This morning I heard in a radio news bulletin that some Western survey team had conducted an exercise to decide the names of the most popular celebrities. It considered a list of nearly 2,000 individuls to finalise ten top persons. In the list, Winston Churchill is on the top and Mahatma Gandhi figures at the third position. I was surprised about the measuring tapes, used by the organizers. Can one compare an orange with an apple because both are eatables? Can you compare Gautam Buddha with Hitler? Why there should be a comparison between two diametrically opposed personalities?
Churchill himself had commented about Gandhi when he admitted, “ He has all the good qualities that I dislike and all the vices that I admire”. Had he been alive, he himself would have disapproved of any such strange comparison. Both were definitely politicians but only that was common. Churchill’s politics or diplomacy included lie and cheating. On the other hand Gandhi was truthful in his entire career. Gandhi struggled for making India free and Churchill was opposed to leave this colony. Churchill was known for successfully leading England in the Second World War. Gandhi was an apostle of peace. Churchill wrote a book named the “Gathering Storm” on the Second World War. Gandhi’s autobiography,’My Experiment With Truth’ is self - explanatory. Churchill with cigar in his hand lived like a traditional aristocrat whereas Gandhi was simple like a fakir. Churchill killed innumerable people and Gandhi was killed by an imbalnced individual.
One of the greatest scientists of the last century, Einstein about Gandhi had made a wonderful comment. He said that when the coming generations will know about the greatness of Gandhi, they will not believe that someone like him in bones and fleshes ever walked on this planet. Can anyone quote a similar weighty comment about the English war hero? We also remember how Martin Luther King I and Barack Obama publicaly announced that they had been inspired by the messages of Gandhi. I am yet to see such a comment about Churchill. Moreover, globally acclaimed politicians, scholars, thinkers and artists have again and again declared that the Gandhian thoughts are still relevant, particularly for the world peace. One favoured war for solution of problems while the other had only love and peace for the mankind.
In this backdrop it appears unconvincing to juxtapose a war lover and a messiah of peace. The organizers, shuld immediately come out with the details of their measuring tape so that the confusion shrouding the conclusion is removed.
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