The young still admire the Mahatma Published: Saturday, Oct 2, 2010, 9:54 IST  By Maitreyee Boruah | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA
On yet another Gandhi Jayanti and in the wake of the Ayodhya verdict, Gandhian principles of peace and non-violence today are as relevant as when they took shape during the freedom struggle. Today, as the nation is geared up to celebrate the 141st birth anniversary of the Mahatma, the city’s youth are more than enthusiastic to know about Gandhi and the principles he espoused. There has been an increasing demand among youngsters to enroll in courses offered at the Centre for Gandhian Studies in Bangalore University, which experts feel is a positive trend. “There is a healthy curiosity among the student community in Bangalore to know about Gandhi. Three years ago, we started a PG Diploma course in Gandhian Studies with an intake of 21 students. All seats were filled up the first two years. Last year we had students who couldn’t gain admission to the diploma course demanding to introduce a certificate course in Gandhian Studies and we obliged,” said D Jeevan Kumar, director of the Centre for Gandhian Studies, Bangalore University. “Gandhi and his teachings are relevant at this time, when the nation is undergoing a turbulent period. Be it the uneasy calm that is prevalent over the Ayodhya verdict or the problem of Naxalism, peace is the need of the hour,” said Kumar. “Be it peace, non-violence or fighting untouchability, Gandhi always wanted a just society and he worked towards it,” said Satish Prasad, a student pursuing his masters in business administration. The Centre for Gandhian Studies will introduce an awareness programme to promote Gandhian principles in villages around Bangalore. Some of the Gandhian principles that will be popularised among villagers will be gram swaraj (village self-sufficiency), women’s emancipation, ahimsa (non-violence), satyagraha (the urge for truth), and fighting untouchability. Currently, the PG Diploma and certificate courses offered at the centre have 21 and eight students respectively. The subjects taught under the course include Gandhian Religion and Philosophy, Gandhian Polity and Economy and Gandhian Strategy for Social Transformation. ======================================================