Advisor to the Governor, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, today called upon the youth to uphold and spread the Gandhian values of truth and non-violence to achieve a just, humane and harmonious society.Addressing students and faculty members here at an Intra-University Elocution Contest, organized by the Cluster University Jammu (CLUJ) to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti, the Advisor exhorted upon youth to imbibe and live by the values propelled by the Father of the Nation. He asserted that values enunciated by him shall be relevant at all times, present and future.The Advisor stated that Gandhiji’s model for economic development of the country particularly that of the poorer sections was still relevant and that the world was also moving away from the belief in big corporations to small enterprises and startups. He also dwelt upon the Gandhian message of swachta and asked students to continue to campaign for all round swachhta in the country.The Intra-University Elocution Contest was organized by the Office of Dean Students Welfare, Cluster University of Jammu on the topic “Remembering Mahatma Gandhi: Relevance of Gandhian Thought in Contemporary Times.”Earlier, Prof Anju Bhasin Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu welcomed the Chief Guest Advisor Ganai and other guests and deliberated on the need of organising such contests to acquaint the youth of today with the teachings of the impeccable Icon-Mahatma Gandhi. She also gave a brief record of the achievements of Cluster University of Jammu in the preceding year and further informed that the University envisions to develop a road map to enhance both academic research and excellence and also promote entrepreneurship and employability.
Prof. Poonam Dhawan, Dean Academic Affairs, Dr Jatinder Khajuria, Registrar CLUJ, Prof. Z A Hashmi, Controller Examination, Deans of Schools, Principals of Constituent Colleges and Coordinators of Schools of Cluster University of Jammu also graced the event.Prof. Archana Kaul, Chairperson Campus Cultural Committee introduced the elocution contest and gave a detailed preview of the event. Ten participants from constituent colleges and PGI Schools of Cluster University participated in the Elocution Contest and shared diverse views on the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.The jury members for the Elocution Contest were Ms. Seema Shekhar Khajuria, Advocate General to J&K Government and a social activist, Prof. Rita Munshi, Former Principal, Higher Education and Prof. Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi, Head, School of Languages and Literature, SMVDU.Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor, Kashmir Times and Pradeep Dutta, Senior Editor, Times Now Channel, Jammu were the Observers for the event. Anuradha Bhasin, appreciated the efforts of the University in carrying forward the legacy of the father of Nation through such an enlightening programme. She emphasized that tolerance forms the strong base of any society and that is imperative for the young learners to imbibe the Gandhian values of peace and brotherhood for promoting communal harmony.
Pradeep Dutta, in his observations hailed the speakers for their brilliant presentations. He exhorted the young learners to follow the path of non-violence and truth shown by Gandhiji. He also stressed on the need of emulating the life and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi to augment a better tomorrow and also to become responsible and morally upright citizens.An enchanting Cultural programme was also presented by the students of Constituent colleges of Cluster University which showcased the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi through a Skit, Mime and Bhajans.Kaneez Fatima, (GCW Gandhi Nagar), Riya Gupta (Govt. SPMR College of Commerce) and Shariq Bashir(Govt. MAM College) secured first, second and third prizes respectively.The event was coordinated by Dr. Sunil Uppal and Dr. Banpreet Kour, Associate Deans, Students Welfare with the active support of the Cultural team comprising of Prof. Aekta Gupta, Prof. Baljinder Kour, Dr. Reena Salaria, Prof. Savita Jamwal, Prof. Sandhya Sankhyadar with the assistance of the Departments of Music, GCW and MAM Colleges headed by Prof. Renu Sehgal and Prof. Kuldeep Raina. The event was conducted with the support of Prof. Sudanshu Sharma, Prof. Nirlape Kour, Dr. Karan Singh and their teams. The Student anchors for the event were Visha Dogra and Ayushi (School of Arts).Dr. Twinkle Suri, Dean Students Welfare delivered the formal vote of thanks. The programme concluded with the recital of national anthem by the participants and guests.