NEW DELHI, Jan. 9 -- Noor Fatima was a friend and actor. She had a small but memorable role in Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning film Gandhi. Those who saw the movie would remember a poor woman taking a bath in a river in Bihar. She does not have a cloth to cover her chest. Gandhi, who takes bath in the same river, realises her predicament and floats his upper garment to her. She grabs it with gratefulness writ large on her face.

Thereafter, Gandhi turns to minimalism in the use of clothes. In other words, Attenborough describes the scene as a defining moment in the life of Gandhi. Instantly, Gandhi turns into a Mahatma!

Renouncers have always captured the attention of the masses. Buddha became great when he left the palace in search...