Chennai: Gandhian experts who spoke at a webinar today were of the opinion that the Mahatma’s teachings are very much relevant today and youngsters of the country should make efforts to understand him.
The webinar on ‘Mahatma Gandhij’s life & teachings’ was organised by government of India, to mark Gandhi Jayanthi.
G Ram Mohan, Retired Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, said, “When Gandhiji reached Madurai, he was moved by the plight of peasants. He immediately decided to dress like them for the rest of his life. He tonsured his head, discarded his dress, much to the shock of his supporters. He stood firm in his decision and even wrote a letter about it to the leading newspapers of those times.”
M William Baskaran, Professor, Centre for Gandhian Studies, Gandhigram Rural Institute and Dean, School of Social Sciences, GRI, said Gandhi believed that issues can be confronted, corrected and changed, but individuals are different. He loved his critics, opponents. He was opposing capatalism, but he was friendly was capitalists. Such a great man was he, we should understand him.
M Gnanam, president, Gandhi Mandram, Chidambaram, and retired Regional Director and Professor, Central Institute of Hindi, Mysore, Gandhiji was very efficient in communicating with people.
In Chennai, Tamilnadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam and leaders of various political parties paid floral tributes to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 151st birth anniversary.
In a statement, Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, recalled “Gandhian Thoughts and Philosophy” and said, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian activist, who was the great leader of the Indian Independence movement against British rule. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to Independence and inspired movements of civil rights and freedom across the world.