The Tamil Research Centre of Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College, Madurai, organised a special lecture titled “Gandhi for Us” on Monday, October 12, 2026, under a charitable trust established by the Tamil Nadu Khadi and Village Industries Board Pensioners’ Association. The trust was established under the leadership of L. Govindarajan, former treasurer of the college.
The event began with a welcome address by Dr. C. Gayathri Devi, Head of the Tamil Research Centre. College Principal Dr. A. Ramasubbaiya delivered the presidential address.
College Chairman M. Vijaya Raghavan, Secretary S. Ira. Sridhar, Treasurer A. Azhwarsamy, Vice-Presidents Ira. Jayaram and Ko. Sampath, and Assistant Secretaries N. Surendran and Ro. Rengaraj attended the event and delivered felicitations.
Dr. P. Thirugnanasambandham, the event coordinator, introduced the chief guest, Sunil Krishnan, a physician specialising in Ayurveda, a neo-Gandhian from Karaikudi and recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar.
Delivering the keynote address on “Gandhi for Us,” Sunil Krishnan said Gandhi continued to engage with people even today, beyond his identity as the Father of the Nation and a freedom fighter.
Gandhi's words, “My life is my message,” reflected his belief that life itself should be an experiment in truth, he said. Gandhi had treated his entire life as a laboratory of experiments and honestly documented his experiences. He was also willing to challenge prevailing historical narratives and continuously reconsider his own positions.
Describing Gandhian thought as an antidote to the excesses of the present era, the speaker stressed the importance of adopting Gandhi's ecological ideas and leadership qualities in everyday life.
He concluded by urging students to take inspiration from Gandhi's life and writings to achieve success in their own lives.
The programme was compered by A. Sivakumar, a second-year Physics student. Professors Ko. Devibhooma, Dr. T. Mallika and S. Muniyasamy of the Tamil Research Centre also participated.
Assistant Professor Dr. P. Thirugnanasambandham made the arrangements for the event. Around 350 doctoral researchers and students of the Tamil Research Centre attended and benefited from the programme.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by V. Monica Yazhini, a doctoral research scholar at the Tamil Research Centre.