On 2nd October 2018, we celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, also known as ‘Bapuji’, the father of our nation. To commemorate this occasion we organized an essay and drawing competition based on the theme ‘My life is my message’.
The girls at Keshnand were eager to take part in the competition. They wrote the essays in three different languages i.e. Hindi, Marathi, and English and sketched the pictures of Gandhiji. Their artistic skills were brought into the limelight through this event. At the end of the competition, the winners received their prizes respectively.
In the afternoon an inter-religious prayer for peace was conducted. The Hymn ‘Raghu Pati Ragahav Raja ram,patitpavansita Ram’, reminded us about the great sacrifice of Gandhiji to make our country totally liberated. After the Prayer, we watched the Oscar-winning movie depicting Gandhi’ Journeyfrom‘Mohandas to Gandhi’. Sr. Manisha helped the girls to watch the movie with great clarity through her commentary. The girls showed great interest to watch the film. A discussion was held in the evening on the same.
The major insights that the girls shared were as below:
- Gandhiji used two tools Non-violence and Truth, these were his arms to fight the battle against the Britishers.
- Peace was his main motto.
- Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures of the other religious texts as depicted in the film when he is with the Pastor Charlie, Gandhiji talks about the values of Christianity.
- Developed the talent of reading, writing and speaking in the public and prepared himself to fight for the freedom by using his skills.
- He wanted that Britishers to leave our country as friends but not as enemies.
- He sacrificed his comfort and security for the sake of his country. Giving up his clothes and identifying himself with his poor countrymen and women.
- The role of Kasturba the wife of Gandhiji, She remained faithful to him and contributed to his vision.
- The role played by Nehru, and Sardar Patel who were invited to join Gandhi in Congress party and adopted the policy of Gandhi.
- Gandhiji was a great leader who not only preached but practiced what he preached.
- Gandhiji became a popular leader all over the world so much so his values are relevant even to this day.
Nowadays very little is spoken about Gandhiji in families, schools, and institutions. The youngsters don’t have a clear idea about the life of Gandhi. There is a lot of false information that is being circulated through the media about Gandhiji. As I questioned the girls about Gandhi and I realized that they knew very little about him. But after watching this film, they became aware of his life and how his ideas hold relevance to this date. Gandhiji still lives in our world. His life itself is a message.
