The last time we walked into Mumbai and Bangalore, we saw a poor India, a progressive India, an India full of cultural charm. Today, we embark on a journey of dialogue with India's greats.
The first person we spoke to today was Gandhi. Who was Gandhi?
Gandhi was the leader of the Indian National Liberation Movement and the leader of the Indian National Congress Party, and was revered by Indians as "Mahatma Gandhi".
Then the first stop of our trip was Gandhi's mausoleum, Gandhi's Mausoleum.
Some people may have questions, the average person travels, they go to fun places, why do we go to this place that seems a little unlucky?
First of all, it should be noted that cemeteries are not an unlucky place in India. In addition, in the cemetery, we can see the life of the owner of the mausoleum.
The Gandhi Mausoleum is solemn and quiet, very simple, with almost no decoration, extremely simple. From a distance, it looks like a large earthen mound without a roof, surrounded by grass. However, Gandhi's Mausoleum is only a symbolic mausoleum, and Gandhi's body is not buried inside.
To be honest, this cemetery seems a little shabby to the "father of the nation", and it is really very simple. However, although the cemetery is extremely simple, Mahatma Gandhi is the pride of India. Therefore, it is like a holy place, attracting countless people dressed in white national costumes from all directions. They took off their shoes and walked barefoot into the cemetery to deeply mourn the owner of the cemetery.
It can be seen how respected and loved this master is. It was because of Gandhi that Indians were able to get out of the hard life of enslavement by the British in advance. Gandhi put forward the slogan of "non-violent non-cooperation" and advocated the use of nonviolent means such as strikes, boycotts of British goods, and tax resistance, which greatly reduced the sacrifices caused by armed struggle. Finally, India's independence was ushered in in non-violently.
After visiting the Gandhi Mausoleum, we came to a small wooden three-story building. This small building is also inconspicuous, with wooden floors, simple and elegant, like a small villa in the former rich area. This is Gandhi's former home.
There are many vivid and characteristic small clay sculptures that allow us to see different scenes of Gandhi's life, especially since he joined the revolution, including the murder and cremation of his old man.
Gandhi lived a life of poverty and hardship, and spent his life running for the toiling masses of India. A lot of girls like the kind of pretty sally that Indian girls wear, you know? It was under Gandhi's struggle that Indian women were liberated and dressed as beautiful sari.
Whether it is from the former residence before his death or from the cemetery after his death, the Gandhi that appears before our eyes is an image of a simple life, strict with himself, but dedicated to working for the public. It can be seen that behind the happy life of everyone, there are many people who have made great efforts.
Well, after the dialogue with Gandhi, the father of the nation, let's have a dialogue with another great poet in India in time and space - India's greatest poet Tagore.
Tagore was the first person in Asia to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is an Indian born in Kolkata. Tagore came from a prominent family, and he lived a prosperous life. This is consistent with a lot of our current philosophy. For example, while poor people want their children to learn a skill to earn a living, most rich people let their children explore in the ocean of art.
Tagore was born into a wealthy family, so he did not pursue money all his life, but devoted his life to art.
The best way to get to know a person is to visit where he lived, and this time we went to the Tagore House in Calcutta.
When it comes to Kolkata, it's a city full of talent, with three Nobel Prize winners alone. Nobel laureate in physics, Ragore, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa, and one is Tagore.
The poet Rabindranath Tagore once described Kolkata's past in "Boyhood": Kolkata was once the seat of the East India Company, and compared with other major cities in India, it has the strongest life atmosphere, and the artistic and cultural atmosphere is also unique.
Tagore House is located in such a city full of life, and is the most popular attraction in the city besides the Queen Victoria Memorial.
The Queen Victoria Memorial is built to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom for the Queen of India, which has very strong political significance, so the palace is also very beautifully built, even comparable to the Taj Mahal, such a building, sought after by tourists is naturally understandable.
And the Tagore House, where we are going today, has now been converted into a museum. In fact, this building was not the property of Tagore himself, but was handed down to him by his ancestors. It's not very palatial, but a small two-story red building in the Indian style. The building has a strong literary atmosphere, white marble columns, curved arches, beautiful gardens, all highlight the status of Indian art masters.
Although the Tagore House is not magnificent, it is loved by tourists because of its strong artistic atmosphere. When we walk into the place where the great poet once lived, admire the pictures inside, and experience Tagore's legendary life, it is very interesting.
The Tagore Gallery is divided into several zones according to the country. The design style of the Chinese exhibition hall is full of traditional Chinese elements, and the eight exhibition rooms introduce Tagore's relationship with China in Chinese and English, and display hundreds of Chinese translations of Tagore's works and related research results of domestic scholars.
The exhibition area with the theme of "Tagore and China" uses a large number of pictures to introduce in detail Tagore's exchanges with domestic literati when he traveled to China in 1924, and recorded the Chinese footprints of this pioneer of Sino-Indian cultural and ideological exchange.
Walking out of the building, in front of it is a courtyard with several scattered lawns, and a small sculpture of what Tagore looked like, which was built in his honor by later generations.
Under the sculpture also records the dates of Tagore's birth and death, and entering this building also introduces the works he wrote, such as the very famous "Birds", in which you can also see his classic sentences, which can immediately awaken people's memories of him.
Even when walking out of Tagore's house, it is often difficult for people to get out of the tranquility, and they are unwilling to destroy the trace of literature and wisdom brought out of the house.
Today, both Gandhi and Tagore have become India's business cards, and when you think of India, you can definitely think of them. When you think of them, you can also think of the ancient and mysterious country of India. What they left to India, to the world, and to us is not only a mausoleum and a former home, but more precious is their shining spirit of freedom, struggle and exploration.