INTACH celebrates 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

Odisha

Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, INTACH, Bhubaneswar chapter organised a public lecture on Mahatma Gandhi’s life and philosophy on Wednesday.

A book titled “Jagaran” written by former DGP Amiya Bhusan Tripathy was also released on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the author said that the tributes being paid to the Mahatma on his 150th Anniversary are mostly symbolic but to become truly meaningful one has to follow the path that was chosen by him.

He said that Gandhi’s brand of nationalism was about not hating of ‘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.

Senior leader and Congress MLA Narasingha Mishra and Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi also spoke on the occasion.

Mishra said that repealing sedition would be the greatest tribute India can pay the Mahatma on his 150th birth anniversary. He said that all political parties have gone into an overdrive to sing paeans about Mahatma 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,” said Mishra.

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.

The speakers included Narasingha Mishra, Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi and Amiya Bhusan Tripathy.

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