‘If Gandhi was alive, his satyagraha would have been against littering’

Mahatma Gandhi. (File photo)

“If Mahatma Gandhi was alive today, his satyagraha would have been against littering,” said Subodh Kerkar, director of an art museum in Goa, while speaking on ‘Gandhi and Science’ at a function held in Pune recently.

“Gandhi was a promoter of scientific thinking in his time and he was somebody who could not stand unclean surroundings. If he was alive today, he would have taken up satyagraha against littering, particularly that of plastic,” said Kerkar, founder and director of the Kerkar Art Complex in Goa.

Kerkar, a medical doctor-turned artist, has attempted to spread awareness about the hazards of plastic. With the help of his team members, he recently collected and painted 1.5 lakh plastic bottles, which were displayed in the ‘Carpet of Joy’, a project in Goa.

He now plans to undertake similar shows in other cities in the coming months. The Goa-based artist shared a story involving Gandhi.

Gandhiji’s friendship with Rabindranath Tagore is well known, but there were a handful of instances when the two disagreed, said Kerkar.

“Tagore disliked spinning charkha and when asked to try it by Gandhi, Tagore would instead ask him to attempt writing poems,” said Kerkar, adding that Gandhi’s thoughts are relevant even today.

During his talk, Kerkar also lamented against the poor maintenance of the Aga Khan Palace, where Gandhi and his wife Kasturba were kept under house arrest between August 1942 and May 1944.

“The palace needs urgent restoration and through crowd funding, I am willing to help bring back its lost glory,” he said.