Sarvodaya Day was solemnly observed at the Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women here, with speakers highlighting the enduring relevance of Gandhian values and their application in contemporary society.
Delivering the presidential address, Dr Gowri Ramakrishnan, Assistant Managing Trustee of Avinashilingam Educational Trust Institutions, stressed the importance of Gandhian ideals and said the institution continues to closely follow and practise the principles advocated by Mahatma Gandhi in its academic, social and community initiatives.
The Sarvodaya Day message was delivered by Dr V. Kulaindhaisamy, former Principal of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, and former Registrar of Gandhigram Deemed University. Speaking on Gandhian philosophy and Sarvodaya, he emphasised the dignity of labour and said the welfare of the individual is inseparably linked to the welfare of society. He also recited his poems “Gandhiyum Kavidaiyum” and “Vizhudilla Azhamaram” as tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and the institution’s founder Dr T.S. Avinashilingam Ayya.
At 11 a.m., a one-minute silence was observed in memory of Mahatma Gandhi and the martyrs of the freedom struggle, followed by the administration of the pledge by Vice-Chancellor Dr V. Bharathi Harishankar.
Students from various disciplines, including school students, spoke on Gandhian values and principles. Prizes were distributed to winners of competitions organised in connection with Sarvodaya Day. Dr Sashi Prabha Jain, Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences, welcomed the gathering, while Dr Raichel M. Sylus, Professor and Head, Department of English, delivered the vote of thanks.
