Sudeep , an enlightened member of this fb fratenity has an intelligent poser, if mahatma gandhi was a martyr, why should'nt indira and rajiv too be rated so.

The term Martyr should not confuse one! Martyr is a term used in specific as well as in generic sense. In specific sense, Shaheed Bhagat Singh is a good example. Why? One need not ask, if an Indian, born in India and grown up in India. That means what specific sense signifies. On the other hand, generic sense is a symbolic sense. In legal parlance it is called legal fiction. Something which is not, is given the status of that which it is not. If your delivering fabric from one corner of the city to the other corner, is given the status of export, it would be called a deemed export, by the legal fiction given to it, irrespective whether it is factually correct or not. Likewise, by symbolic use of the term, Gandhi may be calked a Martyr, even though in literal sense Gandhi may not qualify, like Indira Gandhi was not a graduate, much less post graduate, hence ineligible to be even admitted into a faculty that granted doctorate. Yet, she was granted, rather honoured with a D.Lit, perhaps by the Oxford University into which in ordinary Course , an individual of Mrs. gandhi's qualificational standing would not get even an entry. But this kind of degree is of symbolic kind, aimed at honouring some one in a noble gesture of exaggeration. It is in this sense that Gandhi is honoured, but the question is whether Indira or Rajiv are entitled for such an honour.