Jammu, December 20 (Scoop News) – The Governor, N. N. Vohra, today underscored the need for propagation of Gandhian philosophy for further cementing the bonds of brotherhood, communal harmony and peace in the State and all over the country.
The Governor was interacting with a 36-member group of the Gandhi Parikrama for Global Peace, who called on him at Raj Bhavan here today. The Parikrama being organized by the Gandhi Global Family with a view to spreading the Gandhian message of peace, harmony and brotherhood, had started from Kanyakumari on 17th October this year and will culminate at Kanyakumari on 30th January, 2011, after covering a distance of about 18,000 kilometres. The Parikrama has so far covered a distance of about 11,000 kilometres across 18 States.
The Governor called upon the participants of the Peace Parikrama to act as ambassadors of Jammu and Kashmir and inform the people elsewhere in the country about the true situation in the State. Referring to the Amarnathji Yatra, he observed that over 4.50 lakh pilgrims had visited the Holy Cave ne this year and the Yatra had proceeded in a peaceful manner with the cooperation and full support of all the stakeholders and the people at large.
The Governor suggested to the participants of the Parikrama that they should try, on their way back to Kanyakumari, to have interactions with the students as well as the religious institutions, as such exchanges can go a long way in effectively spreading the message of peace, amity and communal harmony. He also called for members of the Parikrama writing articles on their experiences across the country and documenting of their activities during the Parikrama. He lauded the initiative of the Gandhi Global Family for dissemination of Gandhian thought, adding that it is the crying need of the hour.
The Governor was presented the national flag, which the participants of the Parikrama had been carrying during the 11,000 kilometres covered by them so far. They also presented to him Angvastra and a set of Gandhian literature.
The President, J&K State Branch of the Gandhi Global Family, S. P. Varma, said that the Peace Parikrama rally had entered Jammu and Kashmir on 7th December and reached Jammu last evening after traveling through Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Anantnag, Srinagar, Baramulla, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch, spreading the message of Gandhian thoughts and peace and harmony among the people. He said that during the second phase of the Parikrama, on the return journey, they would cover the western states of the country.
A noted Gandhian from Tamil Nadu, P. Maruti, gave a detailed feedback to the Governor about the Parikrama and the interactions they had had with the people of various States, including in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that 20 Gandhian workers are accompanying the rally right from Kanyakumari, and the others join them in the State through which the Parikarma has travelled.
The Principal Secretary to the Governor, R. K. Goyal was present on the occasion.