Gandhi's principles will continue to be guiding light to overcome challenges facing humanity: Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi: In a world where incidents of terrorism and heinous crimes have shaken people up, one must remember Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of not losing faith in humanity, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday. He also said that in a world raven with social, political, economic as well as environmental problems, the revival of Gandhian ideals is the need of the hour.

Naidu, who last week tested positive for COVID-19 and is under home isolation, made these remarks in a video message at an online event organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs on "Gandhi and the world". Noting that the world is facing one of the biggest health crises in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, he recalled that when the world experienced a similar challenge in 1918 during the Spanish Flu, Gandhi spoke about the need to understand the pain of all people, especially the poor and the underprivileged.

Naidu said that while social distancing, sanitizing personal and public spaces and wearing masks have become important norms today, it might be apt to recall what Gandhi said during the pandemic then. Gandhi had urged people to follow norms to curb the spread of the pandemic. He said in these truly testing times, people must extend a helping hand to the needy and mitigate their hardship. "As stated by the Mahatma of the need to understand the pain of the people during the Spanish Flu, the present times call for empathy and not sympathy towards the poor," he said.

Naidu asserted that Mahatma's views and principles will continue to be the guiding light for overcoming various challenges facing humanity, from promoting sustainable development and self-reliance to combating terrorism. Citing Gandhi's famous quote that "there's enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed", the vice president emphasised the need for sustainable development at a time when increasing environmental exploitation is spelling disaster.

Scholars from South Africa, Myanmar, Russia, Singapore, Oman, Sri Lanka, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Uzbekistan and China participated in the webinar, an official statement said.