Tushar Gandhi vows to defy state for secularism

Calicut University presents Gandhi Chair Award to Tushar Gandhi, who advocates for secularism and against sectarian forces in India.

The Chair for Gandhian Studies and Research, Calicut University, presented the Gandhi Chair Award of 2023 to Tushar Gandhi at a function held at Calicut University on Saturday.

“I will be an enemy of the state to preserve the secular Indian state,” said Mr. Tushar, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, accepting the award from Calicut University Vice Chancellor P. Raveendran.

“Kerala has consistently stood against hatred and sectarian forces, upholding the secular framework built by Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) and Baba Saheb (Ambedkar). A brutal suppressive authoritarian system is developing in India, and it must be checked,” he said.

Mr. Tushar said that there would be a time when those sectarian forces would disappear, but by that time the damage created would be severe. “The very idea of Hindu rashtra negates the secular Indian framework. They try to hoodwink the public through electoral vote banks,” he said.

Mr. Tushar said that the intellectual civil society was much above those vote banks. “We embrace everyone and we respect everyone. We respect the idea of difference and we live upon the same. It’s only recently that the fanatic forces were able to pierce our society. If we keep quiet, we too are part of the same vicious cycle,” he said.

Chair for Gandhian Studies and Research (CGSR) visiting professor R. Surendran aka Arsu presided over the function. CGSR coordinator P. Premarajan read out the words of felicitation. University registrar Dinoj Sebastian presented mementoes.

CGSR governing council member R.S. Panicker welcomed the gathering. Syndicate members L.G. Lijeesh, T. Vasumathi, T.J. Martin and P. Madhu, CGSR governing council members N.P. Hafiz Mohammed, T. Balakrishnan, and S. Radha spoke. R. Sreelata proposed a vote of thanks.