Rabindranath Tagore’s Mistake

If you are one of those who think Gurudev was faultless, made no mistakes, please stop reading now.

A disclaimer: I am not inexorably opposed to Gandhian thoughts, his ways, actions etc. I feel that if people are not comfortable enough with him, they should have their say, not be defensive about that.

This is a very short post and you will miss it of you blinked. It is now the consensus that it was Rabindranath Tagore who gave M. K. Gandhi the title “Mahatma”. This is the mistake.

Why was that a mistake? A “Mahatma” – A Great Soul – is, almost by definition, beyond criticism, beyond reproach. It stops all and every reasoned argument.

A great leader can be criticized, but a Great Soul cannot be. “Mahatma” stops civil debates in its tracks.

A great leader can be followed if one is inclined so. But, a “Mahatma” shalt be followed.

In the movie  Lage Raho Munna Bhai!, the radio host of a phone-in show Jahnavi, played by Vidya Balan,  when asked whether she follows MKG’s teachings, she says, “Not really ...”, but some teachings of his resonate with her. I think that is a nice way of following any leader.

But, put a tag on the leader as “Mahatma”, he/she becomes an untouchable, the very thing MKG was vehemently against. Tut, tut ...

It pains me to note that Gurudev did not recognize the pitfall.

Raghuram Ekambaram