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The Gandhi family: carrying a superhuman legacy
The 54 direct descendants of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or Mahatma Gandhi as he was known, have faithfully stood by the values and principles the grand patriarch spent a lifetime sowing in the Indian psyche.
Yet, in the face of incredible pressure from a society that expects unblemished character in them - owing to their heritage - they say they are just human.
"I was eight when I last interacted with Bapuji. Though I do not claim to be exactly what he would have wanted me to be, I, in my own way, try to contribute to society," said Usha Gokani, one of Gandhi's granddaughters.
"It is said that we acquire human life after several tests and tribulations. And then to be born as Bapuji's descendant is the biggest deliverance," Usha told IANS.
Usha, the second daughter of Gandhi's third son Ramdas and Nirmala, works for an educational NGO, Kasturba Sevashram, in south Gujarat and claims to gain immense satisfaction from her activities.
"Trust becomes an automatic ingredient of my relationship with people. People expect, respect and look up to you. But I know for myself that I cannot be (Mahatma) Gandhi. So I do what the person Usha can!" she said energetically.
One of the descendants best known to the current generation of Indians is Tushar Gandhi - the grandson of Gandhi's second son Manilal and Sushila.
Tushar, the son of Manilal's second son Arun and Sunanda, is managing trustee of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, a city-based organisation involved in preserving Gandhi relics and copyrights.
Donning the role of being the public face of the Gandhi family with confidence and restraint, Tushar said: "There are some of us who are not able to cope with the pressure of people's expectations and try to suppress their identities as a Gandhi.
"The public must realise that we are normal human beings with all the attached shortcomings and weaknesses. I do carry certain values and principles that he earmarked for us. But I cannot be (Mahatma) Gandhi.
"So I usually ignore unnecessary importance given to my Gandhi identity. Thanks to the way I was brought up, I am able to handle my individuality without diluting the respect for Bapu."
Illuminating the predicament of the family, Tushar narrated an incident when a journalist interviewed him in a Chinese restaurant.
An innocuous query regarding beef and pork in the restaurant's menu card was later published as "Gandhi's great grandson seeks beef and pork".
Tushar is forthright in admitting that he carries a lot of anger towards Nathuram Godse, the man who shot dead Gandhi Jan 30, 1948, in New Delhi.
Tushar reminisced: "I was very young when my grandmother asked me to visit Gopal Godse (Nathuram's brother and a co-conspirator) in Pune after his release from jail. I didn't approve of the meeting.
"I felt the same way when he came to visit us in Mumbai although my anger was more towards Nathuram."
The fourth generation of the Gandhi family feels a mixture of pride, happiness and amusement when fellow students give them a look of acknowledgement during the morning assembly on Mahatma Gandhi birthday celebrations Oct 2.
"Teachers call me and ask for details of Bapuji's life, those they think may have been missed by historians and textbooks," said Vivan, 14, a Class 9 student of the Jasudben M.L. School here.
Tushar's son Vivan also takes pride in the fact that he is "different" from others in terms of his legacy, an innocent feeling that can be construed as the prelude to the realisation of the expectations it generates.
Yet Vivan makes a mature comment: "All ideas of Bapuji may not be practical. But I try to live up to what people expect from a Gandhi family member."
Vivan's sister Kasturi, 13, shared the same feeling and said with an air of possessiveness: "For me Bapuji is my great great grandfather first and only then Mahatma Gandhi."
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