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| Touseef, Sophia win one lakh each in debate on Gandhian philosophy | | Kashmir continues to present a ray of light amid darkness: Azad | | Early Times Reporte
Srinagar | Oct 2
Thousands of school and college students attended concluding function of the State-wide debate on Gandhian philosophy of truth and non-violence and its relevance in the 21st century organised at SKICC here today where Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad gave away prizes to the best student speakers.
Azad also administered 9-point Gandhian pledge to the participants including ministers, legislators, prominent citizens and students present on the occasion to work for an India with perfect communal harmony, without any high or low class people, curse of un-touchability, intoxicating drugs and drinks and where poorest will have an effective voice, women will enjoy same rights as men and the people will be at peace with the rest of the world.
The administration of the pledge by Chief Minister followed the similar event at the national level at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi where Prime Minister administered the pledge to the countrymen.
The function at the SKICC was divided into two segments. In the first segment, the finalists of both school and college category competitions took part in the concluding round of the debate in two separate halls before the audience and the judges to compete for the first three positions in their respective category. In all, 8 school and 11 college students had reached the final round after making through various levels of competition.
The first prize of Rs. one lakh was won by Sophia Sharma of Girls Higher Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, Jammu in the school category and Touseef Yusuf of S. P. College, Srinagar in the college category. The second prize of Rs. 50,000 went to Kudsia Khan of Girls Higher Secondary School, Surankote, Poonch and Aamira Wali of Government Degree College for Women, Baramulla. The third prize of Rs. 25,000 each was given to four students, two each in school and college category. They include Aijaz ul haq of Boys Higher Secondary School, Ganderbal, Aamir Qayoom of Sultan ul Aarifeen School, Srinagar, Sheikh Muhammad Irfan of Amar Singh College and Indu Bagal of Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. Eleven other finalists were given consolation prize of Rs. 5,100 each. All the prize winners were also given certificates of merit and mementos by the Chief Minister who congratulated them on their feat.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the people of Kashmir have always upheld the principle of secularism and believed in the philosophy of non-violence. He said 60 years ago when the entire sub-continent was engulfed by the flames of communal violence, Kashmir was the only place to remain untouched from the communal frenzy. He said not a single member of the majority community here harmed their non-Muslim brethren, persuading Gandhiji to make his famous statement that amid darkness all around he only saw a ray of light in Kashmir.
The Chief Minister said that although different voices were heard in the State today, the people were firmly stuck to secularism and non-violence. He said the enthusiastic participation of 51,000 students in the debate on Gandhian philosophy across the State showed that the people of Jammu & Kashmir, importantly the younger generation, were deeply rooted in secular ethos and the ray of light observed by Gandhiji was still glowing here.
Azad highlighted the relevance of Gandhian philosophy of truth and non- violence in today’s world and said that the world community at large had recognised the importance of his teachings with the United Nations adopting his birthday as the International Day of Non-Violence. He said this was the highest tribute paid to Gandhiji globally. He, however, said that Jammu & Kashmir had taken a lead over the world by deciding to hold a State-wide debate on this subject 8 months before the UN adopted non-violence as the theme for observing the International Day on October 2. He said Gandhian philosophy had always attracted people and leaders throughout the world. He referred to international figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela who embraced Gandhian philosophy of non-violence to fight against the prevailing political systems. |
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