On Mahatma Gandhi’s Jayanti today I cannot but reflect on the relevance of his teachings,life and beliefs he has in today’s India. Oh yes, he said and believed in many things especially about issues concerning women that I don’t agree with.At least he was open about his views and did not hide behind a veil of political correctness.

-The Mahatma knew that the independence of India was really only the first step towards the ultimate goal i.e. equality of opportunity for all through non-violent means.

-He preferred eating raw, opted for millets,the new superfood that we have recently discovered,believed in a plant-based diet,portion control,and minimum sugar.

-Today as we talk of threats from single-use plastic to the environment,the khadi fabric which is 100 percent sustainable becomes important.

Mahatma Gandhi remains a relevant thinker today not only because of his theory and practice of non-violence but because all his life he also defended political tolerance and religious pluralism.

*Non-violence is a way of life~
Let me start by talking about Mahatma Gandhi’s 50 years-long struggle for national independence. Which reached a culmination in August 1947,but the Mahatma knew that independence of India was really only the first step towards the ultimate goal i.e.equal opportunity for all through non-violent means.

*Aphorisms today and forever~
There are some of the aphorisms that he pronounced that we regularly use now.Today, when we talk of ‘change’ in any sphere we say “Each of us must be the change we wish to see in this world”, “The future depends on what we do in the present”.

*De-cluttered and simple life~
Today we have lifestyle gurus like Marie Kondo telling us to live a minimalistic life and we think it’s a modern concept but Gandhiji led a minimalistic life 100 years ago

*Khadi –the heritage fabric~
Khadi refers to hand-woven and hand-spun cloth which became a symbol of the swadeshi movement. The current generation understands the‘Make in India’ slogan but do they know Mahatma Gandhi gave the call to boycott foreign cloth during the freedom struggle. He further made the charkha(spinning wheel) the symbol of the Nationalist movement.