Just when the nation was trying to delve into the relevance of Munnabhai's gandhigiri, a fresh yet appealing movement emerged; giving a new perspective to the debate- which way should nation head- the Gandhi way or the 'other' way. Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam has tried to define this 'other way' through his cinematic product- Guru.

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But will the youth go with the director's view? The other day, we read about thirty families who resort to gandhigiri against a builder to get their houses back. But wouldn't gurugiri soon replace gandhigiri as it has all the elements of success and hardwork, goal orientation and courage, sans principles though.

"Gandhigiri is not just a philosophy, it's a way of life. It can be never outdated as it works for the people who value justice more than anything else, no matter how much time it takes. It is very easy to resort to gurugiri to get your work done but then it will never let your conscience rest in peace," says Niharika Rastogi, student

Agrees Chitra Mudgal, Member of Prasar Bharti and Censor Board, "Though I haven't seen the film yet, but the philosophy of Guru has greatly perturbed me. The large canvas of the film may fascinate common people for a while but ultimately it will fail to influence them as this school of thought lacks in spirit."

Delhi University Reader Alok Puranik is happy with the new way of life that the film has introduced. "Why shouldn't youth dream? Gurugiri is most relevant in the era of globalisation. What would an ordinary person do when he has to surpass the webs of bureaucracy?

"Either he has to wait for a miracle to happen or find a solution to break through the system. The latter is much practical option. Guru finds a smart solution to his problem when he is not permitted even a chance to compete. He is a perfect portrayal and solution to youth's problem. He is teaching them not to manipulate things for his selfish ends but benefiting plenty of other people in the process", adds Alok Puranik

But what about the moral and social issues? Aren't we responsible to our society? "A businessman cannot think of reforms because he is no social activist. Medha Patkar may have been successfully fought for the causes she believes in but had she forayed in business, she might not have been successful. We can never mix and confuse two separate issues."

He adds: "Gurubhai has dreamt of something that was much ahead of the time. Today, licensing policies have undergone a major change. At that time they were different. For fulfilling his dreams he had to forgo the rules that were baseless and just coming in his way of progress."

Shrish Dobhal who played the role of Bapu in DD's short film Mahatma and two other serials Baat Bapu ki and Goonj Anugoonj feels that the optimum implementation of both the philosophies could reap rich benefits to youth as he put in: "As far as public issues are concerned, Gandhigiri is the perfect way to voice your concern, but it gets tough when an individual stands alone for his own problem. It's better that you give punch to a person who slaps you on one cheek in that case."