Letter to Bapuji

Dear Bapuji,

   I do not know where to start. Sometimes I just feel like crying out loud. Sometimes I feel lost completely.Yet at other times I feel surprised.The world that we are living in today is such a bizarre one,isn't it? Or has it always been that way?

   Everyday or the other,I see helpless souls around me-young children who have lost their childhood,women who are assaulted and harassed,Dalits ,Adivasis, the poor and minorities who are discriminated,exploited and humiliated,farmers who are forced to commit suicide,thousands of ordinary men and women who burn in the fire of hatred-the list goes on.

    People often tell me that these are the naked truths of the world- realities you can never alter.But everytime someone says that ,Bapuji, your image flashes in and out of my mind.What if you had been bogged down by such pessimism?Would we ever had tasted the essence of freedom ,that we take for granted today? I ask this myself, then garner some strength and keep telling myself-may be one day I too can be the change I want to be.

    At 70 years of independence ,our country has come a long way.We have a large economy,great infrastructure,an enviable space technology and a strong position in the international arena.But still there are thousands, who struggle to get a square meal a day.Surely, our freedom has to travel miles and miles to reach its totality.

    And that is why Bapu, I sometimes wish you were here.The world needs you now, more than ever.I wish you would come, to spread the message of peace and love in a strife torn world,to spread the flame of selfless service,Ahimsa and tolerance in a power hungry society,to spread the aroma of truth amidst the false glory of the world.

     But then I remind myself that you can never comeback. That now, you have to be immortalised through us,through our actions.And when you have left behind a legacy of a life, that shouldn't be a difficult task.

      Bapu,your life has been a message for me,like it has been for many others.I have tuned in to more stories of your life than I have to stories of Batman and Superman,that now you are my superhero.A superhero with bare minimum clothes,round glasses,bald head and a smile as innocent as that of an infant. Often when I am plagued by disturbing thoughts  and doubts, I look into your smile, drawn onto a white canvas by the artist in me, framed and hung on the living room mantle.That smile for me is worth a thousand guarantee cards- an assurance of a better world yet to come.

       But if you really had been here Bapu, I would have hugged you tight and let my tears flow without pause.I would have let my emotions fly faster than my words.If only time hadn't snatched you away from me.

       But I know that you are here............
       somewhere................. an overarching shelter for all of posterity......I can feel it.I can feel the message of your life........ And the message is sure to follow me throughout.



     With lots of love and affection                                                      October 2 2017