‘Gandhi, Tagore believed in Sarvodaya’

Dr Talat Ahmed from Edinburgh Napier University said both Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore believed in ‘Sarvodaya’ and ‘Vishwabharati’ as their central philosophies.

“They both were anti-colonial, nationalists, and looked at the world as a Sarvodaya Samaj.”

She was delivering the keynote address on the topic ‘A Samaj and Swaraj for the 21st Century’ in the collaborative international conference on Gandhi and Tagore under the theme ‘Samaj and Freedom(s) - the Relevance of Gandhi and Tagore’s ideas today’, organised by School of Communication (SOC), MAHE and Edinburgh Napier University.

MAHE vice chancellor Dr Vinod Bhat spoke about the popularity of Tagore and Gandhi across 150 countries. He highlighted many similarities and differences that marked the lives and achievements of the two personalities.

Dr Bhat emphasised on the impact of the two personalities on audiences across generations, specifically in shaping the freedom struggle.

It was but natural for the two intellectuals to have their differences, a topic which made the current conference an engaging platform for spirited discussions.

Dharwad based Gandhi Peace Foundation President Dr Sanjeev Kulkarni said Gandhi and his ideals can be observed in all walks of life even today. Dr Binod C Agrawal, Mentor, Media Research Center, School of Communication, highlighted the vast scope of research with respect to Gandhian and Tagorean principles.

Dr Blanka Knotkova Capkova, Head of the Department of Asian Studies, Metropolitan University, Prague, delivered a talk on ‘Women’s Rights as Human Rights in Rabindranath’s Poems’.