Gandhi confusion<\/p>\n
Someone following my letters to The Jakarta Post for several
\nyears, might wonder whether my first name, Gandhi, is related to
\nthe great Indian leader.<\/p>\n
Following President Abdurrahman Wahid's recent visit to India,
\nduring which he paid homage to its great leader and founder of
\nIndia, Mahatma Gandhi, there has been considerable confusion
\n\"among Indonesians including intellectuals and journalists\" about
\nwho is Gandhi's grandson or daughter and who is not.<\/p>\n
The letter of clarification from the Indian embassy in Jakarta
\nshows the \"seriousness\" of the problem. It could have developed
\ninto a diplomatic row had Mahatma Gandhi started his career as a
\nlawyer in Kashmir (even for just a few days) instead in South
\nAfrica. But we know, hopefully, that Sonya Gandhi is not related
\nto Mahatma Gandhi, as the state television TVRI proudly, but
\nincorrectly reported. She is related to another great leader of
\nIndia, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, whose daughter was named Indira.
\nIndira married a Persian named Gandhi and had two sons from this
\nmarriage, one was named Rajiv Gandhi, the late husband of Sonya,
\nwho is Italian.<\/p>\n
And for those wondering about my name, my father wanted me to
\nbe a nationalist leader and fighter for the freedom of the
\noppressed colonized people of Indonesia. He, himself, was a
\nnationalist party leader and member of Indonesia's first People's
\nConsultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
As a mediocre journalist, I have failed to realize my father's
\naspirations. But I have kept my given name, \"Gandhi\", with a
\nsense of pride. I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands,
\nof fellow Indonesians bearing the name of Gandhi. They all must
\nhave their own fancies about the myth of Gandhi.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gandhi-confusion-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }