India! The country is stable, but at the same time multifaceted, well-known and at the same time mysterious! When the flight attendant announces that the plane is landing, and you see the first buildings and structures of Delhi through the window, then after that you will fly for a long time. And then you will experience an incredible feeling that this metropolis is boundless in space and endless in time.

"Delhi is not just a city, but an entire state!" - this is the first impression of the Indian capital. And although I have been to these parts many times, such thoughts arose in my head every time.

Being in Delhi and not visiting the memorial at Raj Ghat is considered disrespectful to the people of India. They are unlikely to understand this. Since Indians have special feelings for their national shrines and spiritual relics.

With deep respect for the people of this amazing country, I have boundless admiration for its rich and ancient culture. I bow before the outstanding personalities of this people. However, I went to Raj Ghat for the first time only on my third or fourth trip around this country.

…I remember how a local driver deftly maneuvered through the congested streets, overtaking prestigious cars mixed with old auto rickshaws, all the while telling me something in his dialect. Of everything I heard, only a couple of regularly repeated words were understandable.

India is a country with great linguistic diversity. Scientists have counted hundreds of languages and dialects there. Which one was the driver speaking? I had no idea.

Although I understood little, I still guessed what the story was about. And in order to somehow support the interlocutor, I said in my poor English:

– He was a great man!

The driver was incredibly happy and immediately continued his monologue with great zeal until we reached our destination. At the same time, from time to time, that same couple of words slipped into his story.

They were chanted "Mahatma" and "Gandhi".

Getting out of the car, I thanked the tireless storyteller, shuffling the words of the languages available to me:

— You are right, my friend! Mahatma Gandhi– is a Great Father India!

The driver folded his palms in front of him in prayer, as Indians do, and responded with special gratitude, but in English:

— Yes... Yes, it's true!

… An outwardly modest, but very attractive park, with its entire appearance bringing the beholder to a state of spiritual peace appeared before our eyes.

In ancient times, there was a fortress here, from which steps led to the Yamuna River. It would seem, nothing special. But the name "Raj Ghat" speaks for itself - "Royal steps".

This place is sacred for Indians. And not only for them. After all, one of the greatest people who ever lived on Earth, Mahatma Gandhi, was cremated here. He was killed with three shots in 1948 by his own fellow countrymen - orthodox Hindus.

Here also rests the only female Prime Minister of India - Indira Gandhi, who died in 1984 from fatal wounds after her own Sikh guards fired a couple of dozen bullets at her.

The ashes of her son, Rajiv Gandhi, also a political figure, who died seven years after his mother's death, are also buried here. And also, as a result of a terrorist attack carried out by a female suicide bomber.

They say that evil fate pursued these outstanding people.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi's father, also found peace in Raj Ghat. He was the first prime minister after India gained independence. Much water has flowed under the bridge since then, but he is still considered one of the most outstanding politicians in the world.

Few people know, much less remember, that Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi visited Ashgabat in 1955 as part of a government delegation.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the Mahatma’s closest friend and associate. After the death of his comrade, he became his successor.

…I had no idea that in Delhi, seething like a fiery cauldron, there could be such a quiet place as Raj Ghat. The most suitable for peaceful meditation.

Green lawns, neatly trimmed bushes and the chirping of songbirds created a rare feeling of universal harmony. In the center of the park, like an island in the middle of a green sea, a black marble pedestal towered.

The strict lines of the pedestal and the cold surface contrast with the bright colors of numerous flowers. Each petal seems to carry a piece of gratitude and respect for the great man whose name is forever associated with this place.

Everything here is simple and modest, as, indeed, was the whole life of the unforgettable Mahatma. Next to the pedestal, an eternal flame burns in memory of the great man. The last words he uttered, bleeding from the terrorist's bullets, are carved on the noble marble.

Then, losing his last strength, Mahatma explained with gestures to the people who had come running to the gunshots that he was forgiving his killer.

