CENTRE FOR GANDHIAN STUDIES
ALPHONSA COLLEGE
PALA, KERALA
Annual Report
2015 – 2016
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Introduction
The Centre for Gandhian Studies in Alphonsa College, established with the assistance
of the University Grants Commission in July 2008, continued its efforts to promote an
understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals and philosophy during the year 2015-16.
Despite the lack of funds from the University Grants Commission during this year, it was
able to organise several programmes based on different aspects of Gandhian thought and
values.
Advisory Committee
The following were the members of the Advisory Committee of the Centre during
2015-16:
Rev. Dr. Sr. Jansamma Thomas, Principal, Alphonsa College.
Dr. M. S. John, Professor and Director, School of Gandhian Thought and Development
Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University and Editor, Gandhi Marg.
Dr. M.P.Mathai, Professor, Gujarat Vidyapith, and former Professor and Director, School of
Gandhian Thought and Development Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University.
Ms. Alleymol Sebastian, Associate Professor, Department of English, Alphonsa College.
Ms. Rosmy Kattoor, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Alphonsa College.
Dr. Teresa Joseph, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science; and Director, Centre
for Gandhian Studies, Alphonsa College.
Gandhi Forum
Gandhi Forum, an organisation of students functioning under the auspices of the
Centre for Gandhian Studies, strives to promote an understanding of the values and ideals
upheld by Mahatma Gandhi, and spearheads all the activities of the Centre. It provides an
avenue for the all-round development of members, with their active participation in all the
activities of the Centre. Members of the forum are also encouraged and deputed to participate
in programmes organised by other institutions that promote an understanding of Mahatma
Gandhi. During the academic year 2015-16, 98 students joined the Gandhi Forum. The
Executive Committee of the Forum was reconstituted and the following office bearers were
elected for the academic year 2015-16:
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President: Sharon Siby, II DC English
Vice President: Sreelakshmi J., I DC Zoology
Secretary: Sreelakshmi K.S., I DC History
Joint Secretaries: Nayana K.S., I DC Zoology, K. Swathy, I DC English and Dona K.M.,
I DC B.Com.
Library and Reading Room
Students of the institution made good use of the library of the Centre for Gandhian
Studies. The total collection of 1150 books in the library covers diverse themes that are
relevant to the ideas and philosophy of the father of the nation. These include a large
collection of books written on and by Mahatma Gandhi besides books on Indian history,
polity and society, international peace and security, women‟s studies, environmental studies,
human rights, etc. The Centre also has a collection of audio-visual CDs on Mahatma Gandhi,
his speeches, collected works, favourite music, etc. Several documentary as well as feature
films in both English and Malayalam on Mahatma Gandhi and issues of concern to him such
as communalism, international conflict, militarisation, etc. are also available at the Centre.
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ACTIVITIES 2015-16
Special Lecture: Can There Be Peace Between India And Pakistan?
A special lecture on the theme Can there be Peace between India and Pakistan? by
Prof. T.V.Paul, James McGill Professor of International
Relations, Department of Political Science, McGill
University, Montreal was organised by the Centre on 5
January 2016. Prof. Paul traced the background of the
conflict between India and Pakistan to the disputes over
property during partition which attained a
multidimensional context, so much so that the rivalry
became well entrenched as an enduring rivalry. The
question that remains is why this is still so. Prof. Paul elucidated the various factors that have
their implications for promoting enduring peace in the subcontinent.
Research Project
The Centre continued work on its on-going project on The Mahatma and Kerala: A Study of
Gandhi’s Social and Political Interventions. The project undertakes a historical account of
the same which has yet to be well documented in the academic literature on Gandhi. Denimol
Joseph was the Project Assistant appointed for this project.
Rediscovering Gandhi: Weekly Quiz Competition
The Centre continued to organise the weekly quiz competition on Mahatma Gandhi –
Rediscovering Gandhi. Questions relating to the father of the nation were put up on the notice
board of the Centre every Friday morning. Every week the questions focused on a specific
theme relating to Gandhi. Answers were placed in a sealed box below. Students securing the
maximum number of correct answers every month were declared the winners for that month.
Students securing the maximum number of correct answers for the entire year were awarded
first, second and third prizes.
Winners of Rediscovering Gandhi Quiz Competition 2015-2016:
I Sharon Siby, II DC Eng;ish
II Anet Mathew, II DC English
III Rajeswari Peethambaran, III DC History
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Women Empowerment and Personal Safety Workshops
Upholding Mahatma Gandhi‟s view that “when a woman is assaulted she may not
stoop to think in terms of himsa or ahimsa. Her primary duty is self-protection. She is at
liberty to employ every method or means that comes to her mind…. God has given her nails
and teeth, she must use them with all her strength,” the Centre organised a workshop on
women empowerment and personal safety
for students spread over two days – 7th
and 14th
February 2016, in collaboration
with Action Breaks Silence, a UK based
charity, CSK Kalari, Pala and Jana
Maithri Police, Pala. Debi Steven, world
renowned self-defence trainer; and
Founder and President of Action Breaks
Silence, led the sessions together with Flo
Robertson and Stephanie Highett of Action Breaks Silence, and K.P.Suresh of CSK Kalari
together with his team of twenty trainers. The programme was inaugurated by Sri. Babu
Sebatian, Circle Inspector, Pala and the Keynote Address was delivered by Ms. Debi Steven.
. Through a combination of motivational speaking and physical activity, the workshop
focused on creating awareness around sexual
and gender-based violence and its impact;
giving participants an insight into the minds of
violent or predatory men; equipping them to
handle situations when they are exposed to such
individuals; and teaching effective, reality-
based, self-defence skills. All the students of the
college participated in the demonstration
session where different techniques of self-defence were demonstrated and the students were
given one-to-one hands on training by the team.
