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An open letter to Bapuji

Sizzling straight from Bharathi's archives!
 Found this today, and I think you'd love it! 
I wrote this for the annual philately competition. Here we go,
An open letter to dearest Bapu, father of our nation

 Dear Bapu,
   
     In a world when arms and battles drove people mad, your non-violence movement changed the way how people look at the process of becoming free. Be it the time when you organized a movement against the apartheid injustice in South Africa, or the time when you organized satyagraha in India against the British, firmly believing that ahimsa would be the only tool powerful enough, you were not changing history. You were creating it; rewriting it. And the impression of your ink was strong enough to influence thousands, who made the society harmonious even after your departure.

 You have given us life lessons even before we started living ours independently. Adherence to truth is the only way to analyse one’s worth, both self and other. You proved to us, that whatever difficulties one may face in his life, he can overcome it by strongly adhering to the truth. When I read about “Satyagraha” in my history textbook, I had another interpretation as well. My teacher used to tell me that “Satya”, means gaining control of outward and inner senses. When there is a covalent bond with control and purity, one experiences the Divine and becomes free. This doesn’t just apply to the decades you were here, Bapuji, it is still happening today, even after 151 years.

 Your instincts on how to live a happy and contented life astounds me. If there is going to be a definition for visionary, it would be you. Each time I see your picture, I hear you saying, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed.’, I realise how deep the message you have left behind is. For many of us who live in a land of abundance, greed is not a sin, it is not even considered wrong, instead, we now live in a world where we have idolized greed and used all kinds of glamorous names that make it fashionable and desirable. Being wealthy is not wrong but glorifying the desire for wealth is terribly wrong. You stressed the need for conservation, of resources tangible and not. `

 No matter what changes the world is going to experience this decade, I think we will always need you more now than anytime else. We will be the change we wish for, and we will do our part perfectly. But one thing never changes, and that is You being with us forever, as Bapuji, you never left us in the first place.

Yours,
Bharathi





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