A question asked by a nation sixty years after the man seeking the answer for the same, breathed his last in loneliness he created for himself because he dared to ask the question in his lifetime...who is Harilal Gandhi?.
A similar question but in a different context was asked by an author to an entire nation in her works, who is John Galt?.
The disparity as well as helplessness exhibited by people who attempt to answer the question is put forth throughout the book, a "who cares" attitude. Yet the attitude of Galt and his bunch of intellectual followers is what modern day America is based on. My attempt is not to compare two nations, but just try to understand Harilal as an ayn rand character. The man defied his father, whom the entire nation revered, why?. Instead of trying to answer why? lets try why not? and lets try it the rand way...
Fortunately for Harilal, he is not alive in the modern day India, a land for which his father, according to him, wrote his life off. We are Independent, yet everything Gandhi stood for is defied day in and day out.
Bribery, corruption, prostitution etc are more prevalent in this country than days of Gandhi and what's worse all these happen with face of Gandhi on the currency note. The nation was a more dearer son to his father than him, and this was the same son who put him to death....
So why shouldn't Harilal in today's world think that his father was nothing but a fool to given up everything near and dear to him for NOTHING? and in doing so am sure he will find the answer to the question.... Who is Harilal gandhi?... Harilal Gandhi is the son of a father who failed him for nothing....
Let us take the usual 5 minute silence at this point of time to thank God that Gandhi and his bunch of intellectuals didn't go the John Galt way.
(Iyer is a Bangalore-based Research Scientist.)
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