them in their own language. And it is a mentor from the pages of history that Rahul seems to have chosen for help this time around.
FYI: MK preferred the model of subscription over advertisement for his weeklies (ignore the sarcastic tripe for marketing led products!).
No comments:
Post a Comment