A unique 21-hour-long lecture series on Mahatma Gandhi, delivered by a scholar of Gandhian and peace studies here, has narrated the finer aspects of Gandhian thought and portrayed the challenges, struggles and contributions of the Father of the Nation in the right perspective. The series of online lectures was completed last week.
The initiative sought to counter the misinformation campaign against Mahatma Gandhi, mainly operative on social media, while challenging the attempts to belittle his stature. Sponsored by Jaipur Peace Foundation, the lectures were delivered for two days every week-end on Google Meet platform for two-and-a-half months, with over 50 participants attending the online interaction.
Political scientist Naresh Dadhich, former Vice-Chancellor of Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, who delivered the lectures, told The Hindu that he had dealt with Mahatma Gandhi's approach to politics and religion, his relations with other leaders during the Independence movement and his concepts of non-violence, Swaraj, Satyagraha, Sarvodaya, Ram Rajya and trusteeship.
Each lecture lasted an hour and was followed by a question-answer session. The participants included political leaders, research scholars, teachers, students and social activists in the age group spanning from 22 to 60 years. Each of them was given a certificate at the end of the series.
Prof. Dadhich said the Gandhian thoughts were most relevant in the context of moral principles being ignored in the current politics, when the values of purity, honesty, non-violence and secularism needed to be incorporated into the public life. “The present tech-savvy generation must know the significance of Mahatma Gandhi and see through the lies and deceptions holding him responsible for several ills,” he said.
Philosophy,thoughts
After covering Mahatma Gandhi's life in the initial two to three lectures, the series compared his philosophy with the contemporary thoughts, such as Marxism, Maoism, socialism and liberalism and also dealt with his critics. This was followed by an analysis of Mahatma Gandhi's relations with Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, B.R. Ambedkar and Mohammed Ali Jinnah and his role in freedom struggle and Partition.
