Buried beneath the soil of ruin, watered by the drops of tears , the faded flower of India’s past breathes. This flower, the God of Ahimsa (non-violence), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, comforts mourners who bleed tears about the violence above the soil, the soil of ruin. This flower once blessed India with the fragrance of freedom. But when the bullets of Nathuram Godse declared that God’s own country had no room for the God-like, the air was polluted with a maddening stench of power. India was massacred by the partition. India did Gandhi mourn : how many Indias must I mourn?
The Ganges of blood that swamped the Punjab in 1947 continues to flow fresh with wounds to the grave of Gandhi in 2015. Today, mourners visit Gandhi and awaken his life with the drops of their tears. And, today, in a battered and bruised body, the mind of technology screams out its heart to Gandhi. The visitor’s body, human in Gandhi’s mind, is comforted by Gandhi’s heart. The visitor’s tears alarm Gandhi. Gandhi knows this mourner but knows not all for which it mourns. What follows are the words between Gandhi and technology in 2015. What follows is a God in mourning. Gandhi mourning to a mourner : how many Indias must I mourn?
Seeing humanity in all things, Gandhi sees no thing as nothing. Carefully placing aside the tears, he journeys into technology’s eyes, “I blame you not: I blame not creation for acting out the thoughts of the creator.” But this God is not all-knowing and the tears re-emerge to engulf Gandhi. He resuscitates himself to words once again, “ I preached caution at your advancement and warned against establishing desire alone above human need. Few took guidance. Many, guided by desire alone, abused you. I desired you for my basic needs and was satisfied with you as a Charkha (spinning wheel), satisfied to work with you and weave a common fabric of existence, the fabric of humanity. Shed tears no more.” But tears erupt again. Gandhi appeals for calm, “Upon your shoulders, I know, was the promise of wealth and to fulfil this promise Hindus and Muslims were slaughtered and carried upon trains to the east and west. Partition was a sin, its practitioners sinners. You are neither sin nor a sinner, neither violence nor violent. Why do you bathe me in blood?” Screaming in silence, technology silences the silence and speaks, “ Gandhi, forgive me, but with my arms , at midnight tonight, India will be slaughtered again.” God mourns. Gandhi mourns to a mourner: how many Indias must I mourn?
Wounded in 1948 by bullets, Gandhi is wounded in 2015 by words. God is bleeding. Gandhi does not defend against the words. The attack continues, “The people of India are Harijans (children of God) no more and any child who announces to be your child, Bapu (respected father), is an orphan. Caste, the caste of age, has returned to cast its destruction on India.” Gandhi is growing in pain. Growth is painful. The words fire, “At midnight tonight, India will be cut into two, again. One with many Gods. One with no God. One whose past is present. One whose future is present. Old India. New India.” The pain has yet to possess Gandhi. Gandhi asks of what has possessed the people. Technology performs as ordered, “ The youth of the nation are to cut the hands that fed them. The elderly of the nation are to feed themselves now. The philosophy of the village will remain with the elders and that of industry will be for the youth[1]. Swaraj (self rule) and Swadeshi (self reliance) are the calls of the youth.” Believing the people to be bewitched, Gandhi begs to break the spell, “ Tell me more of what is in the minds of the youth. Perhaps I can speak to their hearts?” God mourns. Gandhi mourns to a mourner : how many Indias must I mourn?
Like an arrow that struggles with the archer, technology reasons with its purpose. An idea queries its implementation. It prints out a transcript of a chat between two youth leaders who have orchestrated the cutting of India. Both leaders control the operations of the leading Indian, Bangalore-based, information technology company Infosys. Gandhi’s eyes cannot see beyond the blindness of love. He cannot read of harm to his love. He instructs technology to read. The transcript reads :
Neo Nehru : 50 % of indiaz population is unda 25! fck!
Gandhiphobe : bang-galore! ah, yea, gandhi and no sex;)
Neo Nehru : ah u knw r folks wud do it with a hole in the wall lol
Gandhiphobe : buh, hey, the mre of us, the less of em!
Neo Nehru : chk this out, kamdar’s reprt is by 2015, 550 millon teenz will be banging it up in india!
Gandhiphobe : 2 yrs will blink by; 2015 purfect tyme to flush dis shit n live!
Neo Nehru : n u know wut? 66 thusand ppl r unda us here; avg age, 27! r backyard!
Gandhiphobe : r manifesto; mummy, daddy : fck off to ur villages with ur allahs n bagwans; m making my heaven here….gandhi, fking retrograde
Neo Nehru : m txting da crew 4 drinks 2nite; nehru was da man, make him r mantra; devlop technological capacity n v will do just that
Gandhiphobe : JAI HO
Neo Nehru : New India. Old India. N no1 will be hurt..muhahahhhahah…
Gandhiphobe : gandhi; LEAVE INDIA TO TECHNOLOGY!
Gandhi understands not a word. He accepts the word. Midnight dealt the final blow. August 15 2015. And Neo-Nehru, Prime Minister of New India, spoke, “ Mr. Manmohan Singh desired to find jobs for the ordinary people. But, New India says, at the expense of the more than ordinary. When the people are divided, keep them so : Old India for the less than ordinary, New India for the more than ordinary. Leave them to God. Leave us to us. Leave New India to Technology.” A bubble of ecstasy enshrined New from Old.
And, now, Gandhi appears wounded in the court of Ram, “Forgive me, God, but I forgave technology. I leave the judgement of its creators, your creation, on you. I, though, am judged : hell is earth. Reincarnate me never. Leave me to me.”
God mourns. How many Gandhis must I mourn? How many Indias must I mourn?
Author: Ali Abbas
