Few people would disagree with the fact that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an amazing man, full of a love for all of humanity (and creation), and hugely influential the world over. So inspiring was he that he was given the title of Mahatma ("Great Soul") and many in India called him Bapu ("Father"). He desired much for India - rejecting the caste system's hold on people, fighting unfair taxes, wanting to reinforce the idea of community (clearly seen in his developments of ashrams) - most of all its unity. He maintained that the plight of the poor and the overlooked was the responsibility of all.
Yesterday, we visited the National Gandhi Museum here in Delhi, located where he was assassinated January 30, 1948. The residence in which he was staying has been turned completely into a museum that walks visitors through his entire life, his teachings, his heart for all people, and then, finally, through the last 48 hours of his life. The first floor is full of photos and quotes by Gandhi and by others about him, all displayed in Hindi and in English, and at the far side, shows the room that Gandhi stayed in, still set up as he had it: a bed on the floor, a writing desk, a tin cup, a spoon, his glasses, and nothing else. The second floor is interactive displays and videos that are meant to demonstrate Gandhi's teachings in more technological ways. There is a room that was built to be part of an ashram, with the floor made of the mixture of mud and cow dung that is commonly used in India to build huts and to make floors and a pole that you could spin one of the 11 rungs of to learn about a particular rule from the 11 guidelines that Gandhiji laid out for ashram-living; there is a pole of peace that lights up if you and another person stand in a particular place on either side and hold hands, but it will not light up otherwise, because peace cannot be achieved alone; there are examples of the "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" monkeys that Gandhi had a set of; and many others.
When you are finished inside, there is much more to visit outside, including a number of huts where you can see examples of ashram-living and many more displays of quotes, information, etc. The most poignant and special thing, though, is you can follow the path that Gandhi walked his last steps upon as he went out to prayer meeting that last day. At the spot he was killed, they have made a memorial, which you may approach after taking off your shoes, and the prayer meeting space is now decorated in a beautiful mural that depicts scenes from Gandhi's life. I'm having trouble loading the video of the walk to this post, but I'll try again later.
It was a humbling place to spend time. This man gave his life and inspired many with his love and compassion. And as a cartoon depicting Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, stated so wisely: "The odd thing about assassins, Dr. King, is that they think they've killed you." How grateful I am that that is untrue!
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