The Great Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who became a barrister in England, then went on to fight apartheid in South Africa - primarily on behalf of his fellow Indians - was an anti-African racist? The same Gandhi who was later christened a Mahatma - a Great Soul, the Father of India!? Now what is this I hear and read? After all these years of one noble, glorious perspective?

There I was this Sunday, minding my own business and playing with the television remote control when I stumbled onto the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) "African Presence" programme. I tarried. Because an Afro-African Africanist/scholar was going on about the "first people of India" - people of African descent, including some named Dalits. This really captured all my attention - for two reasons.

Firstly, there was no mistaking the pronounced African physical characteristics of the people shown on the Slide Presentation. These original "Indians". We are truly all one. But then I've quoted Black African sources on this already. Secondly, I recently received my copy of "Dalit - The Black Untouchables Of India" by V.T. Rajshekar, from Moses Nagamootoo who had eagerly borrowed it weeks before. My (usual) problem was: I had bought this thought-provoking publication five years before but never read it through. I hurriedly corrected that this week. After ACDA's programme.

A paragraph or two on the Dalits, before the startling comment on the Mahatma. "Dalit" is the only name the Black "Untouchables" - the lowest of India's low castes - have given themselves. (The root-word Dal is Hebrew, meaning broken.) If an accurate census of the Black Dalits were possible, it would quite likely be more than 30% of India's population. But this fact, reportedly, is studiously suppressed.

Our own Ivan Van Sertima asserts that the Dalits were the original inhabitants of India and resemble Africans because, it is claimed by historians and geographers, India and Africa were one landmass until separated by the ocean. "So both the Africans and the Black Indian Untouchables and other tribals, had common ancestors. The Dalits found the Great Indus Valley Civilisation and tried, unsuccessfully, to fight off the fairer Aryan Invaders. Quickly, they were enslaved and cast aside as Untouchables - the lowest "Scheduled Castes" or Tribes become segregated and relegated to nameless creatures, almost.

A Dr. B.R. Ambedkar rose up however to champion their cause but was largely ignored internationally. Until recently. India's worst kept secret soon became known, through the work of the late Ambedkar. It turns out that Hinduism seems to be the Dalits' worst enemy. The rigid Caste System born of Hindu beliefs, enforces the Slavery-Serfdom of the Indian Dalits. Religiously. That's why, reportedly, millions have converted to Islam and Christianity. Readers should get hold of V.T. Rajshekar's little powerful book. But Hinduism brings us to Gandhi.

It appears that though the Hindi Brahmins came to regard Mohandas as India's Mahatma - and he himself tried to identify with his Harijans and Pancharma, the Untouchables - the Black Dalits regarded him as their opponent. He did not respond to their immediate claims and pleas. They even point out that, ironically, Gandhi was eventually killed by the Brahmins he preferred.

Then there is the claim by the ACDA Afro-American scholar. He says Gandhi in South Africa was racist against Black South Africans! He called them "niggers". And one slide showed him in South African Boer military uniform! Fighting on the side of the Whites! O.K., I know all this needs some more research. But "edify" me if you can.

No wonder, I still have a challenge coming to terms with concepts like (modern) Sainthood. Even the present Pope of the Catholic millions was an ordinary Polish soldier. Poor me.

The President as manager

Poor me, again. There I was thinking that the Stabroek News editorial "Let Go, Mr President", was perhaps good genuine advice to our young President, when a barrage of responses assailed the editorial's message. But is the President trying to do too much by himself? Is former Go-invest head Deochand Narain accurate in his assessment based on actual investment scenarios he quoted to Stabroek News after the editorial?

Presidential Backers Prem Misir, Robert Persaud and David de Groot don't agree. The young leader must respond, manage and lead, they contend. Was Burnham or Jagan faced with the same dilemma? A good debate, Robert Persaud thinks. What say you?

Behind the scenes

I thank this newspaper for allowing its columnists the responsible freedom to state something like "Gimme a break editor. Were you really that naive not to know that the Post-Elections Burnings, Beatings, Menace, Murders, Robberies and Rampage were organised and stage-managed? With a single objective?"

You really want me, Fenty, to believe that you didn't know that "the attacks on Indians at Buxton after elections were not spontaneous outbursts ... but were deliberately organised?" Your Tuesday Editorial suggests that you had to await the single-minded wisdom of Eusi Kwayana. What happens when that Buxton Sage dies - or ceases to correspond? My Lord! Look, take this tip then: go question certain former military and para-military men in Buxton, Friendship and Victoria. Just for starters. (Oh! Please don't fire me for this disrespect.)