The Samiti paid its gratitude to Covid Warriors through its Tweeter handle as well as in the GSDS You-tube channel during May 2020. In this endeavour the Samiti also showcased the work done by the GSDS members in making masks, distributing food to people in need to feeding street animals. Khadi cloth masks made by Ms. Madhu – who left her home voluntarily to stay in Gandhi Darshan – and Ms. Simran of Srijan that have been distributed to GSDS staffs and others who were in need were showcased through the video. Initiatives taken by Ms. Prerna Jindal of GSDS in providing food to the needy and feeding street animals; home-made masks made by Ms. Smita Bhan for distribution to the needy was also showcased.

Further as part of the GSDS initiative, about 500 masks were made by the teachers and volunteers of Himalayan Buddhist School in Dharamshala Himachal Pradesh, led by the Principal of the school Ms. Palki Thakur, which was later handed over to the SDM of Manali for distribution to the needy.

The Samiti as part of the series of on-line lecture series organized a webinar on “Need for Effective Dialogue for a Culture of Peace” on May 2, 2020. Eminent Gandhian scholar and thinker Prof. N Radhakrishnan and Prof. Priyankar Upadhyaya, UNESCO Chair for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University and an eminent academic were the key speakers on the occasion. Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan, Director GSDS along with other GSDS staff took part in the discussion that was moderated by Dr. Vedabhyas Kundu, Programme Officer. The technical support was provided by ‘Digital India’. Almost 137 participants took part in the webinar. The webinar discussed the application of peace methodologies in day-to-day life for establishing a culture of dialogue which the ‘vedas’, and ‘upanishads’ talked about and how leading practitioners of peace and non-violence from HH the Dalai Lama to Swami Vivekananda, to Mahatma Gandhi, Daisaku Ikeda and others advocated throughout their life’s teachings and mission.

Giving an introduction to the dialogue, Dr. Vedabhyas said how dialogue create space in which participants learn, which in turn generates cooperation. He said that ‘Dialogue is a communication that honours relationship’.

Welcoming the participants, Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan threw some insights into the essence and neutrality of dialogue and why dialogue is necessary for establishing peace in the society. Expressing his anguish that human beings are themselves the destroyer of peace... Read More

The Samiti distributed packets of biscuits and snacks to the construction labourers working in the GSDS campus on April 28, 2020. Shri Vivek, Shri Rakesh, Shri Pankaj Chaubey, Shri Dharamraj along distributed these packets, which was provided by the Central Prisons Tihar.

Saving the Earth is responsibility of 700 crore people: Laxmi Dass

On the occasion of Earth Day on April 22, 2020 GSDS as part of the on-line lecture series invited Shri Laxmi Dass, Vice President of Harijan Sevak Sangh and EC Member GSDS to deliver a lecture on the theme: Epidemic, Earth and Mahatma Gandhi.

Shri Laxmi Dass began by appealing to humankind to abide by the rules laid by the Government in tackling the pandemic COVID -19. He also appealed to the scientists to join together in doing a research to find a solution to kill the virus for this virus has affected the economy and large number of people’s livelihood.

He also spoke on Mother Earth how we worship her in different forms and that the size and speed of the earth cannot be reduced or increased. He said, “Humans may or may not think of Mother Earth, but Mother Earth does always think of all the living beings and this Earth Day is a reminder of how we must save and nurture the Mother Earth”, adding, “Time and again in several seminars and dialogues on saving the earth, it has been reiterated that over population has over burdened the earth, but I have a different opinion. Earth has a capacity to provide for all beings for their need not for their greed. We have two hands and one mouth. The question is how do we give work to our hands to feed this single mouth?”

Shri Laxmi Dass further said that this idea of need versus greed has been strongly advocated by Mahatma Gandhi also and... Read More

GSDS Director, Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan conducted an online meeting on April 14, 2020 to discuss on the possibility of organsing programmes through online in view of the lockdown due to the pandemic COVID-19. Discussions featured on engaging senior resource persons through webinars on issues such as Champaran Satyagraha, Mediation, etc. Also it was suggested to upload audio/video files on different themes for reaching a wider audience.

GSDS paid tributes to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 2020 as part of the commemoration of the 101 years of the massacre on April 13, 1919 by General Dyer. A collage of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial with photographs commemorating the event was tweeted by GSDS.
On this occasion, Director GSDS Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan also reminded about the first imprisonment of Mahatma Gandhi on Indian soil in Palwal Haryana on April 10 1919 when Gandhiji was on his way to Punjab to protest against the Rowlatt Act.

