Mahatma Gandhi’s message still relevant: Vayalar Ravi

DURBAN - Mahatma Gandhi’s message is still relevant today with discrimination on basis of race, caste, tribe, language and gender being current issues globally, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Saturday at an Indian diaspora conclave here.

“Gandhiji can help us to see the truth, simple as it is,” he said, paying his tribute to Gandhi, the guiding figure of India’s freedom struggle, on his 141st birth anniversary.

“Let me quote from the famous Malayalam poet Vallathol who said that Gandhiji contains the Christ’s principles of sacrifice, Krishna’s wisdom and Prophet Mohammad’s determination, Ravi said on the concluding day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-Africa (PBD-Africa).

The conclave is organised by the Indian government to engage with the overseas Indian community across the globe and to build bridges with them and their host countries.

The PBD-Africa was held Oct 1-2 in the International Convention Centre in Durban.

The convention in Durban deliberated on the Indian diaspora in the African region specially focusing on South Africa owing to the 1.2 million-strong Indian community in South Africa.

Five plenary sessions were held at the International Convention Centre on the second day of the conclave Saturday.

The session on the ‘Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the 21st Century’ was also addressed by Gandhi’s granddaughter Ela Gandhi and Justice Moosa Ebrahim of Zimbabwe.

All speakers underlined the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the context of his inspiring legacy and influence of his philosophy and principles of non-violence, non-cooperation and truth-based resistance around the world.

The second session on ‘Business Opportunity Africa’ was addressed by South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who spoke on the increasingly important role of Africa and India in the emerging world economic order.

During the third session ‘Youth and Gender: the Knowledge Economy and Social Development’, India’s Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeshwari in her keynote address asked youth of Indian origin to participate in the growth of India and of Africa to build a better future.

The fourth session on ‘Diaspora’ focused on ‘Heritage in the Context of Globalisation’, and recommended greater cooperation in research and studies of the diaspora of both India and Africa across the world.

Ending the convention, Ravi urged the participants to attend the 9th PBD Convention to be held at New Delhi Jan 7-9, 2011.

PBD 2011 will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. President Pratibha Patil will give the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards to selected overseas Indians Jan 9.