Relevance of Gandhi's values increasing all over: Pradhan

Mumbai, May 22: Former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, R D Pradhan has said the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi's values and teachings has increased across the globe in the last few years.

"Gandhiji's values and relevance have increased world over in the last 15-20 years. Even the US President today admires Gandhiji's values," Pradhan said here yesterday while releasing the Marathi edition of a book titled 'Gandhi's Outstanding Leadership', authored originally in English by former Indian diplomat P A Nazareth. Pradhan said during his first posting as an IAS officer in Ahmedabad in 1953, he got acquainted with the teachings of the Father of the Nation.

"We used to regularly visit the Sabarmati Ashram where I spent hours looking at an old charkha he used to work on which was still there. And I used to wonder, how did Gandhiji, with that charkha, brought about a revolution in India.

Because his only weapon was the music of the charkha. And with that, he organised a movement, which was essentially based on Khadi clothes," he said. On the occasion, Nazareth said as a young officer, he had gone all over the world proudly proclaiming that religious tolerance was India's gift to the world.

"In the latter part of my career, when I saw what was happening in my country, I couldn't believe this, where deliberately, communal hatred was being poured in the politics of India for political reasons. Every party was blaming one another. But everyone knew it in one way or other," he said.

Often people asked if Gandhi was still relevant and after seeing people around the world bringing about a change in society inspired by the great leader, he thought about writing a book on him, the author said.

"The world has brought itself to such an absolutely dreadful situation, where all the arms and weapons of mass destruction have been accumulated. It just needs a short circuit somewhere, so Gandhiji's values are not only relevant but important than ever before," he said.

Responding to a query by PTI, he said he did not support the previous UPA government's move to bring in FDI in retail as it will throw a lot of people out of business. However, he supports Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi's development model. "Modi wants every person to be involved with development and I strongly support it...it is a very Gandhian approach," he added.

PTI