The Samiti initiated an on-line free certification programme on Non-Violence Communication on April 2, 2020 for teachers, students of different schools and colleges and people in different services. The course intended towards providing an understanding of the principles of Non-Violence Communication (NVC) highlights the key Gandhian principles of NVC and the applications it emphasises towards adopting a non-violent approach in communication in day-to-day life. The course designed in three modules provided a critical understanding in both theory and practice the process of achieving NVC. Participants of the course are expected to respond by writing their understanding in question-answer format. Till date almost 180 participants from different parts of India have registered for the course.

On March 12, 2020, a delegation of eight Russians as representatives of BRICS Forum paid their tribute to Gandhi Smriti on the 90th anniversary of Dandi March. It was not the first time for Ms. Ludmila Sekacheva, the President of the Public Regional Organisation to visit Gandhi Smriti as she has been keenly working on the "Great Teachers of BRICS". Ms. Ludmila with Dr. Guzel Strelkova, Associate Professor of Institute of Asian and African countries, Moscow, presented us the flags and leaflets which had a message of healthy and lifelong association between the countries of BRICS. Another special guest was Guru Prem Prayojan who was born in England but now mastering Vedas in Vrindavan.

Gandhi Smriti and Darshan hosted a one-day dialogue on “Mahatma Gandhi’s Experiment with Food – Key to Health” in Gandhi Darshan on March 2, 2020. The programme was organised by Kendriya Bhandar along with its strategic partner, Centre for Strategy and Leadership. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Shri Jitendra Singh was the chief guest on the occasion.
Delivering the key note address, Shri Jitendra Singh said that the government is following the Gandhian thought for inclusive development of the country, according to an official statement. He said, “Those who tend to dismiss Mahatma Gandhi's views regarding healthcare and food as mere fads or whims, actually do a great injustice to themselves because in doing so they only deprive themselves of a sound scientific opinion”. Shri Jitendra Singh also launched a special series of programmes to mark the 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth.
He further said, “Like in other spheres of life, Gandhiji not only experimented in depth, but also tested the influence of his experiments on his own self. This he did famously in case of his experiments with "Truth" and so also in case of health and lifestyle”.

Citing several instances, Dr Jitendra Singh said, for example, Mahatma Gandhi walked on foot, on an average, for nearly 18 Kms each day and believed that this was a fitness test for him. He continued to do so till the end.

Dr... Read More

“Aaj sanskar ko pura vishwa namaskar kar raha hai Aur Mahatma Gandhi ne aapne jivan, aur charitra me sanskar ko aaapnaya hai. Tabhi,woh yug purush kahelate hai. (Today the whole world is saluting values and ethics, and Mahatma Gandhi has adopted those values and ethics in his life and character. Thus he became a Yug Purush)”, said Jain Muni Rashtrasant Rev. Gurudev H.H. Shri Namramuni Maharaj at the culmination of the pilgrimage Ahimsa Sadbhavna Yatra that began from Rajkot to Kolkata to Varanasi and then to Delhi covering a distance of approximately 2700+kilometres as part of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Rashtrasant Rev. Gurudev H.H. Shri Namramuni Maharaj was addressing a gathering of almost 200 people in Gandhi Smriti on February 26, 2020 after he offered his tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Martyr’s Column in Gandhi Smriti, the place of Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom. This dialogue on “Ahimsa and Sadbhavna” was organised in association with
He further said that the seeds of character building, values, morality, truth and ethics were germinated in Mahatma Gandhi at a very young age and Gandhiji had spread these values through his various experiments by upholding the dignity of human beings to the core.
While referring to the 19-day interaction between Mahatma Gandhi and the Jain Sadhvi Rev. Ujjwala Kumari Mahasati ji in 1945, when Gandhiji had spent 19 days in the Jain Muni’s Ashram, Rev. Namra Muni ji said, “The transforming role of saints... Read More

