Demolishing building 'won’t end' Gandhian legacy: Varanasi marches for justice

By Rosamma Thomas*
Gandhians and followers of Acharya Vinobha Bhave took out a march through Varanasi, stopping at different spots and raising slogans, protesting the demolition of the Sarva Sewa Sangh at Rajghat on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi.
The march began at Bhadaini Chowraha and passed through Assi Ghat and Lanka Gate and in front of the Kashi Vishwa Vidyalaya before halting at the Sankat Mochan temple on September 14; it continued on September 15, with people raising slogans protesting the demolition and seeking justice. The legacy of Gandhi and Vinobha Bhave can hardly be washed away with the demolition of physical structures. The march will demonstrate that a dictatorial government that abuses the official machinery will not have its way for too long, protesters said.
Speaking to the press in Brussels on September 8, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked why the foreign delegates to the G20 conference in New Delhi were not greeted with cries of “Jai Shri Ram” and taken to Godse’s memorial. He explained that the contest in India at present is between the ideology of Gandhi and that of his assassin, Nathuram Godse.

Writing in Deccan Herald recently, however, journalist Sagarika Ghose pointed out that it is really not a contest, but a carefully packaged manner of communication that presents Gandhi as the ideal to foreigners, while invoking Godse to deepen divisions domestically.

As his second term draws to a close, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attempted to leave physical markers of his time at the helm, changing the architecture of the heart of the national capital and “developing” sites with a strong association with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru such that the association with the Congress party and its leaders is obliterated. The prime minister has also attempted to denigrate the achievements of Indian governments that preceded his.
Despite all these attempts, though, the general public retains affection for the leaders of India’s freedom struggle. The assault on institutions of learning, historians, intellectuals and those peacefully campaigning for public education in India is evidence that the current dispensation struggles to dislodge deeply held public perceptions.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

WHO move can 'enable' India to detain citizens, restrict freedom, control media

Counterview Desk In an an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with copies to concerned Cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and MPs, health rights network People’s Alliance for Public Health (PAPH alias JanSwasthya Morcha), has urged that India should not be a signatory to the World Health Organization ( WHO) Pandemic Agreement and Amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 to be adopted at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva from 27th May to 1st June, 2024.

Can scientists believe in God, yet explore nature 'abandoning' belief?

By Dr TV Sajeev* In August 2023, India celebrated the successful soft-landing of Chandrayan on the south pole of the moon. That mission too led to some questioning about whether scientists could believe in God. The culture of temple visits and poojas before the launch of rockets with or without payload had been a mocking point for a long while.

Informal, outdoor workers 'excluded': Govt of India's excessive heat policies

Counterview Desk Top civil rights network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), has demanded urgent government action to protect millions of outdoor workers from extreme heat and heatwaves, insisting declaration of heatwaves as climatic disaster.

'Uncertainty in Iran': Raisi brokered crucial Chabahar Port deal with India

By Pranjal Pandey* Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian President, and the country’s foreign minister were tragically found deceased on May 20, 2024, shortly after their helicopter crashed in foggy conditions. In response, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swiftly appointed a relatively unknown vice president as the interim leader.

'Enough evidence': Covid vaccines impacted women's reproductive health

By Deepika* In 2024, the news outlets have suddenly started reporting about covid vaccine side effects in a very extensive manner. Sadly, the damage is already done.

Instilling sense of insecurity among 'fearful' millions, Modi to win comfortably

By Rajiv Shah This was one of the most interesting reports I read on the Lok Sabha elections. Titled, "If Sangam Pilgrims Are Bellwether, They Indicate Clear Majority for Modi", published in what is considered to be an anti-Narendra Modi site, "The Wire", it reports on interaction with boatmen and pilgrims from across India, even as pointing towards why Modi would get a "clear majority."

Search This Blog