Einstein wrote a famous tribute for Mahatma Gandhi’s 70th birthday. “Generations to come, it may well be, will scarcely believe that such a man as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth.”
On Friday morning, after my usual weekend cycling to Dhauli, I tried to revisit that route starting from Balakati and ending at Balianta, where GandhiJI stayed for three days in 1934. The surrounding around the road is still naturally beautiful with the influence of Kuakhai, Daya, Bhargavi, Kushabhadra river Basin and Puri canal, not less than a tourism spot. But the worst part is that Gandhiji may have walked but formally there was no such walking path.
I was reminded during my visit to Nobel Museum in Stockholm that the Indian national leader should have been the person selected for the Nobel Peace Prize. Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Prize a few days before he was assassinated in 1948, putting him on the Nobel Committee’s shortlist for the third time.
Nobody had ever been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously. But according to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation in force at that time, the Nobel Prizes could, under certain circumstances, be awarded posthumously. Thus it was possible to give Gandhi the prize. However, Gandhi did not belong to an organisation, he left no property behind and no will. Who should receive the prize money?
The Nobel Committee adviser concluded, “Gandhi can only be compared to the founders of religions”. That year, they decided to give no award on the ground that “there was no suitable living candidate”. At Stockholm, the curator said it was perhaps the greatest regret of Nobel Committee.
As I was approaching Bhubaneswar, just remembered that the world is celebrating the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as International Day of Non Violence. The occasion is often marked with different kinds of activities locally, nationally and globally.
An old story came to mind about Bhubaneswar, an emerging smart city, about remembering the Mahatma on this occasion and leaving something for the coming generations.
Plan documents submitted by Otto H Königsberger for Bhubaneswar in 1948 had envisaged a Gandhi Pillar in the city. The pillar was supposed to be 100 feet tall and symbolise the life and teachings of the Mahatma. It was drafted to be built at the centre of the city for which then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation stone in 1948. Bhubaneswar was planned as independent India’s first planned capital city.
The foundation stone for the city is today located near the boundary wall of Odisha State Legislative Assembly at PMG Square. But it was not actually the place where the stone was laid in 1948. It was then laid in a forest that may have been part of Chandaka, and has come to be known today in the name of the Mahatma as Bapuji Nagar. Had the Gandhi Pillar Königsberger envisaged been erected at Bapuji Nagar, the looks of the locality would have been hugely different, so would the looks of the entire city.
The Gandhi Pillar would not have been merely a statue of the leader which is commonplace today. It would not have been a statue at all. It would have been similar to the Pillar of Ashoka and was intended to promote Gandhian ideology among residents and visitors to the city. It would have reminded citizens of the teachings of the Mahatma on which the city was founded.
The 100-foot structure was proposed to be constructed out of reinforced concrete and stone, and would have been visible from afar. The concrete core of the pillar was to be covered with local stone, decorated by best sculptures of India, while the stem of the pillar was to be engraved with scenes from Gandhi’s life and his teachings.
Bhubaneswar can still erect Gandhi Pillar as part of the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. This perhaps would give the city a modern image similar to Schlossplatz and Neues Schloss in Stuttgart’s most beautiful square; Heroes’ Square in Budapest; Yuri Gagarin Monument in Moscow; Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square, London; Washington Monument in Washington DC among others. The Gandhi Pillar would be an answer to the city’s need for a city centre.
Well, we are celebrating Gandhi Jayanti, and I want to leave a thought. That Mahatma Gandhi was an extraordinary man would be the understatement of this century. He said so many things so tellingly. But at the end of the day, if we ask ourselves what was the message, at the end of the day it was about doing the right thing, about doing the decent thing, and about leaving no one behind. Gandhiji’s message is very complicated, but its essence is actually very, very simple.
Bhubaneswar can transform the value of Mahatma’s great walk and create a visible distinctive path for people to walk with Mahatma. Otherwise, like other roads, this will soon become a highway for speed vehicles leading to another concrete jungle.
