Prof. Anupam Mitra, an expert on Middle-East politics and diplomacy in New Delhi’s famous Jawaharlal Nehru University was on a sabbatical leave for a semester. He was a guest faculty member in the Ben-Gurion University in their campus in the town of Beer-Sheva in Israel. Besides presenting lectures, he was also collaborating with the resident faculty members collecting new research materials. In addition, he would visit various ancient places to get a sense of the history of the religion and culture of the entire region. In the process, he would learn more about Late David Ben-Gurion, the national founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel, especially his early political activism, involvement in Zionist movement and later in the independence movement for the creation of the State of Israel.
Prof. Mitra would also learn that after retiring from his political life, Ben-Gurion left Tel Aviv and moved to a simple hut in a kibbutz (communal residential agricultural farm) named Sde-Boker overlooking the panoramic view of the Negev desert. In fact, both his and his wife’s burial tombs rest on the ground of the farm. On a week-end trip, Prof. Mitra drove to the place, now a part of the country’s national park system. He found the hut has been preserved just the way it was when the late leader had lived here. He entered the house. The volunteers were there if the visitors had any inquiry. Prof. Mitra entered the first room, purported to be his study cum library. It appeared that at least several thousand books occupied all the bookshelves covering the walls of the room. But what grabbed his most attention was a paperback on Yoga, a form of spiritual practice of Hinduism from India. That book, along with several other books covering various subject matters, was resting on the study table, as if for the reader to come back. At that moment, Prof. Mitra couldn’t remember of any reference of Ben-Gurion’s exposure to Hinduism and for that matter any facet of India itself.
He left the room to enter into late leader’s bedroom, a small simple one; his slippers still resting below the bed. Next to bed, a small night book-table stood. Prof. Mitra turned around to see the exhibits on the walls. And to his surprise, the first thing he saw was a portrait of Late Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of India’s independence. Underneath, a quote attributed to Ben-Gurion: "The moral strength of all the Eastern nations seems to be probably entrenched in India's great leader Mahatma Gandhi. This unrivalled leader is leading that nation's freedom fight using his weapon called Ahimsa."
Prof. Mitra stood in silence for a few moments to appreciate how one great world leader with a different political activism was able to appreciate another one’s greatness even not crossing the boundaries of the nations, while both were fighting for the same cause of independence for their own nations.
Prof. Mitra would also learn that after retiring from his political life, Ben-Gurion left Tel Aviv and moved to a simple hut in a kibbutz (communal residential agricultural farm) named Sde-Boker overlooking the panoramic view of the Negev desert. In fact, both his and his wife’s burial tombs rest on the ground of the farm. On a week-end trip, Prof. Mitra drove to the place, now a part of the country’s national park system. He found the hut has been preserved just the way it was when the late leader had lived here. He entered the house. The volunteers were there if the visitors had any inquiry. Prof. Mitra entered the first room, purported to be his study cum library. It appeared that at least several thousand books occupied all the bookshelves covering the walls of the room. But what grabbed his most attention was a paperback on Yoga, a form of spiritual practice of Hinduism from India. That book, along with several other books covering various subject matters, was resting on the study table, as if for the reader to come back. At that moment, Prof. Mitra couldn’t remember of any reference of Ben-Gurion’s exposure to Hinduism and for that matter any facet of India itself.
He left the room to enter into late leader’s bedroom, a small simple one; his slippers still resting below the bed. Next to bed, a small night book-table stood. Prof. Mitra turned around to see the exhibits on the walls. And to his surprise, the first thing he saw was a portrait of Late Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of India’s independence. Underneath, a quote attributed to Ben-Gurion: "The moral strength of all the Eastern nations seems to be probably entrenched in India's great leader Mahatma Gandhi. This unrivalled leader is leading that nation's freedom fight using his weapon called Ahimsa."
Prof. Mitra stood in silence for a few moments to appreciate how one great world leader with a different political activism was able to appreciate another one’s greatness even not crossing the boundaries of the nations, while both were fighting for the same cause of independence for their own nations.
