There is often a difference of opinion among people on calling Mohandas Gandhi the ‘Father of the Nation’. People believe that India as a nation has existed since time immemorial, so no one can be its father. At the same time, many people call Mohandas Gandhi as the ‘Father of the Nation’ for his contribution in the country’s freedom struggle. Now Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotir Math has raised questions on giving him the title of the ‘Father of the nation’. Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati asserted that there is no such thing as ‘Father of the Nation’ in India. He said that Gandhi himself was born in India and hence it would be wrong to call him as such.
India is Eternal
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said, “Nobody knows since when India has existed. There is no one who gave birth to it.” Shankaracharya also took the example of Mohammad Ali Jinnah to explain further, “When Pakistan was formed and Pakistan’s ‘Quaid-e-Azam’, Mohammad Ali Jinnah became the father of the nation because he was born anew but India already existed.” According to Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, no one can be conferred with the title of father of the nation in India.
Calling Gandhi Father of the Nation is Misinformation
Shankaracharya has said that calling Mahatma Gandhi the father of the nation is a form of misinformation. He said, “People spread rumours and call Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi the father of the nation.” Shankaracharya asked whether Gandhi gave birth to India or he himself was born in India. He said, “If Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the nation, then he will be asked to tell which nation did you give birth to. It existed before you were born. So what did you give birth to?”
Who Gave Gandhi the title
Generally people have the belief that the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru first called Mohandas Gandhi the Father of the Nation, but in reality Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose first gave him that title. In fact, in June 1944, Subhash Chandra Bose sent a radio message from Singapore in which he addressed Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation. After the death of Mohandas Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the country through radio and said that ‘the Father of the Nation is no more’.
