On the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, INTACH, Bhubaneswar organised a public lecture on Gandhi's life and philosophy on Wednesday.
The speakers included Congress leader Narasingha Mishra, educationist and Odishi danseuse Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi and former Police DG Amiya Bhusan Tripathy.
A book titled “Jagaran” written by Tripathy was released on the occasion. It is published by Mahanadi Books. This is the final book in his trilogy of contemporary essays, the earlier two being “Spandana” and “Manthana”.
Speaking on the book release, the author said the tributes being paid to the Mahatma on his 150th birthday are mostly symbolic; to become truly meaningful, one has to follow the path that was chosen by him.He said that Gandhi’s brand of nationalism was not about hating ‘others’. He believed that Indians are one because they have undergone common historical experiences. Gandhi had rejected the idea that one language and one religion an essential basis for imagining ourselves as one nation, said Tripathy.
Mishra said that repealing sedition would be the greatest tribute India can pay to the Mahatma on his 150th birth anniversary. He said that all political parties have gone into an overdrive to sing paeans about Gandhi and his relevance to the freedom struggle. Since 1962, the Supreme Court and many High Courts have kept stepping in to quash frivolous sedition cases against journalists, politicians and activists, but sedition law still remains. Retaining the law even after seven decades of independence is an insult to the Mahatma and the countless freedom fighters who endured long prison terms, he told.
Dr Hejmadi recalled her family’s contribution during the independence struggle and narrated many anecdotes about the Mahatma and his visits to Odisha. She gave vivid accounts of the many places connected to Gandhi which she had visited.