“Gandhi is eroding from the society and vanishing from the hearts slowly,” said Bellare Government College Kannada Professor Dr Narendra Rai Derla.

Speaking at the Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations held at Gandhi Peace Foundation in Tagore Park on Tuesday, Dr Derla said that once upon a time talking about Gandhi was synonymous to speaking about India and vice-versa but today the situation has changed as many have forgotten Gandhi in wake of modernisation.

Talking about Gandhism and Gandhian way of life, Mr Derla opined that India today stands for all that Gandhiji opposed during his life time.

“Gandhiji supported traditional agriculture wherein the farmer was self dependent. He knew the techniques and the technology well. But with modern agriculture invading India, the farmer has become a foreigner in his own terrain,” he added and said that according to Gandhiji modernisation kills agriculture but much against this belief, India is the biggest buyers of insecticides and pesticides from different countries.

He said that Gandhiji had always emphasised on the need to be in contact with the land. 
But unfortunately today owing to mechanisation and modernisation, we are drifting away from the land, which has led to degradation of moral values.

He said that the prevailing situation in the district invariably demands the teachers to take up the role of the police.

Along with teaching, the teachers have to keep a close vigil on the students to see to it that they are not the next victims of the communal riots.

Rama not the same
Dr Derla said that the Rama who has today become the cause for fights and riots is not the same Rama that belonged to Gandhiji.

He said that the Rama and the Ramarajya that Gandhiji spoke of was not a prerogative of a person or a party.
But the Rama who is hitting the headlines today for all wrong reasons has become a party’s property without his own knowledge.

Mahatma Gandhi Peace Foundation President K Purushottam Shetty, Honoraray President Octavia Albuquerque were present.