-By Sunil Gamini Jayalathge
(Lanka-e-News -17.Jan.2025, 10.15 PM) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi, came from a middle-class family, not one of the highest ranks in society. After passing his matriculation exams in 1887, financial difficulties forced him to follow his elders’ advice and move to Ahmedabad. However, unhappy with the education there, he returned home after just one term.
A family friend suggested sending Gandhi to England to study law. To afford this, the family even sold some of their jewelry. Gandhi pursued his studies in England and became a registered lawyer on June 10, 1891.
A short one-month trip to South Africa for a legal case turned into a twenty-year stay. There, Gandhi faced the harsh realities of racial discrimination, where people were segregated and judged based on skin color by the ruling white colonizers. He took leadership in fighting against these injustices.
When Gandhi returned to India, he led numerous struggles to free his homeland from British rule. As the leader of the Indian National Congress, he used methods such as fasting and satyagraha to challenge the British, ultimately succeeding in securing India’s independence.
Despite his influence, Gandhi always maintained simplicity. The world viewed him as a powerful leader, but he never let it inflate his ego. He lived as a humble man everywhere he went.
On one occasion, a local elite asked Gandhi why he dressed like a poor man while roaming the village. Gandhi replied, “No matter what I wear, the people here know who I am.”
The elite responded, “But I’ve seen you dress like this even in other regions.”
To this, Gandhi said, “Ah, then they must not know who I am!”
Even in England, Gandhi never changed his simple attire. Whether before an Englishman wearing a suit, tie, and hat, he always appeared in his traditional humble clothing with pride. Gandhi had no inferiority complex to appear “white-like” in front of the British.
India was fortunate that Gandhi had the self-confidence to lead with his true identity, not as a “black Britisher” trying to appease colonial rulers.
I was compelled to write this piece after seeing an uproar about President Anura Dissanayake’s jacket during his official visit to China. Social media was flooded with commentary criticizing his attire, his posture, and even how he walked during this diplomatic tour.
Among past Sri Lankan presidents, some wore suits and ties, while others donned sarongs. Their attire was often impressive, and their demeanor grand. Diplomacy seemed to exude from their every step. However, in the end, these same leaders sold our country piece by piece to foreign powers, whether to the British, Indians, or Chinese.
What matters to us is not the beauty or fit of Anura’s jacket, how he walks, or whether his footfalls are heavy or light. What truly matters is whether he can save this country without selling it off, whether he can lead without looting its wealth, and whether he can rescue Sri Lanka from the destruction it has faced for decades.
The majority of Sri Lankans know this effort will not be easy. Unlike those obsessed with the shape of his jacket, ordinary citizens have learned the hard way after the recent unarmed struggles in Sri Lanka. Today’s people are more politically aware and mature than the gullible crowds of the past.
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by (2025-01-17 16:39:18)
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