Prisoners to appear for exam on Gandhian thought

MUMBAI: To spread the message of Gandhigiri among inmates of the Thane central prison, an examination on Gandhian thought will be held on Tuesday, covering 182 inmates.

The Gandhi Peace Exam is a part of different programmes jointly organised by Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, Gandhi Study Centre, Birla College, Kalyan to celebrate 100 years of Gandhiji's first Satyagraha, TRK Somaiya of the Mandal said.

"Today, violence and terrorism is not a problem of a single nation, but it has become a global threat. The only solution to this violence, prevailing in India and abroad,
lies in the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi", he said.

The prisoners will appear for the exam, which covers phases based on Gandhi's books, 'My Experiments with Truth' and 'Gandhi Bapu' in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati.

The purpose of the exam is to evoke a sense of regret among the prisoners for their crimes and make them realise the power of non-violence, he said.

In a two-week exercise preceding the examination, the prisoners attended orientation lectures that explained the Gandhian ideologies of non-violence and truth. The internationally acclaimed film 'Gandhi', made by Sir Richard Attenborough was also shown to them.

The exam would be of an hour's duration containing 80 objective questions carrying 80 marks. The prisoners will also be asked to write how the exam benefited them.