The Week India – June 30, 2019

46 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019

status of a Sant to anyone is that the

person sanctifi ed is removed from reality

or, to put in another way, becomes no

longer a real person. Th e Sant is made

out to be so remarkable that to follow

his or her example appears beyond the

range of possibilities for mere mortals.

Th ey stare up at the Sant’s statue in

wonder and then walk on. Th is is what

has happened to Gandhi. He is revered

but not followed in his own country. It’s

almost as if India feels it has done

its duty by granting Gandhi such an

elevated status and now it can go on

and live as any other nation does.

It’s not as though Gandhi has been

totally forgotten. Numerous biogra-

phies of him have been written and

doubtless there are more to come.

Th ere are departments of Gandhian

studies in universities and institu-

tions dedicated to those studies,

S.H. RAZA

TITLE SANMATI

MEDIUM ACRYLIC ON

CANVAS

SIZE 50x150cm

YEAR 2013