‘Ba’, Kasturba Gandhi’s 76th Nirvan Divas (death anniversary) was observed in Gandhi Darshan on February 22, 2020 by organising the ‘Kasturba Katha’ by Katha Vyas Dr. Shobhana Radhakrishna. Participants attending the three-day national conference “Report to Gandhi” took part in the ‘Kasturba Katha’ along with many others from the Gandhian fraternity. Joint Secretary Ministry of Culture and Member Secretary GSDS, Shri S C Barmma was the guest of honour. Shri Basant, Shri Kalanand Muni, Shri Aditya Patnaik Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan and others also took part in the programme.
‘Kasturba Katha’ by Dr Shobhana Radhakrishna covered the narrations of the various phases of Kastur's life starting from her years in India; Kasturba with her two sons in Durban in South Africa; her sojourn to India with four sons and back to Durban; life in Phoenix Settlement and the first Satyagraha; Sevagram Ashram life, Kasturba's role in three national Satyagraha and other smaller Satyagraha; her incarceration in Agha Khan Palace and her last day in Bapu's lap on 22nd February 1944.
The Katha Vyas had also pointed how Kasturba had seen Mohandas in every shade. A boy hell-bent on establishing superiority on account of being older; a child scared of school; a serious but uninspired student; a son hurt by the absence of his father; a father deranged by the untimely death of his son; an infatuated husband; an unemployed English speaking young man grappling with a traditional family's needs... Read More

At a special function, former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Dr. Karan Singh, inaugurated the “Gandhi-Karigar Haat” in Gandhi Darshan on February 20, 2020 in the presence of over 200 people from different walks of life. Jain Muni Rev. Rashtrasant Gurudev Sri Namra Muni, Shri Laxmi Dass, EC Member of GSDS and Vice President Harijan Sevak Sangh, eminent Gandhian Shri Basant Singh, Shri Sita Ram Gupta, CEO Lupin Human Welfare Organisation, Bharatpur along with Director GSDS, Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan were present on the occasion.
Dr. Karan Singh not only inaugurated the “Gandhi-Karigar Haat” on the occasion, he also laid the foundation stone of the “Multi-purpose Community Centre” which will be developed in Gandhi Darshan. The inaugurated ‘Gandhi-Karigar Haat” and the “Multi-purpose Community Centre” have come to fruition from the grant of Rupees Two Crore received from Dr. Karan Singh from his Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (Member MPLADS).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Karan Singh said that this is the single largest grant from his MPLAD funds that he has given to Gandhi Darshan, since he felt that the money will be used fruitfully at the Gandhi Darshan for the purpose of conducting cultural, academic and various other activities related to skill development and promotion of indigenous products.
He further said that he had seen Mahatma Gandhi and that one moment meeting with Gandhiji had changed his life. He said that though there... Read More

The Samiti in association with the Embassy of Uzbekistan organised an interactive session on “In the Path of Mahatma – India-Uzbekistan Towards Peace and Non-Violence” in Gandhi Smriti on February 14, 2020. HE, Mr. Azamjon I Mansurov, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan was the guest of honour on the occasion. In his address to participating students from Andhra Education Sr. Sec. School, ITO and other members, Mr. Azamjon spoke about the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan.
Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Relations between Uzbekistan and India have their roots deep in history. There are frequent references to Kamboja, which is stated to include parts of present day Uzbekistan, in Sanskrit and Pali literature. Sakas participated in Mahabharata on the side of Kauravas. Ancient trade route ‘uttarpath’ passed through Uzbekistan. In later years, Fergana, Samarkand, Bukhara in Uzbekistan emerged as major towns on the trade routes linking India with Europe and China.” He further added, “India had close interaction with the Uzbek SSR during the Soviet times. Indian leaders often visited Tashkent and other places”.
He also added that three Uzbek educational institutions, nationwide, promote studies of Hindi language, from primary to post-graduate level and said that Uzbek TV channels regularly show Indian films and serials.
He also mentioned about the artistes from Uzbekistan who paid a musical tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi Smriti... Read More

• His Excellency Mr. Ernest Rwamucyo, High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda in India visited Gandhi Smriti on January 7, 2020.
• Hon’ble Mr. Tomas Petricek Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic visited Gandhi Smriti on January 14, 2020 and offered tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Martyrs Column.
• Hon’ble Han Seung Soo, former Prime Minister of the Republic of South Korea visited Gandhi Smriti on January 16, 2020 and offered tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Almost 335 women from Raipur District from five Gram Panchayats took part in a day-long workshop on “Enhancing the Capacities of the Women in Panchayati Raj Systems” in Raipur Chattisgarh on January 20, 2020 organised by the Naveen Ankur Mahila Mandal in association with the GSDS. The chief guest on the occasion was Shri Sanjay Srivastava. The other guests included MS. Savita Parate, Sarpanch Dhamat Gaikwad from Mandir Hasood, Advocate Mrs. Tuli Majo Madar and CO Nagar Nigam Raipur, Ms. Usha Rai. Smt Meena Gautam of Naveen Ankur Mahila Mandal was also present on the occasion.
The discussion focused on these key factors:
1. Education for girls
2. Build capacities of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) for effective functioning and setting of women’s agenda.
3. Institutionalize mechanisms to strengthen capacity building of EWRs to better understand and perform their functions.
4. Mobilize community and strengthen processes of constituency building to enable women to articulate their voices and participate in the electoral process.
5. Mobilizing people to participate in gram sabha meetings
6. Strengthening women’s collectives and building networks
The speakers felt that experience sharing of EWRs needs to be actively encouraged, wider publicity to success stories and greater exposure for women’s groups though visits and sammelans is required. Documentation and record keeping are additional areas that require attention. Another... Read More

