T'puram: Gandhi Peace Bus completes trip

Thiruvananthapuram: The Gandhi Peace Bus, an innovative trip taken out by the Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (KGSN) to give a first-hand feel of Gandhian principles to the young, has concluded its first outing. The team of senior Gandhians from KGSN and the 30-odd youngsters who had joined them in the trip are an enthused lot and thinking of sharing the experience with the less fortunate ones who could not make it for the journey.

The Gandhi Peace Bus had taken off from Kanyakumari and had travelled through all the places where Gandhiji had once set his foot on or stayed overnight or addressed a public gathering. The voyage took 14 days and ended in Mangalore.

The participants, who reached the city last weekend and dispersed to their own places, in different parts of the State and outside, will converge at Gandhi Bhavan here on July 10 to share their experiences about the journey. And to brainstorm on how to take the experience to the grassroots-level, in their respective neighbourhoods and foster a change, albeit in a small way.

According to KGSN representative, the trip was a highly motivating experience. The participants have brought out articles about their experiences in the trip which will be circulated at the meeting. The KGSN has prepared some leaflets on the trip which would also be distributed.

‘’The experience was an enriching one, that gave the participants too a feel of Gandhi and his ideals. But hearing it from them would be another kind of experience for others, which is what we are planning next week,’’ said N Nanukuttan, KGSN member.

The trip had nine members from outside Kerala too - three each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, one from Jalandhar and two from Delhi. The members from Kerala who participated in the trip will meet on July 10 at Gandhi Bhavan to plan the future course of action.

The basic idea would be to form small groups in their respective areas and take the message of Gandhi - or whatever experience they earned from the trip - to the public. What else could be done to fruitfully use the journey would also be thought about.