Mahatma Gandhi: Father Of The Nation
Mahatma Gandhiji is revered in India as the Father of the Nation. Much before the Constitution of Free India conferred the title of the Father of the Nation upon the Mahatma, it was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who first addressed him as such in his condolence message to the Mahatma on the demise of Kasturba.
Ba and Bapu had been interned at Aga Khan Palace, Pune in the wake of the Quit India Movement. It was while serving the prison term Kasturba passed away on 22 February, 1944.
Concerned about Gandhiji, Netaji sent the following message to the Mahatma on Azad Hind Radio, Rangoon on 4th June, 1944.
"...........Nobody would be more happy than ourselves if by any chance our countrymen at home should succeed in liberating themselves through their own efforts or by any chance, the British Government accepts your `Quit India' resolution and gives effect to it. We are, however proceeding on the assumption that neither of the above is possible and that a struggle is inevitable.
Father of our Nation in this holy war for India's liberation, we ask for your blessings and good wishes".
The above message also proves beyond any doubt Netaji's 'reverence and warm feelings towards Gandhiji whom he had addressed as The Father of the Nation'
There have been many queries as to how could Gandhi be called the Father of an ancient civilization like ours. No one is questioning the antiquity of this ancient land.
But India, that is Bharat as we know today that has emerged out of an old civilization is a recent phenomenon. This multicultural multi-ethnic country became a Nation-State owing allegiance to one Constitution, one flag and one Government only on 15 August, 1947. Mahatma Gandhi crystallized about him the living forces of the soil.
So it seemed to a vast millions of Indians, and who saw a Father figure in him and whose 'Bapu' he was.
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The central government has been unable to answer to a Right to Information (RTI) question put up by a ten-year old schoolgirl from Lucknow, Aishwarya Parashar, asking the year when Mahatma Gandhi was conferred with the title of 'Father of the Nation'.
"I was reading my Class 5 social studies textbook, so there was a lesson about Mahatma Gandhi; it said that Mahatma Gandhi is referred to as 'Father of the Nation'. So, a question came to my mind regarding the year when he was conferred with this title. There was nothing mentioned in my book. So, I asked my teachers, they had no clue. Then, I asked my parents, they didn't know and neither did I find any information on Google. So, my parents suggested that I file a Right to Information (RTI) to the Prime Minister's Office,"
said Parashar.
After the PMO was unable to respond to her query, her application was forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs which in turn forwarded to the National Archives.
"When I sent a letter to the prime minister's office, so they sent a reply saying that they had no specific information regarding the same. So, then my RTI was forwarded to the home ministry and they had no answer as well, so then it was forwarded to National Archives and they too did not have any information. They told me that if I want to research on this subject, then I can go there and conduct my research,"
she said.
>>> According to media reports, the National Archives did not have public records regarding the concerned title.
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