Gandhiji in Batticaloa

I have seen statues of Mahatma Gandhi in many parts of the world. And every time I see a statue of Gandhi on foreign soil I feel proud be an Indian. I had the same feeling when I saw this statue in Batticaloa in Sri Lanka's troubles east.

I stood looking at it for many minutes.

The irony is that no none here seems to follow his principles of non-violence. Passive resistance in the face of a brutal colonial force...that is what Gandhi stood for. That is what his arsenal was.

All the major players... the government, the Tamil tiger rebels, the breakaway Karuna group and other armed groups don't have any use for his teachings. They seem to have given up hope of any negotiated settlement.

There is a smile on Gandhi's face in this statue...perhaps there is still hope.

(Copyrights : Rajesh Sundaram)