91-year-old Pandit Jasraj’s mellifluous rendition of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajans reverberated in Gandhi Smriti as the nonagenarian paid tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of the Father of the Nation’s 72nd death anniversary on January 30, 2020. Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri M Venkaiah Naidu and hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi hummed Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram as over 2000 people from different streams of society joined the evening prayer meet. Former Vice President, Dr. Mohd Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Minister of Culture and VC GSDS Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, former VC GSDS Smt. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, officials from the Ministry of Culture also joined the commemorative programme.
Almost 500 Children from 23 schools of Delhi, NCR, which included children from eight schools recommended by the District Administration of Madhepura, Bihar; Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan Hyderabad Telengana and Kasturba Mahila Vidyapeeth Sewapuri Varanasi offered a musical tribute to Mahatma Gandhi that was coordinated by Shri Sudhanshu Bahuguna of Swar Trishna. Young Krishna Prasanna assisted Sudhanshu ji in the flute.
Children from Bapa Ashram Residential Primary School, Harijan Sevak Sangh and Kasturba Balika Vidyalaya Ishwar Nagar along with their coordinators spun on the charkha throughout the programme, as religious leaders from different faith read hymns from the... Read More

As part of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi GSDS in association with the Austrian High Commission in India organized a lecture by well-known historian Dr. Margit Franz on January 27, 2020. This was in continuation of the programmes the Samiti initiated with different Embassies and High Commissions to propagate the relevance of the Gandhian Philosophies of Peace and Non-violence in the international realm. H.E. Mrs. Brigitte Oeppinger-Walchshofer, the High Commissioner of the Austrian Embassy to India was present on the occasion. Smt. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, former VC GSDS was the guest of honour. The Ambassador of Ireland and various delegates from Israel, the United Kingdom, Austria, and MEA (India) also took part in the programme.
The lecture, organized on the eve of ‘International Holocaust Remembrance Day’ was delivered by Dr. Margit Franz on “Gandhi’s India: A safe haven for Exiled Jews”.
The presentation by the historian was based on the age of the Second World War, when the Jews were persecuted within their nation and Gandhi’s India welcomed them with arms wide open, despite the fact that India then under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi had launched the “Quit India Movement”.
Dr. Franz focused on the theory of equality in religion taught by Mahatma which attracted the exiled Jews to settle in the sub-continent. She said, “In the middle of their struggle for independence, India managed to accommodate the highly skilled refugees in... Read More

Almost 450+ children took part in the musical rehearsals organised by the Samiti as a tribute to the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi Darshan and Gandhi Smriti on January 17, 21, 22, 24, 27, 28 and 29, 2020 respectively. Children from over 20 schools of Delhi and NCR took part in the rehearsals conducted by Shri Sudhanshu Bahuguna. Later from January 22 children participating in the ten-day Value Creation Camp (January 23-February 2, 2020) from Madhepura, Bihar, Hyderabad Telengana and Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh joined. Director GSDS, Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan also addressed the students during the rehearsals on January 29 in Gandhi Smriti and extended his wishes for their performance on January 30. Talking to the children he shared his belief that the children will perform to the best of their abilities under the guidance of Shri Bahuguna. Earlier a meeting with the representatives of various schools was conducted on January 15, 2020 in Gandhi Darshan in which Programme Executive Shri Rajdeep Pathak briefed the teachers about the modalities of the programme and the manner in which children has to be oriented.

