On the 62nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, some of his cremated remains are to be scattered at sea off South Africa's coast.
Gandhi's grand-daughter, Ela Gandhi, revealed that a family friend had kept the Mahatma's ashes for decades. They were handed over to the family last year. It is difficult to estimate how many people received a portion of Gandhi's ashes after he was cremated in 1948.
After Gandhi was assassinated 62 years ago, his ashes were distributed among family, friends and followers. Ashes are usually dispersed over a body of water shortly after cremation. Most of the Mahatma's ashes probably have been scattered in a river or at sea shortly afterwards, according to Hindu rites.
These ashes will be scattered at sea exactly 62 years after his death. In 2008, some of Gandhi's ashes, kept for years by an estranged son, were donated to a museum in Mumbai which arranged a ceremony to scatter them in the Arabian sea.
Gandhi stood for simplicity, frugality, intellectual honesty, and empowering the rural poor.
In an India fast adopting rampant consumerism and ostentation, where the rising middle class is keen to prostrate before the omnipresent dollar, this 'final scattering ofwhatver little is left of Gandhiji is rather poetic.
Don't you agree?
[Top picture of Ela Gandhi courtesy BBC, the restaurant at the bottom selling 'Mahatma Gandhi' Ji's Tandoori Chicken' is in Paris. ]
6 comments:
Amazing! They actually have some of his ahses around still. I do think that MKG was a shrewed politician and a great guy for his time, but he is overhyped. Most Indians just pay lip service to his 'ideals' and then go out and do dirty deals. From ideals to I-deal!
With the last ashes of Gandhiji melting away in the waters, let's hope sanity will not melt away from people's hearts and minds
amazing! it is a same ful as indian because in the hindu religion after the death Ashes are usually dispersed over a body of water shortly after cremation. Most of the Mahatma's ashes probably have been scattered in a river or at sea shortly afterwards, according to Hindu rites.but it is sufferd 62 long year time to scattered in a river due our misleading .i think thats reason is we are face a lots of violance in our country.we pray to god after the ashes scattered in revier in last year the soul of mhatama gandhi to gate rest.et's hope sanity will not melt away from people's hearts and minds
For Kumar: Please spell properly dear Kumar. Do you mean 'shameful'? Why? Do you mean that India is facing violence because Gandhi's ashes were not thrown away. Come on, man! That's HEAVY super-idiotic!
With no disrespect intended, Gandhiji fell a victim to a bullet by a fanatic Hindu - it was an act of terror - only, in those days tyhere was no word 'terrorism' - the killer of Gandhi, a Maharashtrian named Nathu Ram Godse wanted to send a clear message that a tolerant, multicultural, and non-violent India would be destroyed.
Valentine's Day is around the corner - see gandhi being slaughtered all over agan, as goondas smash up things and the 'non-violent, secular' folks will just stand and do nothing!
Jai Hind! Jai Ahimsa!
Gandhi has been overdone in the books of history and underdone in philosophy, sociology and economics.One of the twentieth century's most strategic problematisers made peace and pluralism instruments of resistance and ethical living. Today Gandhi is remembered on the 2nd of October because every holiday has to have a reason. So the scattering of the last material remain is the final metaphor of the collective consciousness. A closure: I doubt. The culture industry will morph him into a high-end ad icon.
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