There won’t be many other used and abused surnames like a ‘Gandhi’. In his own India where he is revered as ‘Father of the nation’, the ‘Gandhi’ surname was hijacked by the daughter and grandchildren of Pandit Nehru. Gandhi was a larger than life brand, and everyone exploited it enough. The places where Gandhi has been used span from advertising, music, corporate communication, political speeches, and where not. (Do you know that a founder member of pro-Islamic and anti-White band Fun-Da-Mental Aki Nawaz uses a stage name of Propa-Gandhi?)
The word Gandhi stands for something that no other word epitomizes – power of unadulterated righteousness and a giant strength of character. After decades of his earthly demise, Gandhi and his principles remain intact. In fact Gandhism seems to have grown into a full fledged subject with wide scope of studies. In a curious encounter with the same name, I found a phrase which sounded interesting. It’s called “Gandhi’s Revenge”.
At first glance, the phrase “Gandhi’s Revenge” seemed derogatory for Indians. Plainly put, “Gandhi’s Revenge” is British slang for diarrhea. I thought to find more facts behind this term.
The original phenomenon is called Travelers’ Diarrhea (TD). Due to poor hygiene and drinking untreated water, travelers all across the world suffer from diarrhea. Most such cases are self-limited (it resolves itself in 3-5 days) and are mostly caused by bacterium like E-Coli. Every year, 20-50% of international travelers suffer from TD. It is interesting to note that the local people don’t suffer from these infections even after eating same food or drinking same water. Repeated exposure to pathogens develop immunity in local population (it takes some years to develop immunity; though immunity disappears sometime after becoming non-exposed to the conditions). Travelers all across the world have always suffered because of this phenomenon. The corresponding term for backpackers and outdoor recreationalists is called Wilderness Diarrhea (WD).
Some other very innovative phrases have come out of this phenomenon. One original one is Montezuma's Revenge. Montezuma's Revenge is slang for travelers' diarrhea or other sicknesses contracted by tourists visiting Mexico. (Montezuma II, the emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520 is remembered in history as a weak and indecisive emperor during whose regime Spanish conquest of Mexico and the subsequent destruction of the Aztec civilization happened). It is estimated that 40% of foreign travelers visiting Mexico suffer from TD which is called Montezuma's Revenge.
The revenge element in the phrase comes because the country was once colonized by a stronger country (e.g. Mexico by Spain) and now, in this small way (by making travelers sick with diarrhea), it is getting its own back! In Japan, the phrase is known as Tokyo Trots, in Myanmar it’s the Rangoon Runs, and similarly in India its Gandhi's Revenge. There is even one particularly for Delhi: Delhi Belly! All these phrases came into being at different points of time; some of them are recent while some are decades old.
If we think then in a way Gandhi has been made to enter inside our lavatories. Relating Gandhi with a thing as naïve as a stomach upset seems funny. The man whose one call sent severs down the spine of the British; would his revenge be anywhere as impotent as upsetting the stomach of a foreign traveler? If we think about the defeated king Montezuma of Mexico, he can still be in place to receive such ridicule. But Gandhi didn’t deserve it for sure… Gandhi was neither a defeated king nor a disgraced individual as Montezuma II was, but still if the British tried to make him immortalized in such a phrase, then it’s we who have to decide whether we need to carry these burdens of the colonial era. I would call this a Colonial Ridicule.
I think the phrases and slang like ‘Gandhi’s Revenge’ which are symbols of British Colonial pride should be avoided by all of us. With India rising, the days are not far when India will overpower and leave behind ‘small nations’ with ‘long noses’ like the GB. When it happens, the term ‘Great’ along with ‘Britain’ would be ridiculing enough for them (I think it is still ridiculing, given the colonial exploitations done to attain Greatness). If time is the best teacher, then the British still have some lessons to learn for their sense of humor.
(Rahul)
The word Gandhi stands for something that no other word epitomizes – power of unadulterated righteousness and a giant strength of character. After decades of his earthly demise, Gandhi and his principles remain intact. In fact Gandhism seems to have grown into a full fledged subject with wide scope of studies. In a curious encounter with the same name, I found a phrase which sounded interesting. It’s called “Gandhi’s Revenge”.
At first glance, the phrase “Gandhi’s Revenge” seemed derogatory for Indians. Plainly put, “Gandhi’s Revenge” is British slang for diarrhea. I thought to find more facts behind this term.
The original phenomenon is called Travelers’ Diarrhea (TD). Due to poor hygiene and drinking untreated water, travelers all across the world suffer from diarrhea. Most such cases are self-limited (it resolves itself in 3-5 days) and are mostly caused by bacterium like E-Coli. Every year, 20-50% of international travelers suffer from TD. It is interesting to note that the local people don’t suffer from these infections even after eating same food or drinking same water. Repeated exposure to pathogens develop immunity in local population (it takes some years to develop immunity; though immunity disappears sometime after becoming non-exposed to the conditions). Travelers all across the world have always suffered because of this phenomenon. The corresponding term for backpackers and outdoor recreationalists is called Wilderness Diarrhea (WD).
Some other very innovative phrases have come out of this phenomenon. One original one is Montezuma's Revenge. Montezuma's Revenge is slang for travelers' diarrhea or other sicknesses contracted by tourists visiting Mexico. (Montezuma II, the emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520 is remembered in history as a weak and indecisive emperor during whose regime Spanish conquest of Mexico and the subsequent destruction of the Aztec civilization happened). It is estimated that 40% of foreign travelers visiting Mexico suffer from TD which is called Montezuma's Revenge.
The revenge element in the phrase comes because the country was once colonized by a stronger country (e.g. Mexico by Spain) and now, in this small way (by making travelers sick with diarrhea), it is getting its own back! In Japan, the phrase is known as Tokyo Trots, in Myanmar it’s the Rangoon Runs, and similarly in India its Gandhi's Revenge. There is even one particularly for Delhi: Delhi Belly! All these phrases came into being at different points of time; some of them are recent while some are decades old.
If we think then in a way Gandhi has been made to enter inside our lavatories. Relating Gandhi with a thing as naïve as a stomach upset seems funny. The man whose one call sent severs down the spine of the British; would his revenge be anywhere as impotent as upsetting the stomach of a foreign traveler? If we think about the defeated king Montezuma of Mexico, he can still be in place to receive such ridicule. But Gandhi didn’t deserve it for sure… Gandhi was neither a defeated king nor a disgraced individual as Montezuma II was, but still if the British tried to make him immortalized in such a phrase, then it’s we who have to decide whether we need to carry these burdens of the colonial era. I would call this a Colonial Ridicule.
I think the phrases and slang like ‘Gandhi’s Revenge’ which are symbols of British Colonial pride should be avoided by all of us. With India rising, the days are not far when India will overpower and leave behind ‘small nations’ with ‘long noses’ like the GB. When it happens, the term ‘Great’ along with ‘Britain’ would be ridiculing enough for them (I think it is still ridiculing, given the colonial exploitations done to attain Greatness). If time is the best teacher, then the British still have some lessons to learn for their sense of humor.
(Rahul)
