Gandhian gets Birla award

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 22.

For 89-year-old freedom-fighter and staunch Gandhian, Ms. Saraswathi Gora, the ``GD Birla Award International Award for Humanism - 2000'' comes as a tribute to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and all those who have been striving hard to bring equality in society.

Speaking at a Gandhi Peace Foundation function organised to felicitate Ms. Gora here today, the social revolutionary, who has been striving perpetually for eradication of untouchability, caste system and superstition, said the first thing she did after getting the award was to visit Rajghat and Gandhi Smriti to seek the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi.

``We, the members of Gandhian family, are working in different fields in our own different methods. But with all sincerity, we are trying to reach a common goal of equality in society -- the dream of the Mahatma,'' said Ms. Gora.

Ms. Gora, who is also the recipient of Jamnalal Bajaj Award, Janki Devi Bajaj Award, Challagalla Award, Basava National Award and Telugu University Award for Rationalism, is chief patron of ``Arthik Samata Mandal'', a centre working towards rural reconstruction in over 100 tribal hamlets covering 50,000 population of Suryapet and Chivemla in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh.

Ms. Gora said through her centre, she had been striving towards comprehensive development of rural areas, which included enhancement of value system and ideals. ``We face many difficulties in implementation of our programmes in terms of economic and social cooperation. But we keep on striving to eradicate poverty, untouchability and casteism that have gripped the society,'' she asserted.

What India required was to fulfill the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of ``Sampoorna Gram Swaraj'' (village self-sufficiency) of sustainable development, she said. ``We also need to do away with parties which are bane in the path of nation's progress they it give nothing but leave people divided,'' said Ms. Gora.

The Gandhian, who is also the co-founder of Atheist Centre, has been touching various aspects of people's problems in the last seven decades. Stressing the need for a campaign to end superstition attached to eye donation, Ms. Gora said: ``We are not ready to donate eyes even after our death. We need to fight this and ask people to donate, as their small step can bring light in the lives of numerous countrymen,'' she exhorted.

Referring to globalisation and modernisation, Ms. Gora said the fruits of these positive changes should reach the downtrodden. She called for empowering women, educateing children and giving rights to those who have been oppressed. ``The need of the hour is another non-violent revolution for upliftment of the poor and deprived sections,'' she added.

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