January 30th 1948 was when Gandhi was felled by Godse's bullet. 62 years later, some of his ashes were scattered in the waters off South Africa, where Gandhi had spent a few years before returning to India. "Gandhi's ashes were brought to South Africa after his death in 1948 but only some of them were immersed in the ocean while the rest were given to a family friend who kept them for decades."
It is simply incredible that Gandhi was able to convince everybody on the merits of a non-violent movement for independence. I have always felt that India's democratic politics (except for the brief period when Indira Gandhi suspended the constitution) is a result of the non-violent methods that were used to gain freedom.
Sir Richard Attenborough deserves a special meritorious place for making a movie about Gandhi. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is also the one that troubles me the most--even more than the scene when Gandhi is shot. The scene that I have embedded here depicts the "salt satyagraha." The British imposed a salt tax, which was unfair and unjust. Gandhi was arrested days before the planned non-violent protests at one of the salt works.
This scene gets my emotions every time I watch it; yes, even now as I type this. Unlike a James Bond beating the crap out of a villainous character, this is a depiction of real happenings. It is just awful how volunteers line up to get beaten up by the police--who are also Indians--and then the women volunteers bandage them up and they re-join the protest line. The reporter--played by Martin Sheen--displays the emotions I suppose most of would feel if we were to witness such a horrible spectacle.
We owe Gandhi a whole lot.
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