THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Those who couldn’t take stern action to shut down bars are not eligible to pronounce the name of Mahatma Gandhi, commented noted poet Sugathakumari. She was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Gandhi Smrithi Week observation organised by Gandhian Study Centre at Kerala University Students’ Centre here on Friday morning.
“Gandhiji’s dream was that every programme should be for the poor and farmers and for their development. But now everyone is running for their personal gain and focused on luxuries. There are people who cannot take action to shut the bars. They have no right to talk about Gandhiji,” said Sugathakumari.
She added that both left and right political fronts are responsible for the hike in rates of commodities.
Criticising the kiss of love protest, she said, “That style of agitation doesn’t give freedom. The sense of honour shouldn’t be spoiled like this.”
The mindset of the current generation has changed. “They are thinking about a life of luxury, wide roads and theatres. The cinema stars are icons for them,” she said. Sugathakumari added that the National Games is not an event to be conducted by giving crores of rupees to a film star.
‘Gandhiji’s Ideals Still Relevant’
“The thought that the ideologies and principles of Mahatma Gandhi are not suited to the present day time has been changing”, said former union minister and BJP leader O Rajagopal.
He was inaugurating the 12th death anniversary meeting of K Janardhanan Pillai, former chairman of Kerala Gandhi Samarak Nidhi, here on Thursday. Rajagopal also presented the best award for Gandhian to P K Adiyodi. The award consisted of Rs 10,001, a statuette and a citation.
Trust patron and former MP P Viswambharan presided over. Academic R V G Menon, National Gandhi Smarak Nidhi chairman P Gopinathan Nair, Janardhanan Pillai Endowment Trust vice-chairperson D Maya and secretary Ajith Venniyoor, among others, spoke.