Advisor to the Governor, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai on Monday called upon the youth to uphold and spread the Gandhian values of truth and non-violence to achieve a just, humane and harmonious society.
Addressing students and faculty members here at an intra-university elocution contest, organised by the Cluster University Jammu (CLUJ) to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti, the Advisor exhorted upon youth to imbibe and live by the values propelled by the Father of the Nation. He asserted that values enunciated by him shall be relevant at all times, present and future.
The Advisor stated that Gandhiji’s model for economic development of the country particularly that of the poorer sections was still relevant and that the world was also moving away from the belief in big corporations to small enterprises and startups. He also dwelt upon the Gandhian message of swachta and asked students to continue to campaign for all round swachhta in the country.
The intra-university elocution contest was organised by the office of dean students’ welfare, CLUJ on the topic “Remembering Mahatma Gandhi: Relevance of Gandhian Thought in Contemporary Times.”
Earlier, Prof Anju Bhasin, vice-chancellor, CLUJ welcomed the chief guest Advisor Ganai and other guests and deliberated on the need of organising such contests to acquaint the youth of today with the teachings of the impeccable Icon-Mahatma Gandhi.
She also gave a brief record of the achievements of Cluster University of Jammu in the preceding year and further informed that the University envisions developing a road map to enhance both academic research and excellence and also promote entrepreneurship and employability.
Prof Poonam Dhawan, dean academic affairs, Dr Jatinder Khajuria, registrar CLUJ, Prof Z A Hashmi, controller examination, deans of schools, principals of constituent colleges and coordinators of schools of Cluster University of Jammu also graced the event.
Prof Archana Kaul, chairperson campus cultural committee introduced the elocution contest and gave a detailed preview of the event. Ten participants from constituent colleges and PGI schools of cluster university participated in the elocution contest and shared diverse views on the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.
The jury members were Seema Shekhar Khajuria, advocate general to J&K government and a social activist, Prof Rita Munshi, former principal, higher education and Prof Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi, head, school of languages and literature, SMVDU.
Anuradha Bhasin, executive editor, Kashmir Times and Pradeep Dutta, senior editor, Times Now channel, Jammu were the observers for the event.
Anuradha Bhasin appreciated the efforts of the varsity in carrying forward the legacy of the father of Nation through such an enlightening program. She emphasized that tolerance forms the strong base of any society and that is imperative for the young learners to imbibe the Gandhian values of peace and brotherhood for promoting communal harmony.
Pradeep Dutta, in his observations hailed the speakers for their brilliant presentations. He exhorted the young learners to follow the path of non-violence and truth shown by Gandhiji. He also stressed on the need of emulating the life and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi to augment a better tomorrow and also to become responsible and morally upright citizens.
An enchanting cultural program was also presented by the students of constituent colleges of Cluster University which showcased the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi through a skit, mime and bhajans.
Kaneez Fatima, (GCW Gandhi Nagar), Riya Gupta (Government SPMR college of commerce) and Shariq Bashir (Government MAM College) secured first, second and third prizes respectively.