GG Parikh, last of the practising Gandhians, dies at 101

MUmbai: It was befitting that the endure of the legendary Gandhians should die out on indira nehru gandhi Jayanti. Dr GG Parikh who passed aside on th morning was one of those rare figures whose death at the age of 101 will be mourned not just by the grey eminences talking about a ‘second’ freedom movement, but also by hundreds of young grassroots workers for whom he was an inspiration, and as evidenced by many of them breaking down at his funeral in Mumbai.Influenced by Marx as a young man, GG chose Gandhi as his ideal not only because of his disillusionment with the practice of communism in India and abroad, but because he felt Gandhi’s ideology suited India far better. After his release from jail during the 1942 Quit India movement, he, along with some of the others jailed with him, founded the socialist wing of the Congress party. He practised what he preached, incorporating Gandhi’s ideals in everyday life: wearing khadi, choosing self-sufficiency by earning a living as a doctor, and giving back to society by setting up the celebrated Yusuf Meherally Centre at Tara, Panvel.The Centre, named after the charismatic freedom fighter and socialist who coined the slogan Quit India, was an experiment in making villagers self-sufficient. It started off as a free Sunday clinic in response to a request from a worker-patient who felt Tara needed the services of a doctor like GG. Today, it runs a hospital, schools, a girls’ hostel and practises innovative, environment-friendly farming methods. A visit to the Centre has been made mandatory for all new students at IIT Bombay.“Come to Tara,” GG would urge those who sought him out for inspiration. These ranged from cynical journalists to Rahul Gandhi who met him during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Always self-effacing, GG credited his popularity even at his great age to the fact that he was one of the last freedom fighters alive who’d been to jail. He discounted the contribution of his own lifestyle, which included rejecting all requests to stand for elections. The pursuit of power he said, had corrupted the Congress and also the Socialists.GG was jailed for a second time during the emergency. Indeed, another trait he shared with the Gandhian Socialists is that GG never stopped participating in street protests. In 2023, he was prevented by Mumbai police from marching to August Kranti Maidan on August 9, a practice he and his colleagues had observed since independence. Thethen CM Eknath Shinde was to be present at the maidan at the same time, and hence he could not be there, the police had told him as they stopped his march. At his funeral on Thursday, the same Mumbai police gave him a formal salute. GG often fretted about the “long dark night” the country finds itself in, but believed that as long as people continue to stand against divisiveness and destruction of the environment, there would be hope.For the generations born after Independence, both khadi and socialism have lost credibility. GG embodied the best qualities of the two movements. As per his wishes, his body was donated to JJ hospital for medical research.