Written by Anukampa Sharma Panjab University’s Department of Gandhian and Peace Studies organized a guest lecture on ‘The Unfolding of Mahatma Gandhi’s Vision Through Data- direction, and results’ at Gandhi Bhawan on Tuesday. The guest speaker, Col Aparjeet Singh Nakai disclosed the reason behind the lecture and said, “I have been reading Gandhi a lot and I was inspired by his mental and physical abilities as well as his ability to learn and lead.” Dwelling on some of the misconceptions prevalent in the country, he shared, “One of the biggest misconceptions is that the Muslim population is growing because of their religious ethnicity which is not at all true.” He further added: “The communities that are not doing well have a higher population due to lack of facilities and that has nothing to do with their religion, but with their living conditions. Sikhs, for example, have reduced to 1.5 percent of India’s population from 2 percent in 1990 because they are prosperous and enjoy better healthcare facilities.” He said that the data from various nations around the world, including India’s neighbors, explained the various policies and situations they faced and how the policies that coincided with Gandhi’s vision were able to succeed there. “India has improved in almost all spheres, be it gender inequality or law and order. Once we understand the data and grasp the situation, we can focus on real issues such as the environment,” he concluded. The department chairperson, Manish Sharma said, “The department holds such events in hopes of imbibing some of the principles of the Gandhian philosophy.’’
