In a world of upstarts who believe that wealth conquers the earth, there are people who believe that modesty is the greatest wealth that anyone can acquire, although only a few actually possess it.
Gopalkrishna Gandhi is a former Governor of Bengal with a long list of accomplishments in his scholastic and professional life.
He has served his country as an administrator, head of diplomatic missions, secretary to the Vice-President and President of India and more than all, Mr Gandhi is a man of letters, with several books and publications to his credit.
He readily agreed to our invitation to be the Guest Speaker at the Mother Teresa Interfaith Meeting on November 18 and the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards (IBA) Presentation Ceremony on November 19.
Polite and firm
What followed immediately after his acceptance was truly inspiring.
“Please do not waste money on business class tickets. Please book me on economy,” he said.
We learnt that the soft-spoken man could be firm too and hence did not dare to go against his wishes.
We flew him on Singapore Airlines flights from and to Chennai, courtesy of BNZ Partners, the Title Sponsor of IBA 2012 and arranged his accommodation at Stamford Plaza Auckland. From the time we greeted him on his arrival at the Auckland International Airport on November 17 (with courtesies extended by the Ministry of Internal Affairs through the Indian High Commission), to the time we bid goodbye to him four days later (again with the courtesies of Internal Affairs and High Commission), we learnt the Gandhian way of life.
It was simplicity personified and humility punctuated.
There was self-assertion without offence.
In short, there was the blood of Gandhi in the veins of a man who had truly inherited qualities of the one and only Mahatma that the world has known.
“I am not the grandson of that Mahatma but of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The Mahatma is far above,” he said, speaking in front of his grandfather’s statue at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre of the Auckland Indian Association in Eden Terrace, Central Auckland.
As the members of the Association and other visitors prayed before the statue, Mr Gandhi was silent in thoughts, remembering perhaps his formative years when the Father of the Nation left us poorer and parentless.
The name game
His respect for local customs and eagerness to learn was equally evident on many occasions. “How did the country earn its name?” he asked. We told him that Able Tasman discovered the new land and called it after ‘Seeland’, which was a part of his native Netherlands. The word ‘New’ is to distinguish it from the original land (similar to New York, New Jersey, New Orleans and New South Wales). We learnt that the truest trait of the learned was to seek the unknown.
Respect for Maori
Mr Gandhi experienced the meaning and practice of Maori welcome, culture and tradition, as Kaumatua George Hill of Nga Uri o Te Taou received him at a dinner hosted by Anil Thapliyal (Chief Executive of Health TRX) and his wife Marina at ‘Taste,’ in Mt Eden on November 18.
“The Maori culture is rich with values and I hope to spend more time in New Zealand to understand and experience the traditions,” he said.
To a select group of 35 professionals representing a variety of vocations including art, it was an evening to remember.
A true Partner
We are not sure if Mr Gandhi was aware that he was amidst a group of ten businesspersons at the meeting held at BNZ Partners at Deloitte Centre on November 20 – people who owned enterprises that turned over hundreds of millions of dollars – but he was certainly oblivious to it. He spoke in general of the world and Indian economy and shared a little of his own vast administrative experience. Such men are true partners in business ethics and conduct; and do not advertise themselves.
Farewell dinner
Indian Newslink is grateful to Charles Pandey, Chairman of the CP Group of Companies for his suggestion to host a dinner in honour of Mr Gandhi at Pullman Auckland Hotel on November 20, 2012.
Although the guests (again a select group of 35 persons) did not have the benefit of a speech by Mr Gandhi (he had requested for an informal evening), each of them had the benefit of individual conversation with the distinguished visitor.
As we bid him farewell the next day (November 21), we felt a sudden state of emptiness, almost nothing to do. The four hectic days were spent in the company of the greatest sons of India and such joy can occur only when he visits New Zealand again, promising to spend more time with us.
Until then, we would live in memory of the days, events and meetings that we attended in his honour.
Read related reports in this Section and in our Awards Special.
Pictures info:
1. G K Gandhi at Anil Thapliyal Dinner
2. Gopalkrishna Gandhi with Marina and Anil Thapliyal at ‘Taste’ Restaurant School on November 18, 2012 (Picture by Abhishek Kala) The grandson of a grand man- Gopalkrishna
3. Gandhi and others in front of the statue of the Father of the Indian Nation at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre on November 20, 2012 (Picture by Ranjit Singh Ahluwalia)
4. Ashok Darji garlands the statue of the Mahatma at a special function held to honour the visit of Gopalkrishna Gandhi to the Mahatma Gandhi Centre on November 20, 2012 (Picture by Ranjit Singh Ahluwalia)
