‘Gandhigiri just a passing fad’

Lucknow, October 1: THE ‘Gandhigiri’ of Lage Raho Munna Bhai might have failed to move the state government to make it tax-free but it has found more favour among the people here than any other idea of late.

So, what exactly is ‘Gandhigiri’, the notion that made even dreaded underworld don Babloo Srivastava to recently extend the olive branch, and flowers? Newsline checked with the city’s intellectual and academic community and came back with a slight ‘short-Circuit’: while some call it a mere fad, others are doubtful of its consistency, and still others say it’s a way to demean the “real Gandhism”.

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“I am disillusioned and sceptical of this idea of Gandhigiri,’’ said former Lucknow University Vice-Chancellor Roop Rekha Verma, who, though not a Gandhian herself, recenty accompanied a group that raised their voice in a non-violent way.

Verma fears the outcome when people with little agreement with Gandhian ideals take up his ways of protest. “People like Babloo Srivastava adopting the Gandhian ideology will reduce it to a mockery,’’ she said.

But one good thing that has come out of the film’s fever is, “at least people have understood this (non-violence) is also one way to protest.’’

Trade unionist and Leftist leader Suhasini Ali said the political and judicial system’s failure has lured people to Gandhigiri. Going by the failure of the “police or the judiciary, people today do not know where to register their complaints,” Ali said. “So, in their state of desperation, they have found Gandhigiri useful.’’

The common argument is that people have started distributing flowers as an imitation of the film’s hero without grasping implication of the act. ‘’The film must have had some positive impact on the young generation, provided they understood it,’’ said Arundhati Dhuru, herself a Gandhian.

But film producer Sandeep Tiwari said a movie is, at the end of the day, just a movie. Nothing more. “Wearing a Gandhi cap and distributing flowers will not change the society,’’ he said, adding that the society will change “only when the hearts change”. Films do not change a society. “It’s a filmi fever, generating a new fad. Everyone will gradually forget about it.”

Munna Bhai effect: A month’s quota
* LU students distribute flowers to peers while seeking support in protesting the Lyngdoh Commission’s recommendations on cleansing campus politics.
* KGMU students distribute flowers to people visiting the hospital, asking them to plant trees and save the environment.
* Residents of a city locality distribute flowers to a liquor shop owner and ask him to shut the liquor vend near a temple.
* The locals also approach the Additional District Magistrate’s office with flowers and ask him to take necessary steps.
* Kidnapping kingpin Babloo Srivastava distributes flowers at court hearing his case.
* A retired person running pillar to post for pension goes top office, takes off his clothes and requests the clerk to clear

his file.

More Gandhigiri: Eunuchs vow to build nation
TAKING the raging Lage Raho cue, a group of eunuchs from the city today took up ‘Gandhigiri’, paying floral tributes to the Mahatma on Gandhi Jayanti eve and taking a pledge to not “harass” people.

“People are normally scared of us when we visit their homes on special occasions. But we are also part of the society and are eager to make our contribution,” said Payal, who led a group of about a dozen eunuchs to the Gandhi statue at Patel Chowk here on Sunday.

After paying homage to Gandhi, the group took oath to not harass anyone unnecessarily. “We came here to assure people that from now on we will not press anyone for our demands,” Payal said. “We are also human, and we understand that not everyone is capable of giving us what we want.”

About the community’s request to the people, Payal said: “People should not harass and tease us. We respect what we are (and) we should have the freedom to live (the way we live). We are ready to contribute towards nation-building in every possible way.”
http://cities.expressindia.com/