Mangalore, August 9: The Mahatma Gandhi Peace Foundation observed 'Quit India Day' on Thursday at Tagore Park, in the city to mark 70th anniversary of Quit India Movement.
Delivering the inaugural speech at the programme, Commissioner of Mangalore Urban Development Authority Ajith Kumar Hegde S. said that Quit India Movement was one of the milestones in the history of Indian freedom struggle.
“After the Cripps' Mission was sent to India by the British, Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders of Indian National Congress decided to call for a mass protest demanding an orderly British withdrawal from the country. A 'Quit India' resolution was passed on August 7, 1942, and Gandhi gave a call for 'Do or Die'. Thus, the Quit India Movement was born and the Indian tricolour was hoisting for the first time on August 9, 1942. Although the movement was not successful, Gandhi's call found support among a large amount of Indians,” he said.
Comparing the past situation to the present one, he said that one of the most important reasons why the British were opposed was the large amount of wealth transported to England. “A similar situation can be seen now where a particular group wants to bring back the money deposited in Swiss banks by Indians. After 65 years of independence, we see ambiguity in our freedom. While on one side the country has advanced in various fields, on the other side freedom has not reached the people at the grassroots,” he said.
Corporator of Mangalore City Corporation Ranganath C. Kini said that there was a need to unify people with a 'Knit India' Movement in the present day. He also said that students coming to Mangalore from other places should be brought together on the same platform.
In his presidential address, President of Mahatma Gandhi Peace Foundation (MGPF) A. Sadananda Shetty said that in this competitive world, students should shape the future by rendering service to the society.
He said that while the country had reached international levels in various fields like technology, education, agriculture and medicine, incidents like the recent home-stay attack in the city caused hindrance to the country's progress. Not the police, but the politicians are to be blamed for such incidents, he said.
Ajith Kumar Hegde hoisted the Indian flag at the park while students from various schools looked on. MGPF Secretary Dr. N. Ismail welcomed the gathering, while Joint Secretary B. Prabhakar Shriyan proposed a vote of thanks. MGPF Treasurer P. Sadananda was present on the occasion.
Patriotic singing and elocution competitions were held for students from schools across the city. Students from as many as 25 schools took part.
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