An interesting sight I noticed during our visit to the district courts was the image of Gandhi in every courtroom. Obviously it was there because he is a revered figure here in India, procreating mainly from his moral values. It would be interesting to see the repercussions if the US government attempted to place a non-religious figure (as a religious figure would immediately be challenged by the ACLU) in the courts. Would this be accepted by Christian/Muslim/Jewish groups (as it is apparently accepted here)? How divisive would the issue be? Is there a figure in US culture that is as universally revered at Gandhi is in India?
I believe a single figure is accepted all across Indian culture (at least partially) because Indians, according to Varma, go to extremes to avoid confrontation. As cased during the Indian Airlines hijacking situation, Indians will swallow their pride. Gandhi embodies their underlying cultural values and actions.
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I would argue that it may not be that unacceptable in the US to have pictures of Martin Luther King in many official locations. However, this whole idea of revering people as Gods is not so culturally acceptable here. I think in the US God is God and man is man. In India, humans can be revered as Gods because of the belief that God is in each of us.
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