Tushar Arun Gandhi( तुषार गांधी ) (born 17 January 1960 near Mumbai, India) is a great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and the son of journalist Arun Manilal Gandhi. Born on a train between Mumbai and Kolkata, he was raised in the Mumbai suburb of Santa Cruz. He holds a degree in painting from Mithibai College.[1] In December 2001 he negotiated with American marketing firm CMG Worldwide to use the Mahatma’s image in an advertisement for a credit card company. The public outcry forced him to cancel the deal.[2] In his book Let’s Kill Gandhi, he blames Brahmins for assassinating the Mahatma. Critics have claimed that the book defames all Brahmins. Gandhi has stressed that his claims relate only to "a certain group of Brahmins from Pune [who] were continuously attempting on the life of my great grandfather" rather than to Brahmins in general.[3] In 2006, he was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador [4] of the Intergovernmental Institution to promote the use of Spirulina to counter malnutrition. In March 2005, he led the 75th anniversary re-enactment of the Dandi March. Gandhi lives in Mumbai with his wife and two children, and runs the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation.
Quote
"I wish they could understand I am a descendant of the Mahatma, not Mahatma myself. If being Mahatma was hereditary, there would be 54 living Mahatmas today!"[5]
References
- ^ Busy Branding Bapu, Hindustan Times
- ^ Marketing the Mahatma, Frontline Magazine
- ^ "'I was misquoted,' says Tushar Gandhi", Yahoo! India News
- ^ http://www.pomun.org/goodwill_ambassadors.htm
- ^ "Being Mahatma’s descendants brings bouquets and brickbats", Ahmedabad Newsline
External links
- Tushar Gandhi takes the plunge into politics
- Tushar Gandhi prays at Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace
- Busy branding Bapu
- Remark by Mahatma's kin invites litigation
- Being Mahatma’s descendants brings bouquets and brickbats
- Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition
- "Marketing the Mahatma" Frontline Magazine
- "Busy Branding Bapu" Hindustan Times
