Mahatma Gandhi 8 – Mohandas Gandhi’s Marriage

At the age of thirteen,
Mohandas Gandhi married
Kasturba -A child of same age!
Innocent children,
No interference,
But to comply,
With wishes of parents and
And the entire family!

Lifelong faithfulness,
A promise made,
By the bride and groom
While walking,
The ‘Satpadi’ or
The seven steps,
The seven vows
Of a Hindu marriage!

The boy and girl
Ignorant,
Naive,
Take the seven steps playfully,
Unaware of the significance
Of the nuptial knot
‘Unwittingly hurled into the
Ocean of life! ‘

Child marriage,
A common event of olden days
Now condemned and
Shunned!
An act of economic convenience,
Planned by the family members,
A grand waste of time and energy,
A great loss of study and education!

When a girl or a boy
Needed to play with dolls or toys;
They were already live actors
Of a real life play!
They were like puppets
Dancing to the tune of the puppeteers!
Every move sanctioned and governed
By the elders who pulled the shots!

Gandhiji narrates
About his child marriage
Though painful and remorseful
To recall and record his own marriage
‘Swallowing many bitter droughts’!
At an age when most children studied
Putting together their vital energies
Towards a progressive goal in life!

Gandhiji emphasised the fact that
He was not merely betrothed,
But actually married,
While he was still in school!
Mohandas passionately fond of his wife,
Could never concentrate on his studies,
As such, his efforts to educate her
In their youth remained unsuccessful!

Mohandas Gandhi soon
Assumed the role of
An authoritative husband!
As Kasturba was illiterate
He was anxious to educate her.
But his ‘lustful love left no time’
For any kind of serious study.
A rare confession, indeed!