Hi all,
BBC2 is repeating the showing of the David Attenborough version of the film "Gandhi".
Today 1300-1600. Now that HDD recording has become common, some might wish to record it in a Hard Drive for selective viewing and subsequent erasure later.
I found the Jalianwalabagh episode very moving and historic. It occurs about one hour into the film. Following that tragic event, Rabindranath Thakur returned his medal for Knighthood; not easy to do in British ruled India. And wrote this poem to accompany the return:
e monihAr
Not for me this garland of jewels,
It hurts my neck when I put it on
It breaks my heart to tear it up
Not for me this garland of jewels,
It chokes me till I lose my speech
It blocks the flow of my melodies
Scintillating it consumes my thoughts
To my work, my mind can’t turn
So I sit and wait for you
To place this garland on you
Then only I can live
Not for me this garland of jewels,
Give me only a garland of flowers
Take me as I am, adorned only with flowers
I cannot show you my face
Ashamed as I am by this garland of jewels;
Not for me this garland of jewels…
Regards.
Prashna
Hi Prashna.
Saw some of the film this afternoon.......what a compassionate man he was
I loved this quote when discussing the seperation of the faiths to form Pakistan and India.
" I am Hindu, I am muslim, I am Christian, I am Jew ", " We all are ".....My sentiments exactly....trully inspiring.
Oakapple xx
I've seen it many times, but not for some years. So I have recorded it and look forward to seeing it once more. I note that in many ways Gandhi, as oakapple says, wasn't a Hindu only. In February I visited his home in Mumbai, and among his small collection of books there were more on the Bible and Theosophy, and other religions, than on Hinduism! Of course, one could say that's becuase he already knew his Hinduism.
As I related in my thread "A Second Namaste From India", I got slightly tricked (I'd say), as I was trying to look after an ill lady with two ill little girls from Belgium, into quickly checking into a "hotel" in Mumbai (Bombay) in a street used for a Gandhi scene. So I'll look out for that. The point was that the street really is a terrible slum - a huge shock every time you just walked out of the hotel door - and that's why Attenborough chose it for the film. Only ... I got persuaded by a very persuasive taxi driver to check in and stay in it! :p
V
I note that in many ways Gandhi, as oakapple says, wasn't a Hindu only.
V
Oakapple and V,
You are both right.
Actually, Gandhi's version of Ahimsa is NOT the Hindu concept of Ahimsa at all.
It is very much the Jain concept of Ahimsa.
So IMO, he might have been born a Hindu, but towards the end certainly he acted very much like a Jain.
Regards.
Prashna