Obama and Mahatma Gandhi

I was awed by the hope and the emotional involvement Obama managed to generate during his election campaign. Never before had I seen Americans so much involved in presidential elections. It went on increasing, quantitatively and qualitatively, as the elections neared. It reached the peak for Obama's oath taking ceremony. Some say two million people had gathered! 2 million people at one place! In America! Their face all lit up with hope and expectations. People of all races, all age, all religion, both sexes! Everybody had gathered togetherr in shared hope for the future. They had been party to a dream and they wanted to witness the dream start getting into reality. They wanted to wish their leader all the luck and wanted to extend their heartfelt support to him. Obama did not let them down. His speech touched everybody present and everybody watching in absence. Even I could not stop my dry eyes from getting wet with emotions.

In my life I had the fortune of witnessing another such happening in India. Way back in 1977 when emergency was invoked and elections were announced. The free voice suppressed during emergency expressed itself in full fervor. People were determined to reinforce their freedom.

I have heard of another movement in India. It was the independece movement by Mahatma Gandhi. He had achieved results on a much much larger scale. he was a semi god in the eyes of people. He was their hope! But he did not stop there. he did not stop at garnering hope and stirring emotions. He did not say that "I will get you independence, I will bring change, Follow me". He not only said "WE" but actually got all into commitment, into action. Millions of people sacrificed their family lives, quit their jobs and careers, went to prisons, took on police brutalities. He enabled all citizens to cross beyond the steps of emotional involvement into arena of action. He realized and communicated that nothing can happen, definitely not lost, unless people participated, contributed both by emotions and actions. He did not need paid agencies to pitch for support, paid employees to to work. He lead by example. He gave off his possible wealth, his legal career, his lifestyle and saw beyond his personal and material and short term gains. Millions and billions of ordinary people were his assets, their actions and sacrifices were the contributions he received. It wan't 'his' movement but 'their' movement. That is why more than 60 years after independence, nearly 60 years after Mahatma Gandhi passed away, his name, his deeds, his ideas are talked with respect, are looked at for reference and guidance. For many people like, who were born much after Mahatma Gandhi passed away, his movement is like a lighthouse.

Will Obama be able to emulate his idol, will he able to move away from the culture of paid compaign, will he able to reinstall 'values' other than money, will he be able to instigate participation, commitment, sacrifice from individual Americans. Can he do that with personal example..? I hope he does... and wish him success .... and wish all of us success.