The Passion and Energy of Youth
October 2009
Banner photo: [Sanna Lindberg/Getty Images]
Rajiv Gandhi--A Life of Selfless Commitment to the People
Rajiv Gandhi [Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images] The first time I met the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (1944–91), he struck me as a man of unshakable determination, a man who was prepared to risk his life for his beliefs.
His grandfather was Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964), the first prime minister of independent India, and his mother was Indira Gandhi (1917–84), Nehru's daughter and India's third prime minister. The destiny of India, the world's largest democracy, had rested in this family's hands for many years. From the time Indira was four or five years old, her entire family was actively involved in the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948).
The police were constant visitors to her home. Indira's father and grandfather, and eventually even her mother, were arrested. Then, at the age of 24, Indira herself was imprisoned. She spent 11 months in a stifling hot, dirty cell, mistreated by her captors. The authorities took a particularly harsh attitude toward women offenders, because they feared the resistance movement gaining widespread support among women as well.
Rajiv, Indira's eldest son, was born the year after she was released. Her father, Nehru, still in prison, was overjoyed. It was he who named the boy Rajiv, which means "lotus" in Hindi. True to his namesake, the boy was a loving, noble and purehearted child.
On January 29, 1948, Indira visited Mahatma Gandhi, bringing along three-and-a-half-year-old Rajiv. Gandhi greeted them warmly, jauntily wearing a Bengali straw hat. As Gandhi squatted on the floor, Rajiv played with the Mahatma's feet, putting flowers on his toes.
It was the very next day that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, gunned down by a young Hindu fanatic.
Later, Indira Gandhi wrote, "Little did we guess that we would never see his wide, toothless smile again, nor feel the glow of his protection."
Another thing that none of them could have guessed was that all three gathered there on that day were fated to meet violent deaths at the hands of assassins.
When Destiny Calls
Rajiv Gandhi grew up and became a pilot for Indian Airlines. He loved nature and the arts, and he did not seem inclined toward a career in politics. In 1968, he married Sonia, a young Italian woman he had met while they were both studying at Cambridge University. They seemed destined to lead a peaceful and happy life.
But in 1980, fate took a sudden and unexpected turn. Rajiv's younger brother Sanjay, a representative in India's lower house of parliament, was killed in an airplane crash. The death of Sanjay, who was to have been his mother's political successor, propelled Rajiv into making the decision to enter politics.
Just four years later, on October 31, 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her Sikh bodyguards.
When her last will and testament were discovered, it was clear that she had anticipated the possibility of an untimely death. Yet she wrote: "No hate is dark enough to overshadow the extent of my love for my people and my country; no force is strong enough to divert me from my purpose and my endeavor to take this country forward." And as an expres-sion of that love, she said: "I would rather die standing up than lying down."
After his mother's death, Rajiv Gandhi was considered the most suitable candidate to fill the office of prime minister. He was 40 years old at the time.
When he had decided to accept the mandate that had been passed on to him in this tragic fashion, he took the hand of his wife, Sonia, hugged her and told her that he had no choice. He also wrote out a will, stating as his final wish that no matter what happened to him, he wanted to rest in eternity beside his dear wife.
Farsighted View
A man who is prepared to die is afraid of nothing. The young prime minister set his sights on the 21st century, and scored one achievement after another. He liberalized the economy, bringing in foreign capital and technology, leading to considerable economic growth. He made peace with China and Pakistan, with which relations had been strained for a long time. While he was prime minister, Mikhail Gorbachev became secretary-general of the Soviet Union, and the experiment to create a new century by a new generation of leaders began to change the world.
SGI President Ikeda and Rajiv Gandhi in Tokyo, November 29, 1985 [© Seikyo Shimbun] The year after his inauguration, I met Prime Minister Gandhi for the first time at the State Guesthouse in Tokyo, immediately after he had finished delivering a speech before the Japanese Diet on November 29, 1985.
In his speech, he said: "Let us remove the mental partitions which obstruct the ennobling vision of the human family linked together in peace and prosperity. The Buddha's message of compassion is the very condition of human survival in our age."
I told him that as a Buddhist I felt great concord with this message from India. The prime minister always emphasized his conviction that India's ethos of nonviolence and tolerance would benefit the world in its quest for peace and justice.
His smile was warm, and his large eyes were clear and luminous. His bearing was dignified and graceful--he had a sublime charisma. When he spoke of his high hopes for youth and his belief in the importance of improving the role of women in society, I saw the illumination of the coming century. I was struck by the enormous possibilities he encompassed.
And then, in May 1991, a tragedy struck that shook the world. During an election tour, a suicide bomber killed Rajiv Gandhi. On this campaign, though knowing the danger he faced and despite the warnings of his advisers, he insisted on going out among the people.
Across India, time stopped. Flags were lowered to half-mast around the world, as people everywhere mourned his loss. Dr. B. N. Pande, Mahatma Gandhi's direct disciple, commented: "The best tribute to Rajiv is to foster communal harmony, fraternal feelings among all the communities and safeguard the country's unity and integrity."
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (center) with her sons Rajiv (left) and Sanjay, in 1977 [AFP] The following year, in February 1992, I visited India and laid flowers at Rajiv Gandhi's memorial. I also visited Sonia Gandhi at her home.
Though there may be torrential downpours and dark nights, if one weathers them, one will be greeted by a dazzling morning aglow with happiness. The deeper your suffering, the brighter and more luminous the happiness that will greet you on the dawn. The lives of those who have suffered the greatest tragedy will shine with the greatest brilliance. As we spoke about her husband, I shared these sentiments with Sonia Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi gave himself wholeheartedly to his country to the very last moment. In the same way, we ourselves can decide whether what befalls us is our fate or our mission. The most important question, therefore, is what we dedicate our life to. The strength or weakness of our determination is what makes the difference between a life at the mercy of fate and a noble life shining with purpose.
