Thank you Mahatma Gandhi
Mankind has a lot to thank Mahatama Gandhi but I have my own, special reason to thank him for.
In 2000, I won a couple of beauty pageant titles. Miss Chennai being the grandest of them all.
Would you believe it if I told you that Mahatma Gandhi had a role to play in my first ever win of a beauty contest?
Well, those were the days when the notorious bandit Veerappan was still alive and causing havoc in the areas in and around the forests of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka. 2000 was the year he had kidnapped Kannada actor, Dr. Rajkumar.
When the local beauty pageant, Miss Adayar was being held in Chennai, the actor was still being held hostage somewhere in the dense forests where Veerapan had established his lair.
The question posed to me was ,"f you were sent, by the government, as a mercenary to Veerapan's camp in an attempt to free RajKumar, how would you go about it?"
A little heavy for a mere beauty pageant contestant, don't you think? But luckily for me, the answer came to me in a flash, thanks to my father's ideologies which shaped my thinking.
"I would take it as an oportunity to try out Gandhi Ji methods of truth, non-violence and fearlessness"
I won Miss Adayar that day, enabling me to participate in the Miss Chennai contest the following month and winning that too.
Today, 9 years since, I still believe that adopting Gandhian ideologies is the best way to bring about reform in the minds of people and society.
And on his birthday, as I sit and watch documentaries and movies made on him, trying to re-live the life and times of the Mahatma, I smile thinking about how his teachings made a difference to my life in ways both trivial and large.
In 2000, I won a couple of beauty pageant titles. Miss Chennai being the grandest of them all.
Would you believe it if I told you that Mahatma Gandhi had a role to play in my first ever win of a beauty contest?
Well, those were the days when the notorious bandit Veerappan was still alive and causing havoc in the areas in and around the forests of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka. 2000 was the year he had kidnapped Kannada actor, Dr. Rajkumar.
When the local beauty pageant, Miss Adayar was being held in Chennai, the actor was still being held hostage somewhere in the dense forests where Veerapan had established his lair.
The question posed to me was ,"f you were sent, by the government, as a mercenary to Veerapan's camp in an attempt to free RajKumar, how would you go about it?"
A little heavy for a mere beauty pageant contestant, don't you think? But luckily for me, the answer came to me in a flash, thanks to my father's ideologies which shaped my thinking.
"I would take it as an oportunity to try out Gandhi Ji methods of truth, non-violence and fearlessness"
I won Miss Adayar that day, enabling me to participate in the Miss Chennai contest the following month and winning that too.
Today, 9 years since, I still believe that adopting Gandhian ideologies is the best way to bring about reform in the minds of people and society.
And on his birthday, as I sit and watch documentaries and movies made on him, trying to re-live the life and times of the Mahatma, I smile thinking about how his teachings made a difference to my life in ways both trivial and large.
Comments
on a serious note..am impressed that you said that when u were so young!
(but thanks for appreciating my answer..i was 18..not ALL that young..:p)
Mr. Bojangles,
I have many more such untold stories... :) glad you enjoyed this one!
If you had really tried out a gandhian method, not necessarily against Veerapan(forget that it is beyond our understanding to apply those principles with veerappan) but in any simplest of the simple situation and mentioned it as a reason for your belief in Gandhian way, then you would truly deserved much more than a mere Miss Chennai title.
Unfortunately in this country make-up is taking precedence over matter, sweet talk over right action.
Hope you don't take my comment in a wrong way. But for a googler wanting to know more about Gandhi way of life. It was disappointing to read your story. In any case I dont claim myself to be an expert on Gandhi, just a novice hoping to catch the right wind.
Goodluck for your future endeavors
Batasari,
And you made a perfect mockery of my post. sigh!