Kamat's Potpourri : Mahatma Gandhi Album

The Great Experimenter

Introduction

Gandhi was no emperor, not a military general, not a president nor a prime minister. He was neither pacifist nor a cult guru. Who was Gandhi ? If anything, Mohandas K. Gandhi was a constant experimenter. Spirituality, religion, self-reliance, health, education, clothing, drinks, medicine, child care, status of women, no field escaped his search for truth. His thoughts when appeared in the form of talk or article became official words of action with the masses of India. He was a man who did what he said and led an exemplary and a transparent life. Not many people can claim "My life is an open book". There were millions of Indians who treated Gandhi's suggestions as supreme commands and acted upon them (hence the name Mahatma). Born in Gujarat, fluent with Hindi and English, and residing in the minds of millions, Gandhiji was able to unite India like none other. An adamant idealist, courageous fighter, a deep thinker, and a great leader of men and ideas, it was possible for him to do that because he identified himself with struggles and pains of the common Indians. He quickly became the sole voice of the downtrodden and the exploited. They completely believed that Gandhiji understood their difficulties and would provide justice for them. Among Gandhiji's disciples were kings, royals, untouchables, rich, poor, foreigners, and women. When this selfless and pure man became leader of the nation, he gave a clear and unambiguous direction to the Himalayan problems facing India. Most important of them were poverty, religious conflict, exploitation, ignorance and colonization by the British.

Here, we try to disseminate his complex personality through articles, tributes, pictures and quotations.

-Vikas Kamat
Last Updated : March 07, 2007

A Collection of the views, ideals, life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in multiple media

Mahatma Gandhi
Line Drawing by K. L. Kamat

What do we think of Gandhi as Man of the Century?

When I was 12 years old, I asked my father why Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace prize.

My father told me it was probably due to politics. "But son, if they had awarded the prize to Gandhi, the prize would have been honored" he told me.

I think that Gandhi's position in human history is quite un-equaled (especially since naming Buddha, Mahavira and Jesus Christ as human has become inappropriate.)
So Man of the Century or not, Gandhi is the Greatest.

--Vikas Kamat
Editor, Kamat's Potpourri

Biography of Gandhi