In a shocking incident, billboards portraying the murder of Mahatma Gandhi were pulled down in Nagpur! We, Hum Bharat Ke Log, condemn this vile act, where now even the public portrayal of the murder of Mahatma Gandhi is forbidden.
This year marked the 77th anniversary of the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Gandhiji, who was murdered on the 30th of January 1948, precisely at 5.17 pm. In keeping with the national tradition, HBKL has endeavoured to involve citizens, peoples’ movements and political parties across the spectrum, to mark this day, as a day of national introspection, as we recall the Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, his values and teachings, even as we recall all the martyrs of our freedom movement.
In this context, we put up six hoarding in Nagpur city, where Hum Bharat Ke Log (Nagpur) and Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (Nagpur) were actively involved in the initiative. The billboards, based on a creative effort of a Keralite artist, were put up in six locations across Nagpur.
The locations included – Variety Square FTF Lokmat, Gandhi Statue CA Road, Trimurti Nagar Square, Laxman Nagar Square, Akashwani Square & Bhole Petrol Pump. The billboards were put up in the late evening of the 29th of January.
One of the locations included the constituency of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadvanis (BJP), who, despite being in Delhi, did not visit Rajghat. For that matter Deputy CM Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena), went to pay homage to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, whilst Deputy CM Ajit Pawar (NCP), stayed at home, not having the decency to follow protocol by paying homage at the Gandhi Statue, opposite Mantralaya. This is the state of politics in Maharashtra.
According to Prajwala Tatte (HBKL, Nagpur), who was coordinating this brave effort, “The company that we had given the contract to, began to call us that they would have to remove the hoardings, as they portrayed violence. Clearly, the advertising company was being threatened & and pressured by the government, though he was not willing to say this on record. He also said that you could maybe put up hoardings of Gandhiji’s funeral procession. Well, I told him that’s not for him to decide. The billboards were taken down between 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm on the 30th of January.”
As for the so-called violent portrayal of Gandhiji’s death, this very painting is on the cover of Tushar Gandhi’s magnum opus – Let’s Kill Gandhi – and there was legal problem on that count.
Under the present regime at the centre, the entire country has witnessed the video of Puja Shakun Pandey (Hindu Mahasabha, National Secretary), shooting at an effigy of Gandhiji, to mark the death anniversary of Gandhiji, as Shaurya Divas, in Aligarh. No action was taken against her for promoting hate and violence – and the fact that she was eulogising the murder of the Father of our Nation – none at all.
Shamefully, Temples are being made in honour of Nathuram Godse, the murderer of our Bapu, the Father of our Nation. This is the grim state of affairs in our country.
So, a billboard portraying Bapu’s death is pulled down? Why? It clearly shows that the organisation, the people, the conspirators that planned & executed the murder of Mahatma Gandhi are still scared of his ideology, his moral values that he lived for and died for. It also shows the guilt and fear that they still hold.
A national debate on the murder of Mahatma Gandhi is the need of the hour, and this is precisely what the hateful and communal fascist forces are deeply worried about. It was for this reason that the billboards in Nagpur were pulled down. This will not deter us, and the following year, it will be our endeavour to have these billboards across the country.
They murdered Mahatma Gandhi, but they could not destroy his thoughts, his ideology, his moral values, his teaching & the lessons that we draw from his life. Despite the worst that they can do, Gandhi continues to remain in the hearts of the ordinary India. Gandhiji personifies the soul of India, and his name shall live on till eternity.
Dr. G. G. Parikh, Tushar Gandhi, Feroze Mithiborwala, Guddi S L, Sharad Kadam, Dhananjay Shinde, Santosh Ambekar, Ali Bhojani, Siddesh Kadam, Vanita Tondwalkar, Yashodhan Paranjpe & Archana Tajane.
