The Journey of Simplicity

The Journey of Simplicity

You walked, O Bapu, not upon roads,

but upon the hearts of men.

Your sandals were dust,

your robe, the fragrance of humility.

You carried no crown,

yet ruled over millions.

You owned no palace,

yet the earth itself was your home.

Your journey began in silence,

and ended in eternity.

Each step was not a distance,

but a lesson to humanity.

From Porbandar’s salt air

to the soft banks of Sabarmati,

your shadow stretched —

a map of conscience across the land.

You lived not to possess,

but to purify.

You sought no comfort,

only truth in its barest form.

You wore simplicity

as others wear jewels.

You spoke softly,

but your words shattered empires.

Your spinning wheel was your crown,

your bowl your treasure.

Your laughter was prayer,

your silence, scripture.

O traveller of truth,

your feet kissed the mud,

your soul kissed the divine.

Each journey was pilgrimage,

each breath a revolution.

When you walked to Dandi,

the sea waited like a disciple.

Your steps turned salt into freedom,

and water into courage.

The people followed,

not from command but conviction.

Their tears became tides,

their pain turned pure.

You walked with the poor,

ate with the hungry,

slept beneath stars,

and dreamt of justice.

You carried no gold,

but hearts heavier than mountains.

You held no weapons,

but faith stronger than iron.

Your journey was not in miles,

but in awakening.

Each village you touched

found its lost dignity again.

The path you walked

was lined with prayer and patience.

Even the stones felt blessed,

for they bore the weight of truth.

You said, “The world has enough for need,

not for greed.”

And those words became wind,

circling the earth in silence.

O pilgrim of peace,

your body was frail,

but your vision vast.

Your hunger fasts became festivals of faith.

In your quiet eyes burned

a fire gentler than the sun.

You saw no enemy,

only souls in confusion.

When the world mocked your loincloth,

you smiled —

for you had clothed yourself in courage.

Your simplicity was your armor,

your humility, your power.

Today, in our glittering chaos,

we search for your calm.

We wear richness,

but our hearts feel poor.

O Bapu, your journey still continues —

in every man who refuses to lie,

in every woman who stands for justice,

in every child who shares his bread.

You live in the footsteps

that choose the harder path,

in the silence that refuses hatred,

in the eyes that still forgive.

Your hut was small,

but your dream — vast as sky.

You proved that truth walks barefoot,

and still reaches the summit.

The journey of simplicity —

a road that never ends.

Your dust becomes our direction,

your echo becomes our guide.

O gentle traveller,

teach us again to walk slowly,

to speak softly,

to live simply,

to love deeply.

For only then shall we reach

the destination you dreamed of —

a world without walls,

a nation at peace,

a soul unchained.

O Bapu, the road awaits you still,

for each heart you touched

is a milestone of light.

And as long as dust and dawn exist,

your journey of simplicity

shall never end.