A Tale of Two Noble Souls
From the Director’s desk…. Dear Reader, By an uncanny coincidence two of India’s stalwarts were born on this day, the 2ndOct, though 35 years apart. The older one was anointed the Mahatma, or Bapu, Father of the Indian nation while the younger, LalBahadur, inscribed in the nation’s memory for his unforgettable inspirational slogan, “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” rose from a simple lower middle class Kayasthhousehold of UP to be India’s 2nd Prime Minister (and the 6thHome Minister), succeeding the venerable Jawaharlal Nehru. Though born ‘Srivastava’ he shedthe family name early in life to own the honorific ‘Shastri’ (or Pundit) to his name, having mastered Sanskritlanguage and literature at the KashiVidypith, Benaras. MohanchandKaramchand Gandhi, born to a KathiawariBania family, appeared on the Indian political scene as a Satyagrahi from South Africain 1915 after his 21-year sojourn and fresh from his laurels of having protected the Asian community from the ravages of the British masters w...