The Gandhi Study Circle

        Yearbook Report 2008-2009

         The Gandhi Study Circle is a society which derives inspiration from the concept of ‘satya’ or truth which was central to Gandhi’s thought and the main driving force behind his ideas. We try to assess the relevance of Gandhi’s philosophy, especially in the current situation in India, where we witness a certain dichotomy between the actions of governments or individuals who seek to uphold Gandhian principles, and yet end up instigating clashes on religious, regional or linguistic grounds.

         The most prominent feature of our society this year was our fest, Satya. Since our society till a few years ago was limited to discussions, seminars and a journal that sought to examine Gandhian thought in the broad national and international context, Satya seeks to bring to the fore a few Gandhian activities such as the emphasis on self-reliance and the use of indigenous products. It is in this context that we organised a Charkha Workshop and Lac Bangle Workshop during Satya. We also had a Mime performance, a Madhubani painting exhibition, a street play performance by the theatre group, Janam, and a workshop by Mr. Yusuf Saaed on Islamic religious posters and calendar art.

         We also organised a peace march, emphasising the need for tolerance among the diverse communities, and condemning the communal violence in Orissa, the Kashmir terrorism, the insurgency in North-East and state-sponsored violence in Nandigram. This was followed by a Religious Convention where we invited prominent religious heads of different religious communities - Aijaz Aslam, Father Babu Joseph and Swami Sampoornanda. The aim of this Convention was to provide a platform to discuss the various means to achieve communal harmony in India.

         We also invited various eminent personalities to give their views on pressing current affairs, thus giving us access to a variety of perspectives. Dr. Dilip Simeon, spoke on the theme ‘The Lasting Relevance of Ahimsa and Satyagraha,’ where he spoke about the Partition, and traced the rise of the ‘violent Left’ and the ‘violent Right’ in the Indian political scenario. In the wake of the Delhi bombings, the Jamia Nagar issue, the 26/11 bombings, the focus turned on the Muslim community in India. In this context, we organised a student discussion on ‘Role of Muslim Youth in Indian Politics’ with an aim to promote healthy dialogue and destroy any myths that might be associated with the Islamic community in India.

         We hope that the entire college community benefited from our activities, and next year, we aim to broaden our horizons even further.