Examining Gandhi’s Flaws: Mahatma or Mere Mortal

On 2nd October 2024, Gandhi’s 155th birth anniversary, a popular social media personality, Mr. Anand Ranganathan posted a video on Twitter and Instagram that seemed to celebrate the occasion. However, the video was actually a mocking critique of Gandhi, urging viewers to reconsider if Gandhi deserves their respect. The video soon went viral, garnering millions of views on social media, and was widely circulated across WhatsApp groups in India. If you haven’t already, I would suggest watching the video (here) before proceeding.

Vaishnava Jana To… A good man is one who feels another’s pain, shares another’s sorrow

Narsinha Mehta – Postal Stamp- India. Poet: Vasihnava Jana To

On Gandhi’s birth anniversary (2nd October), thought of writing this quick post about one of Gandhi’s favourite hymns.  A hymn that also often helps me form an opinion and decide on the course of action.

Almost every Gandhi feature includes a rendition of  “Vaishnava Jana To …” and many even think that it was Gandhi’s creation.

However “Vaishnava Jana To …” was actually written by the poet Narsinh Mehta, in the Gujarati language, way back in the 15th century.

While the entire poem is beautiful and profound, I have always been most drawn to the first two lines