“Can you stop shouting?” Kamal Haasan said emphatically to a fan. It is the first time I am seeing a superstar silence his fan, risking his popular image. But, this is a personal moment for Kamal and very different from a film launch or a glitzy party. Here was a man, who was nothing like the one we saw on screen. Neither the hilarious Thenali nor the fear-inducing Velu Nayakan, but an ordinary man dressed in a pale yellow shirt and jeans.
Maybe, because simplicity was also a quality of Mahatma Gandhi, who he deeply adored. “I am an atheist. But, I am a Gandhian convert. Not everyone can be a Mahatma and follow non-violence. How many people have the courage?” asked the actor. He was in the city to launch the Tamil translation of My experiments with Truth , published by Sapna Book House and written by Andal Priyadarshini.
When Kamal started his work on his film Hey Ram , he read many books on Gandhi. “The more you learnt about the flaws of the man, the more you love him. So, do not think too much. Discuss and talk about him a lot,” he told the audience at Suguna Auditorium.
He told Andal that she was doing a service to the nation and so will the public by reading it. His speech was peppered with famous anecdotes like Gandhi’s witty reaction to the Queen’s overdressing, his solidarity to the Khilafat movement, and other legends surrounding him. “He did not travel in plane. This was a kind of physical riyaz . Also, he has written around 60,000 pages. There are so many things that one can talk about him —from his habit of writing with both hands to his famous pursuit of non-violence. He is a symbol. He is no more a man.”
While talking about icon bashing and people who started off criticising Gandhi and later changed their stand, he quoted the example of E. V. Ramasamy, more popularly known as Periyar. “At one point, he had written that Gandhi’s photo had to be broken. And the same man changed his stance later saying, ‘You can never come across another man like this.’”
Kamal also emphasised that Gandhi’s best quality was he could be critical without making the other person hurt. That’s also one form of non-violence. “And, it was this old man who taught me, I must give my voice to my Islam brethren. It is not important to be a Mahatma. Think about the betterment of the world and look beyond nationalism.”
He said that more than a Thalaivar , Gandhi was a Thondar . And such people rise to great heights. “This man is rare and is hard to find now. It is our duty that a similar person emerges again in our society. But, in the middle of chasing positions and scheming against others, where do we have the time and space for thinking about Gandhi?”
Kamal also talked about a documentary on Gandhi called Lead On Gandhi that he had once intended to make. The documentary would track the journey of the lead material that was manufactured in Italian mines, and finally turned into the bullet that pierced the Mahatma’s heart. “I do not expect you to be a convert listening to my speech. I am speaking about Gandhi because it makes me happy. And, I hope my speech will have an effect on you.”
By the end of the speech, Kamal became emotional—his voice quivered as he made one last request: “Please do not associate him with any party, even though all of them will try to own him. He was beyond all that—Mr. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was truly a world citizen.”
Celebrating Gandhi
Kamal Haasan’s fans cheered as they saw their favourite star on stage. They recorded the star’s speech on their phones and posted live Facebook updates.
Nitin Shah, managing director of Sapna Book House, Kalaimamani Andal Priyadarshini, writer and Head of programme, Doordarshan Kendra, Dr. S.V. Balasubramaniam, chairman of Bannariamman Groups and B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, the chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore and Tamil poet and translator Puviarasu, shared the podium with Kamal Haasan, who was the chief guest for the launch of Sathya Sothanai .
The event was held as part of World Book Day celebrations. Children dressed like Mahatma Gandhi came on stage and gifted roses to the chief guests.Vanavarayar said that he saw Kamal as more of a thinker than a star in this occasion. “So do not shout and applaud. By that, you are not giving him respect,” he told the crowd. Kamal himself gestured them to sit down and be silent while the dignitaries talked.
Vanavarayar urged the audience to read about Gandhi. “When the international media asked Nelson Mandela, once he came out of his exile, about how he spent his time in solitude during his exile, he said he was reading Gandhi’s My experiments with truth ."Balasubramaniam spoke about the lessons he learnt on will power after he read the book. “It influenced me to give up on eating non-vegetarian food, which I loved to have.” Andal said the book and this function, graced by the presence of Kamal Haasan, was the outcome of a year’s labour.
The book is priced at Rs. 270 (paper back) and Rs.450 (hard bound). It also comes with a foreword by Kamal Haasan, and a few rare pictures of Gandhi. The chief editor is Puviarasu who is also a Sahitya Akademi winner. “The book offers a simplified version of My Experiments with Truth , which can be enjoyed and understood by the young generation,” said V. Karthikeyan, the chief executive of Sapna Book House.
