The State government has come up with an initiative to get children familiar with the Gandhian ideology. On Gandhi Jayanthi, the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) will launch Gandhiji’s Message to Children, a 100-page collection of quotes meant specially for children.
B.G. Gujjarappa, popularly known as Gujjar, has worked on the illustrations in the project. “I worked for nearly a month on this volume and chose the best quotes of Gandhi that would influence children to follow his path of truth and self reliance, besides quotes on value of education,” said Mr. Gujjar.
The Kannada version — Kiriyarigagi Gandhiji Sandesha — will also be released at a function at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru on Monday to confer the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Award to veteran freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy.
According to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the book will be of great help to children in their collective grooming. Gandhi’s life by itself was an open book.
“I wish Gandhi’s lifestyle, truthfulness, tolerance and self reliance will be the guiding light for children,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in his message.
On several occasions, Gandhi had touched upon principles that children could inculcate in their day-to-day activities. DIPR director P.S. Harsha noted that Gandhian ideology was very much relevant to children today.
Gandhiji-Chalavali Baluvali, the Kannada translation of Gandhi: His Gift of the Fight by Jehangir P. Patel and Marjorie Sykes will also be released. Journalist and writer Khadri S. Achyutan has translated the work for DIPR.
“Gandhiji Chalavali Baluvali describes the impact of Gandhi’s personality on Jehangir P. Patel and Marjorie Sykes, who are from different backgrounds. The authors' personal contacts with Gandhi were chiefly during the last 10 years of his life, but with sufficient historical background,” said Mr. Achyutan.