In continuation of the series of programmes initiated with different Embassies and High Commissions to propagate the relevance of the Gandhian Philosophies of Peace and Non-violence in the international realm the GSDS in association with the High Commission of Rwanda in India organised a interactive session on January 7, 2020. His Excellency Mr. Ernest Rwamucyo, High Commissioner of Rwanda in India delivered the lecture on the history of Rwanda and how the country evolved itself as a peaceful state after the Rwandan genocide of 1994 on the principles of reconciliation and dialogue.
Addressing a gathering of 125+ participants including students from Raman Munjal Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Haryana and Manthan School Ghaziabad, Father Agnel School, academicians and representatives from other Embassies and High Commissions in India, Mr. Ernest began by mentioning the influence he had had since his early days from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. He said, “I grew up a Gandhian, long before I came to India. Mahatma Gandhi Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela had huge effect on me. They taught me the way of non-violence for attaining global peace”. He added, “Their ideas should be taken to the younger generation”.
In his emotional outburst of the tragic history of Rwanda that killed between
500,000–1,074,017 people during the mass murder or genocide of 1994, Mr. Ernest said that there was none to blame but ourselves. “It... Read More

Mahatma Gandhi, all through his long public life invariably insisted on use of better and higher skills for working in whichever task or field he happened to be concerned with at any time. He believed in a constant and continuous learning process including experimentation, keeping the ideal as the goal but also knowing that human beings must always keep improving and rising in their skills but can never attain absolute perfection. To discuss the Gandhian perspective to skill development, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti organized a one- day seminar on December 13, 2019 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The programme was organized in association with Vikas Bharti Bishunpur. The seminar was presided over by Padmashree Shri Ashok Bhagat who stressed on the Gandhian approach to skill development. Those who spoke on the occasion included Prof Nand Kumar Yadav, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Jharkhand; Prof Kamini Kumar, Pro Vice Chancellor, Ranchi University and Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan, Director, GSDS.
Later during the sessions, Dr Manju Aggarwal conducted an extensive session on naturopathy and healthy living for the about 100 participants who took part in the programme.

The Samiti in association with the National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi organized a one-day seminar on Gandhian Principles and the Judiciary on December 10, 2019 in Ranchi. As part of this seminar different dimensions of Gandhian Principles were discussed which are important for the Judicial System. The GSDS Director, Mr Dipanker Shri Gyan discussed the practical applications of Gandhian ethics and how to promote ethical legal practices. He discussed several case studies during his presentation.
The GSDS Programme Officer, Dr Vedabhyas Kundu made a presentation on Gandhian Approach to a Nonviolent Jurisprudence. A salient feature of the seminar was insightful presentations by students of several law colleges on Gandhian Principles and the Judiciary. Perspectives such as judicial empathy, restorative justice, Gandhi as a lawyer, issues related professional ethics etc were discussed.
Earlier the Vice Chancellor, Prof Kesava Rao Vurrakula in his introductory address underlined that for young lawyers there was much to learn from Gandhi the lawyer.

Director GSDS, Shri Dipanker Shri Gyan led the staff in paying tributes to former Member of Parliament from Odisha, Shri Alajangi Viswanath Swamy on December 31, 2019. He was 91. The former parliamentarian breathed his last at his residence in Khariar Road of Nuapada district. Born on July 18, 2019 in Nabarangpur district, Shri Swamy was elected to Upper House of Parliament, Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate from 2012 to 2018.
The Samiti members also paid a silent tribute to one of its housekeeping staff’s mother who passed away on December 31, 2019.

To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, GSDS hosted a “Sadbhavna Preeti Bhoj Prasad” on December 26, 2019 in Gandhi Darshan. Rajiv Gandhi Kalyan Sansthan organised this programme by offering gifts to the poor children, especially the girl child. About 255+ people took part in the programme that saw a gathering of speakers like Shri Laxmi Dass, Vice President Harijan Sevak Sangh and EC Member GSDS, Dr. A K Merchant, Trustee Bahai House of Worship, Maj General (Retd) Shri Ranjit Singh AVSM VSM and former Vice Chancellor Central University & CRS University Jind, Smt. Jasbeer Kaur, Shri Mahendra Kumar Khattar Industrialist and Shri Om Prakash Batra Chairman and Trustee of Rajiv Gandhi Kalyan Sansthan.

Media Family in association with Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti organised a live painting demonstration on December 23, 2019 in Gandhi Darshan. Artists Mr. Harpal Singh Chauhan, Mr. Gulrez Alo, Ms. Anamika S, along with Ms. Mahi Yashodhar, Mr. Vikas Mishra did a live painting on Mahatma Gandhi as a tribute to the Father of the Nation as part of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Sr. Journalist and General Secretary of Delhi Journalist Association, Shri Amlesh Raju was also present on the occasion.