India, Feb. 1 -- He appeared very average, even unattractive. Short in stature, with a slender body, a dark complexion, and an ordinary face, those disproportionate earlobes! No broad shoulders, no wide chest. Yet, in the past several centuries, no one's image has been gazed upon as much as his in India. No one's statues have been erected more than his. No face has been printed more than his.

To begin with, there was neither allure nor thunder in his voice. Often when he spoke, no one would hear or pay attention. And then came a point when at his mere call, India would rise as one. His voice would reach every corner of the country, almost like a divine proclamation, and even a distant villager would turn a satyagrahi.

Despite coming fro...