The 148th birth anniversary celebration of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, was marked by discussions, talks, marathons and cultural programmes at various venues in the city on Monday.
Many paid their respects to the leader at his memorial on Gandhi Museum premises. Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court and Lieutenant General D. Anbu, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command of the Indian Army, garlanded the statue of Gandhi.
Justice Swaminathan, in his address, urged students to take extra efforts in all their endeavours. He stressed the importance of hard work and recounted the struggles he faced in his childhood. Problems that might seem overwhelming could be solved with perseverance. “I scored single digit marks when I made the switch from Tamil medium of education to the Central Board of Secondary Education in English medium. But I had a goal and worked towards achieving it,” he said.
Freedom fighters, teachers and students of schools and colleges and representatives of non-governmental organisations participated in the function. Members of Nipponzan Myohoji (temple for Buddhist monks) were present, besides members of Tamil Nadu Gandhi Mandra Iyakkam.
Students who won in oratory and essay competitions conducted by Madurai District Janakalyan Trust received certificates on the occasion.
Kalabhavan Academy presented cultural programmes in the evening. Ilambirai Manimaran delivered a speech on Gandhi’s role in the independence movement.
Among the large number of visitors to the Gandhi Museum were tourists from Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
With patriotic fervour in the air, sales of khadi products registered a slight increase at shops in the city, said Nileesh Jain, who owns a shop on West Masi Street.
