Meeting a remarkable man - A.S. Gyansambandhu

A snow-white beard accentuates the benign expression on Prof. A. S. Gyansambandhu's face as he sits in his house in a Chennai suburb surrounded by books, loads and loads of them. He looks every inch a reluctant traveler from yesterday, a guru for whom teaching is not just a vocation but an act of worship. He looks as if he has been caught in a time warp. He might easily be an ascetic holding forth on the laws of Dharma to a class of disciples in an ancient gurukula.

Like many men of his generation, the septuagenarian Gyanasambandhu too is a bitter man nowadays, depressed and disillusioned at the condition India is in today. There is a tone of disbelief in his tremulous voice as he asks, 'how is it possible for a nation which had so much of culture and aim in life to go down so badly?' He feels that the leadership or the lack of it is to be blamed for this. 'During the pre-independence period we had stalwart leaders of Himalayan heights', he says,' The very life of Mahatma, the very life of Panditji inspired the people who saw them as an example as to how to behave.'

According to Gyansambandhu we lost this kind of transparency in public life the day we attained independence as a mad scramble for power took over. ' We lost synchronization between thoughts, words, speech, and action. People who called themselves politicians and bureaucrats were somewhere down the line never true to any cause. They spoke of high morality but lacked even the basic moral values. And today they say corruption is everywhere, what can we do about it? We have fallen down to that level.' is Gyanasambandhu's indignant reaction when asked to comment on the post independence leadership.

The professor feels that we the people of India have become directionless as a whole.

We have lost all values in life, lost all aim in life. Now we are just drifters afloat global currents. According to Gyanasambandhu, this is because, (after independence)'there was no guiding star like the Mahatma, Panditji was there but he too was shocked when he saw corruption everywhere. He was horrified but probably couldn’t do anything because unless we all correct ourselves nothing can be done.'

Gyanasambandhu swears by Nehru's honesty and integrity. 'Panditji's honesty towards the nation couldn’t be questioned, even his son in law, who always fought with Nehru couldn’t question it.' However he is not so charitable when he comes to Nehru's daughter Indira. Gyansambandhu feels that the degeneration of Indian politics was accepted and even encouraged by Indira Gandhi. He feels that it was during the Indira era that everyone started to think of personal gain and nobody thought of the nation. ' The nation was thrown in the waste paper basket.' is his caustic remark. According to Gyansambandhu emergency was a culmination of this contempt for the nation, its people and its institutions. 'During emergency trains ran on time and corruption was lessened probably due to the fear that was generated in the people. But the philosophy which took over her (Indira Gandhi's) thoughts was that of power.'

This year even as we celebrate 50 years of our freedom, Gyansambandhu has some pertinent questions to put forward. ' What is freedom for us today? What are we doing with this freedom except bow in front of corruption ?' Questions that all of us as citizens of this country need to answer honestly and thoughtfully.

Gyansambandhu has a solution for the general state of disarray the nation is into. 'Today we require a leader who has an aim, it may be a social, economical or political aim. The leader should have absolutely no self interest, he should have only one aim, country first, country second and country third.'

For the people of India the grand old professor has this message. ' Remember, this is one single nation and it has to remain like that. Religion, language, water disputes,... nothing can break it.' AMEN !