The Governor while interacting with the students, said, “Gandhiji,  who fought against British rule and brought freedom to India,  is an inspiration to all of us.”

The Gandhian ideal encompassed the principles of dignity of  labour, equitable distribution of wealth, local self-sufficiency and the practice of non-violence, he said.

Pointing out that Tamil Nadu was always close to Gandhiji’s heart, Purohit said it was important to recall that when Gandhiji started the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, there were initially 25 inmates, 13 of who were Tamilians. 

Gandhiji had visited Tamil Nadu 20 times between 1896 and 1946, he said, and added that during his first visit in 1896, he tried to learn Tamil and bought nine Tamil books for the purpose.