Birth Anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri celebrated in Sharnbasva University
KALABURAGI; The Vice Chancellor of the Sharnbasva University Prof Anilkumar Bidve said that the memorable visit of Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1927 to the Sharnabasaveshwar Shrine and Kalaburagi city and the historic meeting of the Father of the Nation with the 7th Peetadhipathi of the Sharnabasaveshwar Samasthan Poojya Doddappa Appaji would be celebrated as a Centenary year of the visit during 2026-27 on a grand scale.
Speaking after offering poojas to the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to commemorate the Birth Anniversaries of both the personalities in the main campus of the Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi city on Wednesday, Prof Bidve said that the visit of Mahatma Gandhi in the year 1927 to the Shrine and meeting with Poojya Doddappa Appaji was a very special occasion for the Samasthan and the entire region.
After the attack on the Sharnbasaveshwar Shrine by the forces of the then ruler of the Hyderabad Province Nizam in the year 1924, Mahatma Gandhi who was then in Belagavi to participate in the AICC session deputed his two confidents to visit Kalaburagi to have the first hand information about the attack. “The Hindu”, National English Daily in its edition dated September 04, 1924 in its report said Mahatma Gandhi expressing his anguish and shock over the attack on the shrinewrote in “Young India” edited by him “whatever the Hindu provocation,if there was any, the Mussalman outburst has an ominous look about it.
The desecration of temples cannot be justified in any circumstance what soever. The true Hindu – Muslim unity requires the Mussalmans to tolerate, not as a virtue of necessity, not as a policy but as part of their religion—the religion of others so long as they the later believe it to be true. Even so it is epected of Hndus to extend the same tolerance as a matter of faith and religion to the religions of others, no matter how repugnant they may appear to their, the Hindus’ sense of religion. The Hindus must therefore reject the idea of retaliation.”
Prof Bidve noted that Gandhiji on his volition had come to Kalaburagi city on 22nd February, 1927 to pay his obeisance to Lord Sharnabasaveshwar and console Poojya Doddappa Appaji for the loss suffered in the attack on the shrine in 1924. After addressing the devotees on the sprawling complex of the shrine and expressing his condemnation of the attack, later called on Poojya Doddappa Appaji and consoled him .
He said both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri were ideal leaders of the country who practiced in their life what they preached and followed a simple life till their last breath.
Registrar of the University Prof S G Dollegoudar in his address for the life and ideals followed by both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri should be model for the present generation and the non violence practiced by Mahatma Gandhi was the answer for all the present problems. It was unfortunate that the values of non violence and communal amity preached and practiced by both the leaders were given a go by by the present generation .
Chairperson of the English Department Prof Kaveri Kamshetty proposed vote of thanks.