Those who denigrate Mahatma’s legacy today must answer: Is it possible to imagine India without Gandhi?

He lived a life of such absolute austerity and honesty, that anyone who watched could only learn and be inspired. Gandhiji used to say that his life is his message — and there was no duality about what he professed and practised.

The great humanistic philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi is forever. Becoming blind to his contributions does not augur well for humanity and India, in particular.

This year, on January 30 — the day commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination — a group of people led by a woman stood before a large cut-out of Gandhiji. The woman was wielding an air pistol which she aimed at the image and shot at point-blank range — reminiscent of the original assassination by Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Then, each one in the group followed suit. This was followed by an announcement that the performance would be an annual event.