... Gandhi's doctrine has become entrenched in world political philosophy as a call to use exclusively non-violent methods in the struggle. Their goal was to defeat the opponent, as they now say, with soft power by influencing his mind and conscience, abandoning the practice of fierce resistance that has been widespread at all times. And Mahatma called on his followers to be ready to stoically endure difficulties and suffer.

And this immediately evokes an association with the Christian commandment that Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount, which is immortalized in the Gospel of Matthew: «…do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also» (5; 38-39).

Gandhi greatly irritated not only the British colonialists who robbed his homeland, but also some of his compatriots - Hindu radicals who persecuted Muslims living in India. Mahatma was unequivocally against this. And this became one of the reasons for his violent death, which he accepted humbly as a true believer, a real philosopher and a tireless educator.

«Live as if you were destined to die tomorrow. And study as if you were going to live forever!» – instructed the guru, who learned the Truth from personal experience, and inspired followers of many generations by his example.

Long before this, the famous writer, Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, whose poem was used as the theme song for the popular film "You Never Dreamed of It", christened Gandhi with a new name - "Mahatma", which means "Great Soul".

He, of course, resisted, believing that he was unworthy of such a high honor, but this name of a virtuous person quickly spread among the people. So, Gandhi had to accept it.

The concept of "service" in the teachings of Mahatma is core to understanding the connection between "man and society". He said, «The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in serving people».

But at the same time, he noted the importance of how it should be done:

— Service without joy helps neither the one who serves, nor the one who is served, – Gandhi said.

If the biblical Old Testament formulates 7 deadly sins, then in the doctrine of Mahatma Gandhi one can also identify 7 sins, but already social ones.

These are: Wealth without labor; Pleasure without responsibility; Business without morality; Education without character formation; Science without morality; Politics without principles; Religion without sacrifice!

Looking at the modern world, you realize that the teachings of the great Indian ascetic have not lost their relevance even today.

Mahatma Gandhi became widely known not only as a lawyer defending the poor, the humiliated and the disadvantaged. He achieved universal recognition as a political figure. Mahatma, as the leader of the Indian National Movement, speaking out against the hegemony of the alien colonizers, played a key role in achieving the independence of his homeland. And today he is recognized as one of the most prominent personalities of the 20th century.

Albert Einstein said, «Future generations may not believe that such a man (as Mahatma Gandhi) walked the earth in flesh and blood».

Once Mahatma was asked what religion he professed. And then he voiced a thought that is important for understanding his worldview:

— I am – a Hindu! I am also – a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist and a Jew!

During that difficult historical period, many called for active actions in order to urgently, decisively and radically change the decrepit world, mired in contradictions.

But Mahatma warned against rash actions, saying, «If you want to change the world, then start with yourself». He was sure that the world should be changed through non-violent measures. After all, cruelty breeds counter-cruelty. It is not without reason that Gandhi considered the great Russian writer Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his postulate of «non-resistance to evil by violence” to be his spiritual mentor».

I thought about this and much more as I gazed at the delicate flowers carefully laid out on the hard marble at Raj Ghat.

…Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times, but he never won it. And when it was presented for the fifth time in 1948, a terrorist shot him dead a few days before the winner was announced. And since this prestigious prize is not awarded posthumously, the category for “peace without violence” was left without a laureate. It was claimed that no worthy replacement had been found.

Some time later, the members of the Nobel Committee were very sorry that they did not have time to award the prize to one of the worthiest persons who ever lived on our planet.

A few days later, the glorious son of the Indian people, Mahatma Gandhi, was cremated at Raj Ghat. More than ten years have passed since I visited this sacred place for every Indian. But I still have before my eyes that marble pedestal, strewn with flower petals.

It seems that these were lotuses. They are highly revered in India. It is believed that lotuses, even if they grow in muddy ponds and marshy areas, but through the mud they emerge to the sun impeccably clean. Just like the whole life and teachings of the great Mahatma.

When a light breeze blew a few petals off the black pedestal, scattering them across the green lawn, I picked them up to take home, to my native Ashgabat...

Bekdurdy AMANSARYEV