Dear Sal,
Thanks for nicely projecting prominent aspects of Gandhi’s life.
My personal opinion and understanding about Gandhi is the following:
1. Gandhi’s ego was hurt deeply when despite his possessing a First Class Railway Ticket he was forcibly detained from a “Whites Only” train accommodation. But he was shrewd enough to realise that he was powerless in South Africa.
Therefore, he decided to return to his own country, India with sole aim of causing maximum damage and humiliation to the British in India.
3. Since his sole aim was to avenge the British, he was totally oblivious to the fact that through his destructive style of public agitation, mainly based on Civic Obedience, he permanently damaged Indian social behaviour. Today, India is most indisciplined country in the world and there is Zero Concern for Fellow Citizen. I am a Hindu man of age 81+ and am weak and sickly. We have certain Hindu festivals which are mainly for merry making in public and it is done by whole night dancing by men & women, boys & girls in open yards using very loud D.J Music.
During such nights I have to have sleepless nights but there is no one to listen, because they have no concern with fellow citizens.
4. Luck favoured Gandhi since post 2nd World War British were left with too merge exchequer to be sufficient for ruling India masses of which had gone berserk. Then under advice of the USA, Britain decided to declare Indian Independence. Gandhi was too less in intellect to understand the trick.
5. It was Gandhi’s lack of Political Acumen which then resulted in formation of Pakistan.
6. Even though Nehru was not voted by public to become the first prime minister of India, Gandhi forced his was to make it happen. Nehru was too unintelligent to even question the British to handover a map clearly defining the boundaries on “India”. The result are (a) dispute with China regarding Indo-China Border.
I hope that the above would suffice to bring Gandhi to lime light for whatever he accomplished.