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Promoting Eco-Friendly Self-Reliance: Paryaptha 2015
Paryaptha-2015, an exhibition cum sale of items made by students and teachers was
organised by the Centre on 25 June 2015. With the objective of promoting the Gandhian
vision of women empowerment and self-reliance as well as the vision of Alphonsa College to
create self-reliant and liberated young women,‟ the exhibition cum sale provided students
with the opportunity to „earn while they learn‟.
Restriction on the use of plastic carry bags,
plates and glasses reflected the overall
perspective of the Centre to promote
environment consciousness. 245 students put up
items for display/sale, which was arranged
department wise. A total amount of Rs. 32,324/-
was received by them by way of sales. Orders
were also placed for various goods and services. Some of the highlights of the exhibition
were glass paintings, embroidery items, ornaments, mehandi, garments, home décor items,
soft drinks and fruit juice, paper ornaments, paintings, handicrafts, artificial flowers,
handmade greeting cards and photo frames, organic fruits and vegetables, and various home-
made food items.
Gandhi Smrithi
Gandhi Smrithi, a series of literary competitions in both English and Malayalam was
organised by the Centre during the year. These included essay writing, poetry writing and
poster designing competitions.
Essay writing: “Impact of Gandhi on Contemporary Social Movements”
The competition was held on 7 October 2015 and Sona Maria Saju of III DC English and
Diya Mathew of II DC English won the first and second prizes respectively in the English
section and Salini Dennis of II DC English and Tiby Maria Thomas of II DC Maths won the
first and second prizes in the Malayalam section.
Poster designing: “Elimination of Violence Against Women: A Long Walk to Freedom”
The winner of the competition held on 5 February 2016 was Sruthy P.S. of III DC Botany.
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Poetry writing: “Gandhi, Our Father”
The competition was held on 5 February and Lekshmi Krishnan of II DC English, Swathy
Janardhanan of III DC Englsih and Sreelakshmi K.S, of I DC History won the first, second
and third prizes in the English section. Anika Chinnu of II DC English and Anet Treesa
Joseph of II DC English won the first and second prizes in the Malayalam section.
Eight Day Camp for University Students in Wardha
Two members of the Gandhi Forum – Liya Jacob and Carol V.Graham of II DC
English participated in the All India Inter University Students Camp at Institute of Gandhian
Studies, Wardha, Maharashtra from 23 to 30 December 2015. The camp included classes on
various themes relating to Mahatma Gandhi and on issues of concern to him. A PowerPoint
presentation about the camp was made for all Gandhi Forum members, at a meeting held on
21 February 2016.
Gandhi Jayanthi
As part of Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations the movie Gandhi by Richard Atttenborough
was screened for the students of the college on 30 September. A campus cleaning programme
was organised by the Centre in association with
the NSS. Members of the Gandhi Forum visited
each class of the college to speak about
Mahatma Gandhi and distribute the booklet on
the „Perils of Plastic‟ published by the Centre.
Posters on hygiene and sanitation were also put
up all over the campus on the occasion. As part
of the campaign by the Kerala Prohibition
Council to bring into effect Mahatma Gandhi‟s vision for the implementation of prohibition
in India, the Centre obtained the signature of 1056 students on a petition in this regard for
onward submission to the Hon. Prime Minister.
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Thought for the Day
In order to promote an understanding of Gandhian values among students, a quotation
of Mahatma Gandhi was put up on the notice board every morning as the thought for the day.
Quotations specifically focused on the all-round development of character, environment
consciousness, faith in God, duties and responsibilities of students, peace, non-violence,
sustainable development, women empowerment, etc.
Distribution of Mahatma Gandhi’s Autobiography to Members of the
Gandhi Forum
As was the practice over the previous years, all new members of the Gandhi Forum
were given a copy of Mahatma Gandhi‟s An Autobiography or the Story of My experiments
with Truth.
Donation of Books and Distribution of Mahatma Gandhi’s Autobiography
and Booklets to the Inmates of Sub Jail, Pala
Members of the Gandhi Forum collected 66 books from students and donated them to
the Sub Jail, Pala to help build up their library. The collection included books on motivation,
entrepreneurship, biographies, on Mahatma Gandhi,
short stories, novels, spirituality, Yoga, income
generation, jokes, alcoholism, magic, kitchen
gardens, general knowledge, etc. The books were
handed over to the Jail Superintendent on 3 March
2016. 43 students of the college visited the Sub Jail
on this occasion and also handed over a copy of
Mahatma Gandhi‟s autobiography as well as copies
of booklets on alcoholism, living with nature, right to information and the perils of plastic
published by CGS to all the inmates of the jail.
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BEST PRACTICES 2015-16
Inculcating Gandhian values among students
By organizing invited lectures, exhibitions, quiz competitions, etc. on Mahatma
Gandhi and issues of concern to him.
By displaying a Gandhian thought for the day on the notice board of the Centre
every day.
By distributing booklets published by the Centre on issues of contemporary social
concern.
By organising women empowerment and personal safety programmes for students.
By deputing students to the Institute of Gandhian Studies, Wardha, Maharashtra to
participate in the ten day inter-university camp for students.
By organizing community outreach programmes based on Gandhian ideals such as
distribution of CGS booklets on the hazards of plastic, green living, problems of
alcoholism, etc.
Fostering environmental consciousness
By organizing relevant programmes such as Paryaptha and invited lectures.
By using eco-friendly products for all programmes.
LINKAGES ESTABLISHED DURING 2015-16
Action Breaks Silence, U.K.
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CGS IN THE MEDIA
Deccan Chronicle, 15.1.2016
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New Indian Express, 15.1.2016
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Malayala Manorama, 15.1.2016