The Dour Ascetic

FV are there more Indians like you? What generation do you belong to and do you get bothered by fekkow Indians about what you write on chowk? Just wondering.

An unusual choice of subject to write about.
A common factor with devout Gandhians seems to be their tenuous connection to their own families. It`s as if you had to cut your personal reliationships asunder to become a larger figure. Even Gandhiji couldn`t figure out how to balance his private life with his public life. (In Morarji case, all was not lost, however. His son became wealthy, if I`m right.)
Whereas almost everyone would agree that Morarji was a man of integrity, there was a serious accusation about him later in life that sounded plausible and that still lingers. Perhaps its nature is that it could never be satisfactorily countered. I am refering of course to the charge that Morarji Desai was a CIA agent - something that Indira herself never pointedly made. It appears plausible that the CIA was involved in the mass protests against Indira but who its operatives were will become clear only when its documents relating to that period are made public.

fascinating .........

When people are gone (or when their time is past), they can appear larger than they did in (their) prime, and it is possible to ascribe to them “virtues” that may or may not really have been present. This thoughtful article is balanced on that score - it looks at Morarji Desai as an individual who had some real shortcomings as well as strengths (mostly borne out of conviction). The strengths got him to where he got but the weaknesses limited him to where he COULD get.

Most Indians probably never thought of Morarji Desai as much more than a regional politician who had some national lusture due to his association with the Mahatma. There was one big difference though: he was clueless regarding the most basic of Gandhian virtues, how to identify with the masses.

The “funniest” thing I remember about Desai was watching his TV interview by Dan Rather (1979?) where he faced questions on “urine therapy” without the slightest discomfort. If I remember correctly, he provided the following words of wisdom (again, based on recollection, not to be treated as exact quotes): “In my country, mothers have given urine as a drink to newborns for ages! Besides, in America, there is already research going on the benefits of drinking urine! Aren’t you aware of research in your OWN country? I strongly recommend that YOU should try it.” It was one of the few times that I saw Dan Rather fumbling for words (on how to decline the offer in a gracious manner)! (By the way, you weren’t offered any “beverages” during your interview, were you?)

A side note: Kuldip Nayar has written in his book (Between the Lines) that Desai almost became PM after Nehru’s death. Nayar at the time wrote an article (I forget where) which remarked that even before Nehru’s ashes were cold, others were already throwing their “hats into the ring”. This apparently turned a whole bunch of individuals off, and finally Shastri got selected the PM. Shastri is said to have thanked him (Nayar) profusely, although, in fairness to Nayar, he said he never intended to create the effect that he thinks he did. (Disclaimer: All of the above is from what I recall from reading that book a long time ago, I have not gone back to check it for any of its details.)

Other notes:

[A lone crow was cawing on the sill.]
Isn’t that the tragedy of all long-lasting politicians, leaders, generals, philosophers, and whatever?

[Morarji Desai was living in the Mahatma-created bubble called Truth.]
Unfortunately, the bubble was mostly an insulator and the “truth” was on the outside.

[“It became my conviction that procreation and the consequent care of children were inconsistent with public life”]
If only the present day servers of the public (Laloo, for example) would pay some heed!

[Morarjibhai’s tragedy has been that although he has always travelled on the road to asceticism, the man sometimes won over the sage.]
Are there any instances of when the man LOST over the sage?

[How easy it is for us to confuse detachment for serenity, and clockwork mechanism for perfectionism.]
There are no easy ways to recognize true serenity (a state of mind) and perfectionism (fastidiousness?) except to look for their external indicators (detachment, for example). One needs to probe further, of course.

[Haven’t we conferred on a human being the title of Mahatma, which is also a form of reward?]
There is a huge difference between titles formally conferred versus terms of affection/reverence that come into being spontaneously! Only the former would be considered a “reward”, the latter simply verbalizes a need of OURS!

[Closing himself to things that did not adhere to his principles, he probably did not get all that he deserved.]
If you are referring to political office, he DID become the prime minister. Or, to put it another way, what could it be that he “deserved” and did not get?

``I was married when I was 15. These love marriages are passion marriages. And passion dies. You indulge in it, and it is over. It is not instinct. These are things we create on account of our own actions. We pay the price. But if you are human you will also rise above it``

Sounds to me like a case of sour grapes....

You said it best in the last paragraph. It’s a false notion to believe that when you suffer in isolation and abandonment of the ``worldly`` you are closer to God. The soul only develops after interaction with the material; otherwise you end up promoting only impractical ideas and living an illusion.

May he rest in peace...

Aisha Sarwari

Morarji Desai was no doubt a complex personality in the freedom struggle. Some times I wonder how many Indians know about him!
It is unbelievable to imagine a land that gave birth to men like Gandhi, Patel and Morarji has also so many willing admirers of present day monsters like Narendra Modi.