On his 75th death anniversary, the Mahatma as a marketing tool

Screen grab of University of London's boast about its 'notable alumni'

At month’s end, it will be 75 years since Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by Nathuram Godse, a member of the Hindu nationalist paramilitary organisation called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

It’s a decent passage of time and 75 is a nice number for the usual anniversary story, which memorialises, recreates and retells events of the past.

What’s startling is the way the Mahatma is appropriated for marketing purposes.

Just days ago, I saw the University of London’s claim about its “notable alumni”, complete with a big picture of the Mahatma. It does this quite routinely, but it’s worth noting well-known historian Vinay Lal’s observations on this matter.

They are as follows:

“University College London claims Gandhi among its ‘famous alumni’ on its website [www.ucl.ac.uk], and it is conceivable that university records will show that Gandhi took classes at UCL… 

“UCL left such little impression on Gandhi that he nowhere me…