Addressing the gathering, Prof N Radhakrishnan, Chairman of the Indian Council of Gandhian Studies, New Delhi, dwelt on how violence and terror have made deep inroads in all spheres of our lives. Instead of accepting these as routine facts, steps should be taken to identify the factors and structures of violence in personal and public life. He said that terrorism has become a global phenomenon, and India is being threatened by both external and internal forces in organised terrorism.

Prof Radhakrishnan that non-violent alternatives have to be adopted and a collective all-out effort involving educational, social, political and economic institutions needs to be implemented towards keeping both violence and terror under control.

Professor Ashvini Agrawal, Chairman, Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, and the former Dean of Arts Faculty, Panjab University, in his presidential speech observed that Gandhi has become all the more relevant in today’s world torn by violence.