Indian officials surprised both Orwell and Gandhi loyalists on Monday with the news that the birthplace of British novelist George Orwell - author of Animal Farm and 1984 - in eastern India is to be developed into a memorial dedicated to independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.
The land in question is attached to Orwell's house in Bihar's Motihari city. A foundation stone for the new scheme was laid over the weekend. Home for one year: Orwell, born as Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903, lived in Motihari for a year as a child before leaving for England in 1904 with his mother and sister. His father, Richard W. Blair, worked for the Indian Civil Service during the time of British rule over the subcontinent. For years, the family's simple white colonial bungalow has been left to decay. It was damaged in an earthquake in 1934 and has since served as an occasional home to stray animals, and more recently Orwell's statue at the site of the house was vandalised. Surprise on both sides: In 2009, the state government announced a makeover for the site but nothing was done. Then at the weekend, Prakash Asthana, chairman of the local municipal council, announced a park would be developed at the site to commemorate Gandhi. "It is strange to develop it as a Gandhi memorial instead of an Orwell memorial," said Deo Priya Mukherjee, who heads an Orwell commemorative committee in the state. Gandhi loyalists said they were also surprised by the move. Razi Ahmad, secretary of a museum housing Gandhi memorabilia in Patna, said using the birthplace of Orwell to honour Gandhi would be contrary to the ideals of the Indian freedom fighter. "Land which has been long associated with the birthplace of George Orwell should not be disturbed to develop a park in memory of Gandhi," he said. Orwell on Gandhi: Orwell wrote admiringly of Gandhi in his 1949 essay "Reflections on Gandhi" but also criticised his famously spartan lifestyle. "No doubt alcohol, tobacco and so forth are things that a saint must avoid, but sainthood is also a thing that human beings must avoid," Orwell wrote. (AFP), Source: Voice of Russia - UK Edition
