Short term course on Gandhian Thought : A Brief Report


 Winter Camp/Short Term Course on Gandhian Thought for College/University Students












Dignitaries and participants spinning the charkha at the inaugural session 


Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Wardha organized the Winter Camp/Short Term Course on Gandhian Thought from 26 -30 December 2024 at the premises of the Ashram.  The objective of this short-term course/camp was to acquaint the students with the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi and its relevance in humanity’s current predicament. The inaugural function was held on the 26th morning at the Seminar Hall of   Library and Research Centre of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Sevagram . The camp was inaugurated by spinning the traditional Gandhi Charkha by the dignitaries and representatives of participants from different States of India.  Dr. Siby K. Joseph of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan gave a brief introduction about the camp for university students and welcomed all participants.  







Dr.Siby K.Joseph welcoming the participants 



Shri Vijay Tambe's Presidential Address 



Shri Ram Dhiraj delivering inaugural address 

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Participants listening the inaugural address 


Prof.John Chelladurai proposing a vote of thanks 


Shri Ram Dhiraj, veteran Sarvodaya activist and President of Uttar Pradesh Sarvodaya Mandal delivered the inaugural address.  Shri Vijay Tambe Secretary of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan presided over the function. Dr. D. John Chellaurai, Professor and Head,Department of Gandhian Studies and Dean Interdisciplinary Studies , Mahatma Gandhi Mission University, Aurangabad proposed a  vote of thanks . In this residential short-term course on Gandhian Thought and action, 51 college/ university students including three faculty members from 17 States of India participated.  The participants were from Manipur University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Gandhigram Rural University, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Central University of Gujarat, West Bengal Institute of Technology, Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Prayagraj State University, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, University of Allahabad, Noida International University,Pondicherry University and number of colleges in different parts of the country. The participants belonged to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,Karnataka,Maharashtra, Madya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep and Delhi.

 


Introductory session with Prof. John Chellaurai 






Prof.Jeevankumar addresing the campers 

Shri Atul Sharma addressing the session on Khadi 




Prof.William Baskaran adresssing the participants 




Shri Vijay Tambe's address



Prof.Sunil Ganatra and Dr.Siby K.Joseph interacting with participants 



Dr.Tarak Kate discussing the challenges of Sustainable Agriculture 

Interaction with Social Activists 


The resource persons who delivered lectures and guided discussions were : Shri Ram Dhiraj , President of Uttar Pradesh Sarvodaya Mandal  ; Dr. D. John Chellaurai,  Professor and Head, Department of Gandhian Studies and Dean Interdisciplinary Studies , Mahatma Gandhi Mission University, Aurangabad ; Shri Vijay Tambe, Secretary of  Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Dr. William Baskaran , Former Professor, Department of Gandhian Thought and Peace Science, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul, Dr. D. Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor, Karnataka State Rural Development & Panchayat Raj University; Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust, Bangalore; Shri Atul Sharma, Former Secretary , Gram Seva Mandal, Wardha; Dr. Tarak Kate , Founder Chairman Dharamitra, Wardha, Shri Gautam Bajaj, Paunar Ashram Wardha ;Dr. Sunil Ganatra, Professor, Institute of Science Nagpur; Shri  Jaideep Hardikar, Nagpur based  journalist Dr.Siby K. Joseph of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan and others.

 Some of the unique features of the camp were Prayer, Yoga, Community work/ Shramdan, Peace Games and Discussion/Question Answer Sessions, Sevagram Ashram Darshan, field visit to the ashram and constructive work organizations in Wardha and other places of historic importance, Peace Walk, interaction with activists and screening of films. The important areas discussed in the camp include the following:  An introduction to the Life of Gandhi ,Fundamentals of Gandhian Thought, Nonviolence as the basis of Truth and Fundamentality of Truth,Scientific basis of Gandhianprinciples,Understanding Gandhi and common Misconceptions about Gandhi , Artificial Intelligence,   Gandhi and Globalisation ,Gandhi, Environment  and Sustainable  Development , relevance of Khadi ,Gandhi in the 21st century : A development Perspective , Communal Harmony:  role of  Youth in strengthening  Pluralistic and Secular society ,  Agriculture and Sustainable Development Gandhi, Community living  and his ashrams , South African Gandhi : A Racist ? War And Peace: Understanding the Imperatives of Mutual Security and Development, Violence, Nonviolence and Youth, Life and Message of Gandhi from Wardha /Sevagram. 


Participants at Charkha Griha 




Proceeding to Jamnalal Bajaj Exhibition 


Vinoba Darshan 

At Gitai Mandir 




Listening to Shri Gautam Bajaj at Paunar Ashram 





Ashram Darshan 


Exploring the first residence of Mahatma at the Ashram 


As a part of field visit the participants visited Charkha Griha of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan,Gita Mandir,Jamnalal Bajaj Exhibition and Vinoba Darshan,Peace Pagoda Vishwa Shanti Stupa,Japanese Buddhist temple,Magan Sangrahalaya and Paunar Ashram. 

 
Shramdan activities 

Cleaning of  Road

Shramdan in the campus 


Clicking photos after Community work 


Waking up at 5 am, participating in the interreligious prayer at Seminar Hall led by Shri Jalandharnath ,  yoga and physical  exercises by Shri Climus T. J. cleaning and mending of public roads,Peace Walk,evening prayer at the ashram , informal discussions and interaction with the faculty and campers  created indelible imprints in the minds and hearts of the campers and sense of oneness and unity .



Explaining the purpose of Peace Walk 






A break during the Peace Walk for reflection 





Morning Yoga

Participants coming for the evening prayer 




Shri Jaideep Hardikar Keynote Speaker of Valedictory Session 


 The Valedictory Session was held on the evening of the fifth day of the winter camp on Gandhian thought and action and valedictory address was delivered by Shri Jaideep Hardikar, journalist, researcher writer and a former Asia Leadership Fellow at Tokyo, Japan, and Alfred Friendly Press Fellow. All participants  were full of appreciation for the programme. The course concluded with distribution of Certificates to the participants. Dr.Siby K. Joseph of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan thanked everybody for the successful conduct of the camp. The camp was coordinated by Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library and Research Centre for Gandhian studies of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Wardha.

 

Distribution of Certificates 

Photo Credits: Dakshi Verma,
Harshad Tayade,Rahul Singh Yadav ,Climus T J ,Anjana Thakur  et al. 

Special Thanks to Kanika Gupta for her kind help and coordination in the preparation of the report. 



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