Kolkata, 18th March: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Institute of Management Science, Kolkata (BIMS) recently hosted a 2-day National Symposium to celebrate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The theme of the 2 days-long Symposium held on 15th – 16th March ‘Understanding Mahatma Gandhi: Relevance of His Thought & Philosophy For Our Times’. On the occasion, an Exhibition on ‘Gandhi and his Works’ was also held at the Institute campus in collaboration with the National Science Museum.
Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, Honorable Governor of West Bengal inaugurated the symposium commemorating the Father of the Nation at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kolkata Kendra Auditorium in Salt Lake. The symposium was a part of the celebrations that all branches of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan system across the country are currently conducting.
The inaugural session was also attended by noted academicians like Prof. (Dr.) Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay (Vice Chancellor, Amity University), Dr. Saikat Maitra (Vice Chancellor, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology- MAKAUT), along with Dr. G.V. Subramanian (Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan), Dr. R. K. Patra (Principal, BIMS) and other dignitaries.
Congratulating BIMS for their initiative to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi, Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, Honorable Governor of West Bengal said in his address, “I am sure the symposium will try at a new evaluation of Gandhiji’s thinking and popularize the recommendations of the Symposium among the young generation and students in particular. I sincerely hope that the young generation will be able to come with answers to present day problems based on Gandhiji’s thinking.”
Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi further said in his speech, “It needs to be mentioned that Gandhiji’s philosophy was based on religious principles drawn from not just Hinduism but also from different tenets of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Another important facet I would like to touch is Gandhiji’s emphasis on decentralization and people’s power. I sincerely hope that the young generation will be able to come with answers to present day problems based on Gandhiji’s thinking. It is also a very good idea to involve the students in discussing the ‘7 Deadly Sins’ enunciated by Gandhiji and the way to solve these problems.”
In his Welcome Address, Dr. G.V. Subramanian, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan briefed about the symposium and its intent. He said, “Gandhiji gave us the moral for our lives. He taught us to be a visionary and dream for others. Gandhiji was a possibility, he created everything with the power of his words and inclination. He was a leader with a difference, breakthrough with his actions. He was a man full of knowledge on every sphere of human endeavor, be it management, politics, religion, spirituality, Satyagraha, non-violence, human development, rural transformation, economics, environment, growth and sustainability and even health and hygiene. One can learn and get inspired and practice on anything you want after reading Gandhiji’s literature on his thoughts which are still relevant today. We are also publishing a book in various languages on Mahatma Gandhi on unknown areas and unpublished articles written by scholars and people who were intimately connected with Mahatma Gandhi.”
In his address Dr. R. K. Patra, Principal, BIMS said, “Our initiative to organize the symposium will help our students understand the Gandhian principles. This, in turn, will help them become better individuals and strong leaders for a brighter future.”
During the two-days of the conference, various discussion and technical sessions were held that focused on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and his principles to understand their relevance in today’s world. Different topics discussed at the 2-days long symposium included – ‘7 Deadly Sins – Relevance of Gandhian Perspective’, ‘Satyagraha, Non Violence & Human Development’, ‘Relevance of Rural Transformation & Local Governance –A New Economic Approach of Gandhi’, ‘Gandhi, Religion & Environment: Towards Sustainable Living’ and ‘Gandhism After Gandhi: Wrong Priorities In India’s Development Strategy’.
