Collector Anshul Mishra, on Tuesday, inaugurated five-day Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations at Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai on Tuesday.
Addressing the inaugural function, he said that Mahatma Gandhi’s 143rd birth anniversary must not be celebrated for namesake, but the reasons for his sacrifice must be remembered on this day. Gandhian thoughts and ideals had been largely forgotten in India itself. The youth were ignorant of his sacrifices and there was nobody to tell them of their importance. His basic ideal of non-violence must be taught to children as it must be followed to maintain peace in the society.
It required courage to follow the ideals of non-violence, which Gandhi exemplified when he first stood against the ‘pass system’ imposed during the period of apartheid in South Africa. His non-violent protest shook the regime as till then the world was accustomed to seeing social and political change being brought about only through violent methods. Gandhi was the first to take up non-violence for achieving a political and social change, he said.
Gandhi, Mr. Mishra said, advocated non-violence not because he was weak. It was because he had the courage to face oppression of the rulers. Such courage was missing in the society now. “Parents, teachers, and old people have a duty to instil values of courage, honesty, and sincerity in children,” the Collector said.
He also gave away prizes to winners of essay contest on alcohol abuse, organised by the Nehru Yuva Kendra.
R. Rengasamy, secretary of Gandhi Memorial Museum; T.R. Dinakaran, treasurer; A. Periasamy, Curator, Government Museums; Ilampirai Manimaran noted Tamil litterateur; and K. Jawahar, District Youth Coordinator, Nehru Yuva Kendra, spoke.
