Did Gandhiji Go Wrong?
TOOTHPASTE-manufacturers the world over, have been pouring their millions into advertisements trying to convince consumers that a smile is all about sparkling white teeth and little else. But then a toothless smile, of our Chief Guest that day, Jayadevappa Duggani by name, was better than any of those much-hyped branded smiles. This thought crossed my mind, as I was watching this old man in his 80s, who seemed to have some difficulty with his new set of dentures he was holding firmly clasped in his left hand while delivering his emotionally charged speech recalling some of the incidents during the freedom struggle. The occasion was Independence Day celebrations -1986. The only available detail about this personality at my office, the Mugutkhan Hubli Branch of Bank Of India was that three of his family-members – himself, wife and eldest daughter – were recipients of Tamra Patra from the Government in recognition of their role in the freedom struggle. He had not only met Mahatma Gandhi o
