A Day With My Hero – Mahatma Gandhi

As the U.S. voted on November 6th, 2012 I spent the day with a man of unimaginable courage and determination: Mahatma Gandhi.

I have long admired Gandhi for his non-violent struggle for an independent India.

Part of being in India for me is connecting with Gandhi, trying to understand the man while trying to absorb his ideals and ideas.

I visited his samadhi (place of cremation that has since become his official memorial), the National Gandhi Museum, and the Gandhi Smriti (Smriti means remembrance, and this is where Gandhi was assassinated).

Gandhi Memorial

Set in a huge park, the Gandhi memorial is a refuge from the noise and chaos that surrounds the site. It’s a quiet, shoe-free zone that over 10,000 visitors a day pass through to pay homage to the founder of this nation.

National Gandhi Museum

I spent a few hours in here, reading signboard after signboard about Gandhi’s life with supporting documents or photographs from birth until death. It’s a very comprehensive record of his extraordinary life.

Gandhi Smriti (Remembrance)

This is where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. It shows where he slept, his last worldly possessions, and where his final steps were.

Admiration

I fear this post, mostly pictures, fails to capture the amazingness of Gandhi, his accomplishments, and his legacy that has impacted us all in one way or another. If you don’t know much about him, I hope it inspired you to learn more. If you know about him already, I hope it was a welcome reminder.