Bapu, you are one of the very few great men of the world who set the stamp of their personalities of an epoch. In reality, you were not just a man or a superman but a rare phenomenon that the world may witness once in a millennium. You ruled literally fifty crore of Indians for long thirty years, without  any claim to power or authority; inspired them, guided them and finally led them to their inevitable destiny by providing them independence from British rule. Hence, it is most justified and appropriate to call you a magician who hypnotized the people, a mystic who tried to impress the image of God upon the faces of brutes, and a soldier who fought with the weapons of a saint.

Bapu, you are the father of our nation. You are the ideal of millions of children, youth and elderly persons. When we chant your name we feel proud enough. But here a question arises as to how far we have fulfilled all your dreams.  Are we your true followers? Are we the children of such a   great and idealistic father like you? The time has arrived now to evaluate all these and to find the answers of all these vital questions.

 Bapu, as a little boy you were very honest in your school. Once you were late in your school. But you did not tell lie for that. You were punished by telling the truth. At that early age you began to understand that a man of truth must also be careful and punctual. But now our school going children are experts in making so many false pleas and telling lies. Once you tasted goat’s meat motivated by a friend.  But after taking meat you promised not to taste meat and that is why throughout your whole life you were a vegetarian. But now our teenagers are mad for non-veg food items.  At the age of 15, once you stole a small piece of gold from your brother’s armlet in order to repay your debt. But as a worshipper of truth and honesty you could not remain silent.  You wrote a letter to your father about what you had done, asking that you be punished and promising that you would never again steal.  But for masti and merrymaking our teenagers are not feeling guilty at all in stealing and snatching. 

At the age of 18, you went to London to study to be a lawyer.  As a vegetarian you faced so many problems there and at last prepared your own breakfast, lunch and supper. But our youth studying and serving abroad, especially in western countries have totally forgotten Indian culture, tradition and food habits. Taking wine and non-veg foods, attending parties and Discoes have become their primary concern.

After completing Bar-at -law, you returned to India and practiced as a lawyer. But it is a matter of shame and sorrow that our youth in present time who are studying in foreign countries are not returning to our motherland. For earning a fat salary and for leading a materialistic and luxurious life they are forgetting their mother and motherland.

At the age of 24 you went to Durban, South Africa and fought for the right of the Indians working there as coolies. You returned to India in January 1915 and settled down near Ahmedabad, where you started an Ashram. People of any race or any religion were invited to come and join you. Even people of the lower castes, who were considered as untouchables were welcomed in your home. Your fame spread far and near   and people started calling you ‘Mahatma’. But now, 60 years after independence religious fundamentalism, communal feelings and caste politics have become major threats to the Indian republic. Terrorist activities, caste conflict and reservation intended by evil political motives have become our major national problems. Bapuji, you were praying both  Ishwar  and Allah considering  them as one God; you had same love and affection for both the Hindus and Muslims, the children of the  same Ishwar   and Allah.  But  now our power hungry  and corrupt politicians  have created an everlasting serious conflict between  the Rams and Rahims.                    

Bapu, you made India free from British rule on 15th August 1947. Your simple living- a simple loin cloth to wear, a poor cottage to live in; your teaching of truth and nonviolence; your insistence on good conduct; the earnestness with which you practised what you taught; your sincere interest in the welfare and upliftment of the socially and economically segregated and love and respect to each religion elevate you to the status of a selfless saint. But our present leaders are leading luxurious lives no less than kings. They are mad for power, and have no sympathy for the poor and downtrodden. For power they have been doing dirty politics and creating communal tensions. Character and conduct have become meaningless for them.

We all Indians, the children of Mahatma- the real God in flesh and blood, thus have forgotten Gandhiji and Gandhism. Our nation today is passing through a terrible crisis of character and the ancient Indian edifice of moral and spiritual values is crumbling to pieces. Everywhere corruption is rampant and there is hardly any sphere of our life - social, political, economic and religious that has remained untouched by it.  Again, terrorist activities, communal riots, caste violence, narrow regional conflicts, dirty politics, treachery and selfish motives have made Bapu’s dream land Ramarajya, an inhabitation of Ravanas. Oh Bapu! Oh Mahatma! Please do come, please   reborn again. You alone can show Indians the true path; you alone can guide them to be men of morality, justice and honesty. You alone can save the present Indian society from destruc- tion, dehumanization and devastation.

We all therefore, should be the travelers of the honest path and raise our voice strongly against corruption. We all must do a bit of serious introspection and make sincere efforts to develop a consciousness of moral and social responsibilities. We all should pave the way for a good and honest life of equality, justice and impartiality. By doing all these we can fulfill all the dreams of Bapu; we can make our nation a true Gandhian Ramarajya.