Man Mohan Lal Goswami, former principal of Bharatiya Mahavidyalaya, Farrukhabad, said on Monday that Gandhiji had stood for liberal and cosmopolitan values. Gandhiji's philosophy of non-violence was the only way to achieve world peace. Violence of any kind is reminiscent of barbarism and primitive state of society, he said.
He was delivering a special lecture on “Relevance of Gandhi in 21st century” organised by the Gandhian Studies Centre of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, here. Dr. Goswami said that Gandhiji believed in a nation's identity as a member of the family of nations in the world . He was concerned with the freedom of India just as that of any nation suffering the pangs of colonialism. “This type of liberal patriotism is the model for the future of world politics in 21st century and beyond,” he said.
It was due to Gandhiji's untiring efforts that India got Independence. His whole life was an experiment. “If humanity has to grow and life on this planet survive, Gandhiji's thoughts and approach to life are the only way out,” he said.
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As regards industrialisation, Gandhiji was against indiscreet exploitation of natural resources. He wanted an ecological harmony between human beings and animals. He believed that too much automation would make people's life materialistic.
Gandhiji wanted education to inculcate moral values among children and draw the best out of them. It should teach them to discriminate between the good and the bad, Dr. Goswami said.