It has been almost six decades since the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but his ideas continue to live. A few hundred metres away from Rajghat, his final resting place lives Mahesh Chaturvedi or “Modern day Gandhi.”
Dressed in crisp white dhoti and round glasses, he has made the message of Mahatma, his talisman and lives by each teaching of our father of nation. The resemblance between him and Gandhi is striking as apart from the attire he also impersonates his voice and greets people with folded hands and a simple “Ram Ram.”
According to him,(HT) he travels around the country and spreads his ideas about a reformed social system that aims to wipe out poverty and corruption from the country. His only motto is spreading Bapu’s message throughout the nation and asks, “The body of Gandhi may be gone but can you kill his soul.”
A professor but in 2002 that ‘felt a higher purpose’ Chaturvedi describes his journey of transition in just a single line, “Gandhi came to me one night and I left everything with one dhoti and a gamcha (towel).” But there’s a reason behind him being called as the modern Gandhi, for he often ditches his stick for an escalator, goes to the mall for powdered milk and takes the Metro.
He rebuffs queries about his “past life” and doesn’t say how he sustains himself without a job. Locals say he has some devotees who put money in his bank account – Chaturvedi has an ATM card and have helped him print business cards and pamphlets.
His leaflet reads, “Leave India, brown Englishmen” as he looks for a respite and freedom from the political system. “The British left India but their influence remains. I don’t oppose English language but the feudal mindset needs to go for the poor to prosper.”
But sadly, when asked how? He has no clear answer. Perhaps this Gandhi needs to figure out his own philosophy and way of life, but that does not deter him from trying as he has written letters to various prime ministers and presidents but all unsuccessfully. “One person can change the world,” he says, explaining how he travels to various parts of the country to spread his message. “The farmer is god as he feeds you.”
But this Gandhi has surely evolved a bit as he recognises that the times have changed and feels that military action is necessary and doesn’t flinch from praising soldiers. But what about the Mahatma’s famous non-violent methods? “Times have changed. If you extend one cheek after a slap, people will hit you thrice.”
