London Revealed

Gandhis London walk is rediscovery of London. I know the monuments and history of central London districts of Aldwych, Strand, Coven Garden, Russel Square and Trafalgar Square almost as well as my own living room. But Gandhis London walk opened a whole new text book about London to me. It’s a part of London’s history that has never been revealed.

In fact I never knew the close association between Mahatma Gandhi and London even though I consider myself well educated in Indian history as well as London’s colourful, troublesome, painful and vibrant past. When we think of India and London, the places that come to mind are Southall, Alperton, Wembley and East London with their Asian communities and curry restaurants. Not any more. Some of the greatest landmarks in central London have a stamp of Indian history on them. They have personal imprint of Gandhi all over.

 This walk revealed a whole new dimension to London’s best known districts to me and left me humbled. I was overcome by emotion when the narrative described London of late 19th century with all its trappings, wealth, distractions as well as poverty to which a young Indian Mohandas Gandhi arrived in 1888. We could see what he would have seen and understood what he would have felt.

 Millions of tourists join London’s walking tours to see the buildings and sites associated with Knights Templar, Royalty, notorious criminals, great writers and politicians of all era. But never before has London been explored in the context of its association with likes of Gandhi & Nehru, the great leaders of India who wrenched freedom for over 300 million humanity from the cold hands of colonial Britain without firing a single shot.

What’s more, one gets to stand in spots where Gandhi would have stood, studied, walked and started his experiments with truth. Gandhi started his spiritual journey in London. He could have turned into another English gentleman like many thousands of other Indians in London who mimicked English life at the time and perhaps India would still be slave to the decadence of Indian royalty and its English masters. Instead, Gandhi embarked on a path of self purification in London. He did not give in to all the attractions and trappings of world’s capital city.

Gandhis London walk takes us through that time and era when Gandhis first came to London. History comes live in the narrative  of the tour guide. It’s a part of history that has been shrouded in darkness and has for the first time come to light. And what light it is. Every person who searches truth should walk where Gandhi would have walked 120 years ago as a young man on his own journey of self discovery.

 

James H.

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