Tomorrow is the 71st death Anniversary of mahatma Gandhi. Yet, even after seven decades, and so many mind boggling changes in our lives and lifestyle, his name is iconic and still has magic. If we were to ask different people about what was it that they really loved and admired about Gandhi, one may get a variety of answers. So vast was his landscape of activities, life journeys and experiments. In recent times, his iconic glasses have become synonymous with cleanliness and sanitation. His life, as openly stated by him as the much celebrated title of his autobiography, had the shining character of being a true 'experiment'. At every turn, for every issue, big or small, he had the talisman of truth, which he came to worship as God himself, guide him. He experimented with a host of dimensions ranging from dress, diet, health, khadi craft to the ethics of truth, non-violence, and love. The one quality that really marks him is his propensity to experiment with everything. This true czar of experimentation looked, smelt, breathed, heard, felt and searched for truth in every little thing and mighty issue. For each of our lives, in the space and time separating birth and death, there are an infinite possible ways people have lived, and there is the same overwhelming choice of the ways in which one can choose to live life. We belong to the third or, perhaps, even fourth generation after Gandhi, and have been raised in a culture and ecosystem of limitless choices. Whether it is the choice of the flavour of coffee or the nuanced choice of the shade for floor tiles, the range of spices in food, cadences of a genre of music or even careers, we are thoroughly spoilt for choice. In this situation, if we look at various lives of those we have heard of, known or read about, we could exercise our choice in this matter, too, with some ease. As I have been pondering over this matter for a long time now, one person, and a relatively less chosen, outstanding choice is this sage experimenter and apostle of truth and non-violence. A perpetual wonder and mystery is how this frail, ordinary looking man, without huge muscle or money power, not even a stentorian voice was able to move the entire world with his gentle yet steadfast commitment to truth and love. These abiding principles of his life also made him a multipotentialite, as we call them today. Someone who dabbled in some depth within fields as diverse as law, politics, scriptures, spirituality, religions, science, human behaviour, literature, labour, food and sensitivity to one and all. We recently came across a very interesting account of the Mahatma who had his debut in midwifery, too. Louis Fischer in 'The Life of Mahatma Gandhi' writes, "Gandhi was also Kasturbai's midwife….He had studied a popular work on childbirth….and ...when labour came too swiftly for professional help to be fetched, Gandhi himself delivered his fourth son, Devadas on 22nd May 1900. 'I was not nervous'.... and ...caring for infants "I did myself,' Gandhi writes." Finally, after leading a challenging, yet fulfilling, wholesome life with his share of pain and joy, contributing and touching the lives of billions even today, he sacrificed his life for the nation and humanity. The headlines of almost every major world paper at that time had this sad news. As we reflect on him and plumb for the Gandhi within each of us, we can think and make so many choices today. Gandhi said, 'The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace'. We can adopt and emulate his 'experimentative' propensity, with an eagerness and curiosity to learn at every moment. We could also renew our faith in the power of truth to light every moment and step of our life, as we walk through life, 'clinging to truth, courage and love'. The author is a Harvard-educated civil servant & writer, and has worked in the education sector jayanti.ravi.dna@gmail.com

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