Patriotic spirit permeated the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in the silk city of Brahmapur. Besides the conventional garlanding of the statue of the Father of the Nation by politicians, freedom fighters, senior citizens, students, social workers, the day was also marked by a strong sense of solemnity. A number of voluntary and service organisations too celebrated the day in their own humble ways.
The day was celebrated by organisations like the Manav Adikhar Suraksha Manch (MASM), Janahitkar Party of Odisha (JPO), Mahan Sangh and BMC to remember Gandhiji.
The United Nations International Day of Nonviolence is also held on October 2 to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
Hundreds of members of MASM led by its coordinator advocate Abani Kumar Gaya and oresident Upendranath Mishra garlanded the Gandhi statue at Gandhinagar Square and staged a dharana from 7 am to 10 am protesting against the spread of liquor sale and consumption and the increasing incidences of rape in the State.
Joining the dharana, former Assembly Deputy Speaker and BJP leader Rama Chandra Panda said, “Someone had asked Gandhi ‘What important work India should do on priority immediately after its independenceIJ’ Gandhiji instantly replied, ‘India needs to enforce the law on total prohibition of liquor within 24 hours of its independence.’” But there is a flood of liquor throughout the country now. Panda said. Those who are responsible for this are garlanding Gandhiji’s statues, he pointed out.
Gaya said Gandhi developed the novel technique of nonviolent agitation, which he called “Satyagraha”, loosely translated as “moral domination”.
MASM president Upendranath Mishra and general secretary Maguni Nayak said Gandhi had felt that India could never become independent until the country could produce its own clothes.
Among other Manch leaders who joined the dharana included Rajanikant Mondal, Bishnupriya Rana, Manmohan Bisoyi, Prasant Das, Satyaban Behera, Suryanarayan Behera, Bansidhar Bhuyan; Dillip Choudhury; Ramesh C Behera, Basant Kumar Mallick, Govind Rout, S Syambasiv Rao and Suryanarayan Behera.
Among other eminent persons who paid floral tributes to Gandhi at his statue included newly-elected BMC Mayor K Madhavi, BMC Commissioner Dr Ajit K Mishra and Sub-Collector Bijay Kumar Das. Hundreds of students and teachers took out Prabhat Pheris from various localities and garlanded pictures of the Mahatma at schools and other educational institutions.