Is there an overdose of Gandhigiri??

Lage raho Munnabhai re-introduced the concept of peaceful protests to today's generation. The methodology was aptly termed as "Gandhigiri", completely opposite of dadagiri. This terminology has attracted the youth of the country and there were reports of people using Gandhigiri to solve problems that seemed impossible using the conventional methods.

Well then, is there an overdose of Gandhigiri? No, I would like a lot more people to adopt Gandhigiri and succeed in their missions, but let's stop and think what Gandhigiri is actually all about?

Gandhiji's methodology was innovative. Although its basis was ahimsa or non-violence, the implementation of every movement was very innovative. The Non-co-operation movement, Civil disobedience movement, the Dandi salt satyagrah all were treuly unique. Each method was in itself challenging the British, but they never knew a priori how Gandhiji would protest. That is the whole essence of Gandhigiri. Innovative, non-violent protests.

Cut to 2006, post Lage raho... We see Gandhigiri clubs mushrooming all over the country. But most of them have taken to the protest methodologies depicted in the movie. While Lage raho... writers must have spent a lot of time and energy in coming up with innovative ways of Gandhigiri the public is just immitating those methods. Until now, only two innovative methods have been witnessed. One in Pune, where the traffic rule violators were greeted with flowers or garlands by smiling Gandhigiri activists and presented a card stating that the person was felicitated for breaking traffic rules and henceworh vowes not to break those. This was an innovative way to make errants realise their crime.

Another incident in Pune, where the activists of a local political party protested against pathetic condition of a particular road in Pune. The craters on this Road, ironically near Gandhi-bhavan were filled with water and mosquitoes were breeding in that water. Despite protests and delegations, when the PMC did not get its act together, the party activists protested by releasing a particular species of fish that breeds on mosquito larvae, thus preventing further growth of mosquitoes. This is what I would call as innovative protest.

So, moral of the story is, Gandhigiri practitioners, get your act together, do not imitate Lage raho...do not imitate Gandhi, but be innovative in the ways you protest. Although, the basis of all such protests is non-violence.

Bolo Gandhigiri zindabad!!!