Gandhi Ashram, Noakhali with High Commission of India, Dhaka organized a discussion on ‘Ahimsa, Satyagraha and the Mahatma – Revisited’ at Gandhi Ashram, Noakhali on October 2, 2021, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. The discussion was organized to commemorate the 152nd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi which is also marked as the International Day of Non-Violence since 2007.
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliament Affairs, Mr. Anisul Huq graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Honorable Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. AK. Abdul Momen participated as the Guest of Honor along with the High Commissioner of India, Shri. Vikram Doraiswami. The event was also graced by former Minister for Cultural Affairs, Mr. Asaduzzaman Noor,MP, Ms. Aroma Dutta, MP, Mr.Tuomo Poutiainen, interim UN Resident Coordinator and ILO Country Director as well as Mr. Sudipto Mukherjee, UNDP Resident Representative. Justice Soumendra Sarkar, Chairman of Gandhi Ashram Trust chaired the event in which Advocate Misbah Uddin Siraj, Trustee of Gandhi Ashram Trust was also present.
Mr. Anisul Huq, Dr. AK. Abdul Momen and High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami inaugurated the newly renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum as well. The renovation of the unique Museum housed inside the Gandhi Ashram campus was supported by India. Distinguished guests visited the Gandhi Memorial Museum and appreciated the unique display of memorabilia and artifacts related to Mahatma Gandhi.
Speaking at the occasion, High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami said that Gandhiji’s life and his message hold relevance even today. He recalled the remarks made by Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina during a UN event organized to commemorate 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. She had said that Gandhiji’s love for common people and ideals of non-violence contributed to shaping Bangabandhu’s vision of struggle against oppression and tyranny perpetrated by the then regime. He also expressed his delight that during Mujib Borsho, the Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was on display in Bangladesh. He invited the audience to visit the Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition that is on display in Dhaka till 11 October 2021 and would later on move to Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna, and Rajshahi. He said that the exhibition celebrates in a uniquely thematic way, the life and legacy of the Fathers of each of the two Nations, Mahatma Gandhi, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A dance drama based on Rabindranath Tagore’s Chandalika was specially presented by Spandan Cultural Center from Dhaka on the occasion.