John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
The Tramp: a citizen of the world
When international actor Charlie Chaplin was asked about his “national pride”, he answered that he felt a sense of belonging to his homeland, Britain, and that he would sacrifice for Britain if it were to face danger. But he couldn’t be vocal about this pride, because if his country turned to Nazism, he would leave it without flinching.
When someone asked him why he did not acquire American citizenship, he answered that he believed he was a citizen of the world.
Charles Spencer Chaplin was a unique British man who offered the world cinematic masterpieces that remain spectacular, as their scenes mix smiles with tears to reflect the sincerest human emotions. They are silent works in which eyes take center stage.
Chaplin, aka the Tramp, garnered international fame, not only because of his multiple talents in producing films, composing music and using his body beautifully to get the message through, but also because he resembled us. Not once while watching his movies did I feel that he was a westerner. I always felt that Chaplin expressed our simple lives, filled with troubles and rare moments of happiness which we seize on with abandon.
Chaplin and Gandhi
Photo12/UIG via Getty Images. All rights reserved. Perhaps, because Chaplin felt the tragedies of the world and did not believe that much set him apart from the Indians in their suffering under the British occupation, he was friends with Gandhi. Even though they only met briefly in London in 1931, their encounter united two international citizens fighting for a supreme cause — human dignity and freedom. Gandhi was not overcome by a feeling of shame upon meeting a man from the occupation country. And, Chaplin did not gloat over his country’s occupation of India for years.
