Mangalore: Third Edition of  P A Nazareth’s Book on Gandhi Released

Pics: Ganesh S Perla
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Sep 8: The third edition of  “Gandhi’s Outstanding Leadership” authored by retired diplomat Pascal Alan Nazareth was released on Tuesday September 7 by Chevalier Clarence Pais, at a programme held at St Aloysius High School Hall. The author who is the alumnus of St Aloysius High School, was felicitated on the occasion by Rector of St Aloysius College Fr Joseph Rodrigues. 

Speaking after the release of his book, the author Pascal Alan Nazareth recalled his high school days in the 131-year-old St Aloysius Institution and said the education that he received in the school helped  him to a great extent in shaping up his life.  “Education is not just information. It is the channel for discovery and this institution has helped me achieve it,” he stated.

He said the book “Gandhi’s Outstanding Leadership” is the result of his efforts to revive the contributions of Gandhi to the world and also to re-emphasize his relevance in today’s world. “Gandhi is much more relevant in today’s world which is afflicted with war, terrorism, violence and religious intolerance.  Religious tolerance was Gandhi’s gift to the world. The carnage of Sikhs, the demolition of the dispute site at Ayodhya and the attack on places of worship in my own country, in my own Mangalore made me realize that Gandhi is much more relevant to us and the best way to show that is to bring out this book with an emphasis on Gandhi’s leadership, his values and ideals,” he declared.  
 
He blamed the political parties saying they are deliberately injecting poison into politics in our country to gain political mileage, which is the most wicked thing to do.  “Lighting a candle is better than cursing darkness and I decided to do what I could do in the form of this book,” he said, and added, “If we can find solutions to the problems faced by the world through non-violent means the armed forces will be more grateful to our country because they are the ones who sacrifice their lives for safeguarding the country.” 

He also said that 9/11 incident has shown that even the weak can hit back and that too with devastating effect and this is where Gandhi’s relevance in the form of truth and non-violence is needed. "That is why when the British left India they left as friends and not as enemies. Gandhi’s greatness lay in the fact that he procured independence to the country for transformation of relationship and not for power," he said.

He also said that Naxalism is emerging as a major threat in our country  due to inequality, the way we are governed and also the despicable way of functioning by our elected representatives. 

Addressing the gathering after releasing the book Chevalier Clarence Pais stated that Pascal Alan could not have selected a better topic than to write about Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation. “Mahatma Gandhi is the man of all seasons and all times. In today’s world of increasing chaos only Gandhian values of truth and non-violence can save our country,” he pointed out. He congratulated the author (who happens to be his nephew) for his efforts to emphasize the relevance of Gandhi today. 

Earlier, Justice Saldanha, president of Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK) who introduced the author to the distinguished guests termed him as 'Mannina Maga' (son of the soil) and 'Karavali Putra' and said the book has brought the author back to his roots. Justice Saldanha said that Pascal Allan was known not only for his competence and brilliance but also for his integrity and no-nonsense attitude and the book is a reflection of these qualities in him. 

Rector of St Aloysius college Fr Joseph Rodrigues who spoke soon after felicitating the author said non-violence is the need of the hour and that is what makes Gandhi relevant today. Quoting the example of Brindanwale and his killing, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the violence unleashed on Sikhs he said “violence begets violence and non-violence is the only way out of the present predicament we find ourselves in”. 

Dr Urmila Shetty, Allan B and Patsy Lobo read extracts from the book. Fr Melwin Pinto, headmaster, St Aloysius High School in his welcome address also emphasized the relevance of Gandhi and said that he wants the students of the school to imbibe the values propagated by Gandhi.

Dr N Ismail, secretary, Mahatma Gandhi Peace foundation was present on the occasion. The programme was jointly organized by Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK), Rachana and the Sarvodaya International Trust.