The Departments of History and Political Science, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, celebrated the 150th Birth Anniversary of Bapu on the topic “RE-NARRATIVISING GANDHI BEYOND TEMPORAL SPACE” on 8th November 2019.
The event was graced by the presence of Prof. Bhagwan Singh Josh, Professor of Contemporary History, Jawaharlal Nehru University as the Chair and Dr Nishikant Kolge, Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies; Dr Lata Singh, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Dr Shamika Ravi, Member, PM’s Economic Advisory Council and Research Director, The Brookings Institution; Mr Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Journalist and Political Commentator; and Mr Argha Ganguly, Assistant Curator, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi as the speakers.
The event was attended by all the teachers with Dr. Haritma Chopra, Officiating Principal, as the Patron; Dr. Kiran Pandey and Dr. Ritu Chahal Kumar as the Conveners; and around 130 students.
The guests were felicitated and the symposium started with a speech by Dr. Nishikant Kolge on Gandhi and the Harijan-Dalit Debate where he emphasized what the contemporary Dalit movements can take away from Gandhi and Ambedkar. He was followed by Dr. Lata Singh who spoke on Gandhi and the Household pointed out how during the independence movement, private became public and political and how Gandhi’s ideals and efforts made it possible for women to step outside the walls of their household. Dr. Shamika Ravi picked up the issues of labour force participation, gross economic elasticity and behavioural changes that come into play when one endeavours to practice Gandhi in Contemporary Economic Issues.
The second half of the Symposium was illustrated by Mr Paranjoy Guha Thakurta who related Gandhi’s ideals on print media with the media that is in jeopardy today, and Mr Argha Ganguly who, to the delight of the students, displayed a presentation on the various exhibitions on Gandhi that have been conducted in India as well as worldwide.
This was followed by an overview of Gandhi and the contemporary space by Prof Bhagwan Singh Josh. The session was then opened to the questions of the students who were provided with enlightening answers by the speakers and the chair. The session ended with a vote of thanks by Ms. Nikita Audichya.
The Symposium was also complemented by several competitive events for students to take part in, namely a National Online Essay Writing Competition, a National Poster Making Competition and an Inter-College Debate Competition. The winners of these events were given cash prizes and the participants were given certificates as well.
Overall, the event was a success as the speakers and the students had a tremendously informational interactive session and the competitions entertained enthusiastic participants. The students have expressed their appreciation for being able to take part so extensively in the Gandhian traditions
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