Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Tunisian politico

Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi, president of Ennahda party of Tunisia, was awarded for Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India

A Tunisian politician, who is promoting Gandhian values in his country, was among those felicitated at the 39th Jamnalal Bajaj Awards 2016 on Monday.

Mumbai, India - Nov. 7, 2016: (L to R) Dr. Manga Devi ,Mohan Hiralal, Rahul Bajaj, Justice Dharmadhikari and Shekh Rached Ghannouchi during the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Annual Awards at NCPA in Mumbai, India, on Monday, November 7, 2016. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi, president of Ennahda party of Tunisia, who was awarded for Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India, said he was influenced by the “strategy” Gandhi chose to help India gain independence. “Violence is a problem and needs to be dealt with at the earliest. We need Gandhi and his principles now more than before,” he said. “Reaction to violence eases your task. Not succumbing to the temptation of violence was what our non-violence revolution was about.”

(From left) Dr Dr Nannapaneni Manga Devi, Mohan Hirabhai Hiralal, Rahul Bajaj, Justice (retd) Dr Chandrashekhar Dharmadhikari and Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT )

Justice (retired) Dr Chandrashekhar Dharmadhikari was the chief guest at the function and did the felicitation honours as finance Minister Arun Jaitley cancelled the visit. The awards were presented to four personalities in four different categories.

“Before Gandhiji was assassinated, and after the country gained political freedom, all 18 programmes he conducted were for ‘Swarajya’-- which is good governance,” Dr Dharmadhikari said, adding, “Gandhiji never used words like freedom and independence.”

Mohan Hirabhai Hiralal received the award for ‘Outstanding contribution in the field of Constructive Work’. He said, “In a race of upmanship and progress, the rift between poor and rich has gone beyond control. Violence and terrorism has become a major obstacle.”

Dr Nannapaneni Manga Devi received the award for ‘Development and Welfare of Women and Children’ while Bonbehari Vishnu Nimbkar received the award for ‘Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development’.