In the
year 1931, then British Government of India, decided to organize a
round table conference in London to decide about India's political
future. Mahatma Gandhi was in Jail at that time on charges of civil
disobedience. The Whitehall was undecided first, regarding inviting
the Mahatma for the meeting as it was felt that how could they
invite Gandhi, since he was in prison for disobeying their laws?
However better sense prevailed later and it was realized what one
adviser told them, "If you invite him, you invite India. If you
do not, no matter whom else you do invite, all India will be absent,"
was the truth. So Gandhi received an official invitation from His
majesty the King of England in Yeravada Prison near Pune.
Gandhi,
being the super strategist and politician par
excellence, knew very
well how to extract full mileage from every political situation and
made his plans about his stay in London, public, well in advance. He
was invited by Muriel Lester, a well known pacifist of that time, to
stay in her settlement for pacifists and those stricken by poverty,
known as Kingsley Hall, which still stands today and is home to the
UK Gandhi foundation. Gandhi decided to stay at this place surrounded
by poor people of London.
Ever
since he entered the active politics in India, Gandhi had changed
over to a simple atire of a hand woven 'Dhoti' or a loin cloth, worn
by millions of rural Indians even today, and again an hand woven
white cotton sheet, called as 'Pancha,' wrapped around his
shoulders. Gandhi made known public, his plans to wear the same
clothes in London, weather permitting.
Every
morning, during his stay in London, he joked and played with the
children as they followed him on his morning walks through the foggy
streets near Kingsley Hall. The children teased him back, saying,
"Hey, Gandhi, where's your pants?" To which he just
laughed. But by wearing these simple clothes, worn by millions back
home, he had made his point and that too rather well.
It so
happens now, that wearing simple clothes of a rural Indian, may have
worked wonders for the Mahatma then, but if an ordinary Indian,
visiting abroad, wears the same simple clothes he would be frowned
upon and not allowed even to enter a train. A 67-year old Indian
visitor, was recently stopped from entering the Dubai Metro, because
he was wearing a traditional Indian dress of dhoti. His daughter,
Madhumati, who was accompanying him, says that a policeman stopped
them near the punching gates of the Etisalat Metro Station on
Saturday, 3rd
August 2013, and objected to her father’s dress. He was
subsequently not allowed to board the Metro wearing it. She adds that
she tried her best to explain to the policeman that the dhoti was an
Indian traditional dress but it was of no avail. Gulf news has
reported her saying: “I pleaded with him to let us go... But the
policeman wouldn’t hear a word. It was really embarrassing and my
father was really upset.” Surprisingly, it was not the first time
Madhumati's father was travelling by the Metro. He had travelled on
the Metro wearing the same dress, on various occasions before, but
had never been stopped.
The
situation has become highly embarrassing for Dubai's Roads and
Transport Authority (RTA) with, its Director of Operations at the
RTA’s Rail Agency, Mr. Ramadan Abdullah rushing to issue a
statement and putting the onus on the policeman, that it has no
official RTA dress code or policy. He says: “What has happened is
really surprising. There is no official restriction from the RTA and
we have not given instructions on dress codes. I think anything that
covers the body and is respectable should be allowed. I believe it
was a personal reaction on the part of the policeman and this matter
will be investigated.” He has urged Ms. Madhumati to approach the
RTA with details of the incident which would help in the
investigation, which it is believed, what she plans to do.
All I
can say is what worked for the Mahatma in 1931, does not seem to work
for an ordinary man from India today. (HaHa!)
6th
August 2013
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