ITANAGAR, 2 Oct: Gandhi Jayanti, marking the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, was celebrated across the state on 2 October.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu celebrated the occasion in Mago, India’s first village towards the Tibet border in Tawang district, along with defence personnel near the border.
Sharing a photo on X, Khandu said that he was accompanied by Gajraj Corps General Officer Commanding, Lt Gen Manish Erry, MP Tapir Gao, MLAs Phurpa Tsering and Nyato Dukam, ZPC Leki Gombu, public leaders, and officials.
Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda also accompanied the chief minister.
“Warmly welcoming the esteemed Bollywood personality, Randeep Hooda, as he brings his presence to the captivating Tawang. We are filled with delight to have him join us during our visit to the border areas, where we will commemorate Gandhi Jayanti alongside the courageous jawans dedicated to safeguarding our borders,” the chief minister said on X.
Khandu also paid tributes to the Father of the Nation.
“Remembering with reverence Father of the Nation on his jayanti. His message of non-violence, peace, justice and truth remains as relevant today as it was during his time, a timeless path to lasting change. Humble tribute to great soul!” he added.
In Itanagar, Governor KT Parnaik paid tributes to the Father of the Nation at the Raj Bhavan.
Parnaik called upon the people to imbibe the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, particularly his virtue of simplicity.
He said that Gandhi believed in ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’, and advocated love for all living things.
The governor said that Gandhi was a very secular person, honest to the core, and lived a simple life. “He was disciplined and always promoted it in all his activities,” Parnaik said.
The governor also paid tribute to former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary.
He said that Shastri was known for his honesty and humility throughout his life and his popular slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’.
Urban Development Minister Kamlung Mossang along with Chief Secretary Dharmendra paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi during a programme organised at the Gandhi Udyan here.
The minister also flagged off a cyclothon for ‘garbage-free India’, which was followed by flagging off a walkathon from Gandhi Udyan to Indira Gandhi Park here.
The programme also featured inter-faith prayers by members of all religions, and a cleanliness drive.
The urban local bodies (ULB) directorate, in collaboration with the urban development & housing department and the Itanagar Municipal Corporation, organised a cyclothon to mark the day. Fifty cyclists took part in it.
Further, more than 500 students from various schools participated in a walkathon, starting from their respective schools and concluding at IG Park.
A comic book titled ‘Chaha Chaudhary and Swachh Arunachal Pradesh’, published by the ULB directorate, was launched on the occasion to educate and inspire the youths vis-à-vis cleanliness and civic responsibility.
The state BJP also celebrated the day at Bank Tinali here, where leaders of the party paid floral tributes to Gandhi.
The party organised cleanliness drives in various parts of the state capital, which culminated at the Thupten Gatselling monastery here.
Furthermore, members of NGOs Youth Mission for Clean River and Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society, in collaboration with the urban development & housing department, ‘Smart City Itanagar’, and the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC), took part in a cleanliness drive along the Yagamso ‘river’ in IG Park to mark Gandhi Jayanti, they informed in a release.
“A staggering total of 315 bags filled with garbage and debris were removed from the river, effectively contributing to the rejuvenation of this vital water body. The IMC provided trucks to transport the garbage to the Hollongi dumping ground,” they said.
Rajiv Gandhi University’s (RGU) International Centre for Gandhian and Peace Studies (ICGPS) marked the day by organising a national workshop on ‘Gandhi and world order: Reflecting messages from his life’ in the university campus in Rono Hills.
Speakers included Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha, History HoD Prof PK Nayak, retired IAS office Dr J Suresh Babu, retired professor SN Singh, Hyderabad (Telangana)-based GKF managing trustee Dr Prasad Gollanapalli, RGU Registrar Dr NT Rikam, Finance Officer Prof Otem Padung, Social Sciences Dean Prof SK Chaudhuri, Academic Affairs Dean Prof PK Panigrahi, and ICGPS deputy coordinator Dr Tajen Dabi.
Students, faculty members, officers and staffers of the NERIST in Nirjuli also participated in a cleanliness drive to mark the day. A plantation drive was also organised in the institute’s campus.
Jollang-based Don Bosco College organised a cleanliness drive from Jully jail to the NES secretariat to mark the day, in collaboration with the Jollang panchayat. Seven hundred students of the college took part in the drive, which was flagged off by ICR DC Talo Potom.
In East Siang district, the Jawaharlal Nehru College fraternity celebrated the day in the college auditorium, where Principal Dr Tasi Taloh exhorted the college fraternity to follow the Gandhian path of non-violence and truth in all aspects of life.
“Gandhian principles talk not only about how humans should treat other humans; it also encompasses how human beings should treat other living beings and their own environment with care and compassion,” he said.
Hindi HoD Dr HN Pandey also presented a speech on the significance of the day.
Meanwhile, local MLA Kaling Moyong and DC Tayi Taggu felicitated the sanitation workers of the Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) for their tireless service, to mark Gandhi Jayanti.
Moyong, along with PMC Councillor Okiam Moyong Borang, ADC (HQ) Oli Perme, Pasighat Smart City CEO Dr Manjuli Komut, DDSE Odhuk Tabing, and PMC MEO Pandov Perme, among others, paid floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
A cyclothon, covering Silluk, Ngopok, Mebo, and Raneghat was also organised by the administration, in collaboration with the PMC, the Pasighat Smart City Development Corporation Ltd and the Swacch Siluk Abhiyan.
In West Siang district, the day was celebrated at the deputy commissioner’s office complex in Aalo.
Floral tributes were paid to the portrait of the Father of the Nation.
Deputy Commissioner Penga Tato appealed to the people of the district to “maintain the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” and urged them to follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and maintain harmony among various religions.
ZPC Tumpe Ete also spoke.
In Kra Daadi, cleanliness drives were organised across the district as part of the Gandhi Jayanti celebration. In headquarters Palin, DC (i/c) Yame Higio, along with office staffers, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
In Tirap HQ Khonsa, a ‘peace walk’ from the taxi stand to Nehru Stadium was organised to mark Gandhi Jayanti. Hundreds of people from all walks of life participated in it.
Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated also in Tezu (Lohit) and Koloriang (K/Kumey) by the district administrations. (With inputs from PTI, Raj Bhavan & DIPROs)
