Salil Tripathi and Ranvir Shah at The Hindu Lit for Life in Chennai on January 19, 2025. | Photo Credit: M.Vedhan
In the session, ‘The Dominance of Gujaratis: From Mahatma Gandhi to Narendra Modi’, journalist and author Salil Tripathi spoke about his new book, Gujaratis: The Portrait of a Communityin a conversation with entrepreneur and cultural activist Ranvir Shah. The book, which is part of a series on the various communities of India, brought out by Aleph Book Company, has been edited by David Davidar.
Mr. Tripathi, a Gujarati who grew up in Mumbai, described himself as an “outsider looking in and an insider looking out.” Through several small chapters, he writes about the “community of 55 million people in India who consider Gujarati to be their mother tongue and possibly six million more abroad.” Gujarat has produced some of the most successful industrialists of India (Tata Group, Reliance, Adani, Wipro); made their mark in politics (Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Morarji Desai, Narendra Modi); and produced excellent cricketers, artists, dancers, among others.
Gujaratis in the armed forces
While many of these facts are well-known, Mr. Tripathi spoke about the little-known contribution of the Gujaratis in the armed forces. He pointed out how Gujaratis played a crucial role in the supporting services of the Army. “There are two aspects to this. The Army cannot march on an empty stomach. Even Subhas Chandra Bose’s main storekeeper was a Gujarati. I found out recently that the husband of a cousin is part of storekeeping of the U.S. armed forces.” He was quick to add: “Second, they are also in the armed forces.”
The most famous personality from Gujarat is arguably Gandhiji. Mr. Shah said that while most Gujaratis equate Gandhiji with ahimsa (non-violence), Mr. Tripathi’s book also speaks of asmita (self-awareness). Mr. Tripathi explained how the humble concept has changed over the years to acquire a more aggressive tenor. “Narsinh Mehta [the poet] spoke about asmita. He said, ‘In the whole universe, there is only one god’. But Kanhaiyalal Munshi gave the word a more muscular sense. Then, it became a political concept with the re-erection of Somnath and later the Narmada movement. From self-awareness, it came to mean pride, then arrogance, and now it is equated with bigotry,” he said.
PM Modi and Mahatma Gandhi
Speaking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Tripathi compared and contrasted him with Gandhiji. “At the risk of sounding glib, I would say that Gandhi was passionate about the empowerment of women and cleanliness, just as Mr. Modi is. He was stubborn, just like Mr. Modi is known to be. He did not drink alcohol and neither does Mr. Modi. But while Gandhi was a left-hander, Mr. Modi is a right-hander; while Gandhi had terrible handwriting, Mr. Modi has beautiful handwriting, and while Gandhi would persuade people to do something, Mr. Modi simply orders people around.”
Plight of Dalits in Gujarat
From individual personalities, the discussion veered towards the polycultures of Gujaratis. On being asked specifically about the plight of Dalits in Gujarat, Mr. Tripathi pointed out that the “situation is bad.” He said, “The NGO Navsarjan’s FCRA has been taken away. We saw what happened in Una [In 2016, several Dalits were flogged on the pretext of cow protection]. I’m used to the Dalit Panthers, having grown up in Bombay, but you don’t see that [assertiveness] in Gujarat.” However, while there has been violence, there have also been many fighting for peace, he said. “They are little candles lighting up the place.”
Finally, Mr. Tripathi spoke about one of the most prominent communities in Gujarat, the Sarabhais. He elaborated on the contributions of Anasuya Sarabhai, Mrinalini and Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika Sarabhai, and now Anaita Sarabhai. “Ramachandra Guha once wondered why the Sarabhais are not mentioned as one of India’s Renaissance families. Apart from the Sarabhais, there are others too,” he said.
The Hindu Lit for Life event is presented by KIA India and is in association with Christ University. Associate Partners: LIC, RR Donnelley, Blue Star, Brigade Group, NITTE Deemed-to-be University, PROchure, Singer, Chennai Port Authority & Kamarajar Port Ltd, Uttarakhand Tourism, Vajiram and Ravi, Indian Bank, Akshayakalpa and ICFAI Group. Realty Partner: Casagrand. Bookstore Partner: Crossword. Food Partner: Wow Momo, Beverage Partner: Beachville, Radio Partner: Big FM, TV Partner: Puthiya Thalaimurai Gift Partner: Anand Prakash. Supported by: US Consulate, Chennai, Water Partner: Repute
Published – January 19, 2025 06:24 pm IST
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