BANGALORE: A number of citizens gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi Park on M G Road on Sunday to celebrate the birth anniversary of one of the world’s most respected peace icons. The event included walkathons conducted by various associations and a prayer gathering organised by the BBMP. Present at the festival were wife of Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda Datty S Gowda, Mayor Sharadamma and other important government functionaries. The Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) staff along with NSS volunteers from various colleges around the city organised a walkathon from the Mahatma Gandhi statue to Gandhi Bhavan. The walkathon was flagged off by Datty S Gowda. Speaking at the event, she said that national service should be carried out with a pure heart. The organisers also spoke against alcoholism and demanded that the sale of alcohol be banned in Karnataka. “We are here today to speak against division of people on religious and caste based lines, this is contrary to the vision the Mahatma had for India,” said Thimmegowda Y K, a NSS coordinator with the DSERT.The Senior Citizens Club of Bangalore also held a walkathon from the park to hotel Ajantha at the end of M G road. “I remember meeting Gandhi on the January 29 1948, one day before he was assassinated. It was a humbling experience to meet someone so great. I was a small child accompanying my father to meet Gandhi. The moment I saw him I was lost for words,” reminisced Rajshekar, a club member. “I was in 7th grade when Gandhiji came to Bangalore in 1948, the police took us away from our house in Shivajinagar and kept us in Yelahanka for a day, we still managed to walk back just to catch a glimpse of Gandhi,” said C K Raman, another member.Members of the Uniting All to Serve All Foundation thought of a unique way to spread their word. Three members sat on the footpath outside the park and offered free shoe polish service to visitors as part of their efforts to create unity across all classes of society. They were also protesting against politicians taking part in religious or caste based functions or donating money to such causes. The day also saw children from various schools being brought to the park to learn about Gandhi’s contributions to the country and also to garland his statue and pay their respects on the occasion.
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