Game for Gandhigiri?

Yes of course, I refer to the recent resurrection of Mahatma Gandhi through the rather dubious route of a Hindi movie, whose lead actor's brain to brawn ration is 10:90 and who, according to some, started by troubling his parents, then wife and finally the government with his villainous ways. But to be fair to him, he is the right person to espouse "gandhigiri" loosely translated "gandhi's way". For starters: both he and the original mahatma were traumatised at a younger age [for different reasons though]

Gandhiji was traumatised with what happened to him in South Africa [not only being thrown out of the train, but also the caste and communal rift that he had witnessed there among the Indian community. On his return to India he had the shock of his life looking at the then Congress leaders, who were more Brit than the brits themselves [very well captured in the movie Gandhi] . He was also traumatised by the brutal attacks on innocents especially at Jalianwala Bagh.

Our more recent hero too was traumatised early in his life: famous parents, drugs, untimely deaths of mother and wife and simply trying to live upto his macho image were some of the causes. Who better than him to resurrect the Mahatma?

So far so good. But which Gandhi are they we to resurrect?

Gandhi the suit-clad barrister? Gandhi the non-violent, half naked fakir? Or Gandhi the ultimate MAN?

Getting confused? I will explain.
The first Gandhi was what can be best described as an ideal native! Good family, well educated and trained for the most sought after imperial profession: Lawyer!. There were many aspirants for this Gandhi at that time and many more perhaps now [though for empire you have to read USA for contemporary aspirants and for Lawyer you have to read IT or investment banking]. This was the ultimate metrosexual man: successful, educated, sensitive, native at home, cosmopolitan outside. Why dont we revive this Gandhigiri: Easy to achieve, lot of aspirants, and under the current circumstances eminently do-able!
The second Gandhi: this is the Gandhi we know and believe in: lots of fad, indiosyncrasies, initially ridiculed. But showed an alternative way to "fight" and win a battle. The ultimate leader, communicator who more than anyone else deserved the title of Mahatma for his words and deeds. For me the greatest lesson of this man is just one: Complete and fully transparency in all public and private life. No one did it better than him and no one will. This is one lesson to be learnt from him. In his voluminous writing you will find him describing to his friend how to clear bowel movements at great length and of course, there is the ultimate admission of failure at abstinence!
This is a difficult ganshigiri to revive because this like the hindi movies is alomst like a make believe world - something that is good to hear and talk about but impossible to follow.
The Third Gandhi: No one knows and talks about. This is the most revolutionary time of his life and started probably from 1942 with the Quit India Movement. When for the first time, he did not call of a national movement just because it had turned violent. In fact his rallying cry was "do or die"! Who was this Gandhi? DO you know him? I do not think so. Let me introduce him with two incidents:
a) Interview with Louis Fisher circa 1945(?): Fisher: How will you redistribute the lands held by the zamindars to poor peasants after independence?
MG: The zamnindars will give their lands up voluntarily
LF: [laughs...] Do you really think so? What if they do not?
MG: We have other means?
LF: What other means? Would you resort to violence [to take the lands away]
MG: Yes, we will resort to violence if necessary
b) His suggestion that after independence the congress party should be dissolved since the purpsose behind its formation was to achieve independenc!

Can you revive this Gandhi? I would say please "do not try this at home". It's too hot for India Inc.

My take: At Noakhali {now in Bangladesh} in 1947 Gandhi single handedly stopped the riots [and probably saved many of my ancestors]. A feat which half of British Indian army could not achieve in Punjab.

That's what a real MAN is a real HERO. Of course, others are free to emulate him on the silver screen