Spreading Gandhigiri-My Experience with Truth

I am writing this after doing a bit of mine in an unique endeavor of spreading awareness about and promoting literature based on the man called,

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

With a lot of reluctance and disinclination we- a team of 6 management students commenced our journey on a path unseen and less traveled. The first step for corporate selling activity was to find a corporate office where we would go and mind you it was a herculean task.

Finally we could get one such office and went there just for the sake of completing the activity. But the response we got there in terms of people's interest in Mr. Gandhi was astonishing. There was a little spark in our hearts which was enough to ignite into a eternal lamp of truth, non-violence, hope and resurrecting our beliefs on teachings on the Father of the Nation.

Time for the second step and we were much more enthusiastic about our venture and targeted a school as it was apt to know the minds of these little kids on Gandhiji. By now were already basking in the glory of success of our first selling activity and worked with double the valor.We showed the school kids a movie based on teachings of Gandhiji and a quiz on the Mahatma was conducted, to which the students responded very positively. In spite of some technical glitches and time constraints we came out with flying colors this time as well. 

We happened to make some little friends for us as well and spread smiles. We were happy to spread the message of truth and non-violence to these little Samaritans who will carry forward the legacy. We sold around 160 odd books on Gandhiji and still counting.

Jagruti with the tag line -"Wakeup -Take up - Move up… Together" successfully achieves its purpose of inculcating - Entrepreneurial Training + Practical Learning + Ethical Decision Making amongst Management Students and society as a whole.

None the  less the activity has taught us many a lessons of life along with valuable management ones.

Now we know - one can ignore him, laugh at him, bad mouth him , hate him or love him, but cannot ignore him.

PS:

• Jagruti - an initiative of Chetana's Institute of Management & Research, is an activity of creating awareness and sales of outreach for Gandhian Literature, modeled on NITIE program ‘Shanti Eva Jayate’ with Dr T. Prasad, NITIE as the mentor.
• It was conceptualized in 2011 and is a completely student driven project. It is being successfully organized with over 720 students having a reached over 2,00,000 people through corporate displays, schools, exhibitions, railway stations, traffic signals.
• Media coverage – DNA, Hindustan Times, Mumbai Mirror, IBN Lokmat, Navbharat Times, Loksatta, Bernama News (A Malaysian Daily), Akashwani, MUST Radio, 91.3 FM.

My Experiments with Truth....Part III

Summary

The third part of Gandhiji's autobiography can be distinguished into two parts:
( i ) Going to South Africa with his family
( ii ) His return to India
It starts from deciding attires of his family,home educating his children to acquitting his assailants . After the birth of his last child he practiced abstinence (Brahmacharya) and took up full-fledged social service. The seeds of self-help (Swavlamban) were sown with the English barber's denial to cut Gandhiji's hair. Throughout his stay in South Africa he worked for the betterment of rights and living of Indians there.

On arrival to India his stint with Congress began. He met veterans like Gokhale, etc. His sojourn in third class compartment of train introduced him to the plight of co-passengers. Benaras visit was another eye-opener in terms of prevailing insanity at holy places. His career took off really well in Bombay and he settled there. Keeping promise he returned to South Africa.

Learning

Washing his own clothes and cutting his hair, he exudes qualities like self-help and simplicity. Also his abnegation from sexual pleasures and switching to Satvik food shows his perseverance,  self-control and will power. His penchant towards patients, poor and ill-treated Indians in South Africa vouches for his philanthropic nature and resistance to injustice.

He exhibits courage and leadership forgiving his attackers and in trying to reform the sanitary practices of fellow Indians and honesty in not accepting gifts for his services to people. He earned respect and good relations serving the war-torn soldiers.
He has clear views about serving people and improving India and is unafraid to express his views. He accepts the slacks, dis-organization and casual approach of Congress workers and suggests measures for improvement.

It's the phase of a leader in making, who preaches by examples and has same regards for all kinds of work and people.