Indraprastha College for Women organized the second Round Table Conference on Gandhi on 6th April, after a successful first edition last year. Mr A Annamalai, Director, National Gandhi Museum was the Chief Guest. The event was also graced by Mr Uttam Sinha, Joint Director and Mr Ansar Ali, Curator, both at the National Gandhi Museum.
The event began with a welcome note by the Principal Dr Babli Moitra Saraf, in which she shed light on the various activities undertaken by the college, thereby keeping the discussion on Gandhi alive. Dr Jyoti Trehan Sharma, the Conference Convenor, also discussed the significance of the particular day as the date when the Salt Act was repealed in 1931.
The introductory remarks were given by Mr Anamalai, who made a presentation through a variety of media, tracing the life and times of Gandhi. He ended his speech by saying that it is a fitting tribute to the Mahatma for us to follow the path of truthfulness, non-violence and honesty laid down by him.
This was followed by a paper presentation competition, in which ten students presented their papers, which had gone through a rigorous screening process earlier. The judges for the same were Dr Saraf and Dr Rishi Nanda, Associate Professor of Philosophy at St Stephen’s College.
All sorts of perspectives were brought to fore. Questions such as, “Who killed Gandhi? An individual or an ideology?”, “Is he really dead”, etc. were answered. Many participants echoed similar sentiments on how the spirit of Gandhi still lives on and forms the moral compass of several individuals.
An original documentary on Dandi March was also showcased after the paper presentation.
The Principal applauded the research put in by the participants in their papers and appreciated how the students effectively articulated their papers, both in Hindi and English.
The first prize worth Rs. 5,000 was awarded to Nihita Kumari. Kajal Rana took home the second prize worth Rs. 4,000. Ateka Hasan and Divya Tripathi were awarded the third prize. Their paper discussed the dying words of Gandhi, ‘Ram Ram’. Shaonlee Patranabis, an Economics sophomore, was given the Judge’s Special prize.
The event concluded in an informal discussion of the topic over lunch. An exhibition was also put up to substantiate the findings of the researches. As Kavyayni Bhatt, the President of Gandhi Study Circle puts it, “It was a fruitful discourse, and it is clear that the idea of Gandhi still lives.”
Kritika Narula [email protected] With inputs from Surbhi Arora [email protected] Image credits: Sabhyata Badhwar
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