Mahatma Gandhiji is being killed every second in his own country.
Yesterday on 10/12/2009 Thursday around 9:20 PM, I was watching SAHARA SAMAY (Bihar) TV News Chanel. There is a govt. school named after Mahatma Gandhi “Shri Gandhi High School (Shri Gandhi Rajkeeya Uchcha Vidyalaya), Parihar, District-Sitamarhi, Bihar”. Photo of Mahatma Gandhi is printed on the identity card issued to the students since past several years. Recently in the same school two types of identity card is being issued to the students. One is with photo of Mahatma Gandhi is printed on the identity card for the Hindu/Non Muslim students and another without photo of Mahatma Gandhi is printed on the identity card to the Muslim students. When correspondent asked about this to the head of the school, the reply was shocking. As per his reply the parents of Muslim students does not like the photo of Mahatma Gandhi is printed on the identity card, Muslims have lodged a strong protest and have threatened us of dire consequences (have threatened to kill), if it will not get removed, due to fear we have removed the photo of Mahatma Gandhi is printed on the identity card. The plea of Muslims is that they do not want that the students belong to their community hang identity card bearing photo of Mahatma Gandhi I a Hindu around their neck.
This is also important that the Sitamarhi district is adjacent to Famous Champaran district of Bihar from where Mahatma Gandhi had started his “Satyagrah Movement” first time in life.
Champaran and Kheda
Gandhi's first major achievements came in 1918 with the Champaran agitation and Kheda Satyagraha, although in the latter it was indigo and other cash crops instead of the food crops necessary for their survival. Suppressed by the militias of the landlords (mostly British), they were given measly compensation, leaving them mired in extreme poverty. The villages were kept extremely dirty and unhygienic; and alcoholism, untouchability and purdah were rampant. Now in the throes of a devastating famine, the British levied a tax which they insisted on increasing. The situation was desperate. In Kheda in Gujarat, the problem was the same. Gandhi established an ashram there, organizing scores of his veteran supporters and fresh volunteers from the region. He organized a detailed study and survey of the villages, accounting for the atrocities and terrible episodes of suffering, including the general state of degenerate living. Building on the confidence of villagers, he began leading the clean-up of villages, building of schools and hospitals and encouraging the village leadership to undo and condemn many social evils, as accounted above.
But his main impact came when he was arrested by police on the charge of creating unrest and was ordered to leave the province. Hundreds of thousands of people protested and rallied outside the jail, police stations and courts demanding his release, which the court reluctantly granted. Gandhi led organized protests and strikes against the landlords who, with the guidance of the British government, signed an agreement granting the poor farmers of the region more compensation and control over farming, and cancellation of revenue hikes and its collection until the famine ended. It was during this agitation, that Gandhi was addressed by the people as Bapu (Father) and Mahatma (Great Soul). In Kheda, Sardar Patel represented the farmers in negotiations with the British, who suspended revenue collection and released all the prisoners. As a result, Gandhi's fame spread all over the nation. He is also now called as "Father of the nation" in Indian.
