Thu Jan 30 20:10:33 IST 2025: ## Mysuru Marks Martyrs’ Day Amidst Calls to Reclaim Gandhi’s Legacy
**Mysuru, January 30, 2025** – Members of several organizations, including the Federation of Progressive Organisations and Janandolanagala Mahamaitri (JMM), observed Martyrs’ Day on Thursday as a day of mourning to commemorate the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948. The groups gathered near the Gandhi statue to pay tribute with devotional songs (bhajans).
The event served as a platform to criticize what the JMM and other organizations described as the distortion of Gandhi’s image by Hindutva elements and communal forces. They argued that these groups have hijacked Lord Rama’s image, which was important to Mahatma Gandhi, for their divisive agendas.
Organizers emphasized the urgent need to rededicate themselves to Gandhi’s philosophy of truth, non-violence, and peace. They called upon citizens to actively counter the communal agendas of organizations like the RSS, Hindu Mahasabha, and VHP, which they accuse of glorifying Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin. The groups further condemned the glorification of violence by those portraying themselves as nationalists.
Separately, the Centre of Gandhian Studies at the University of Mysore held a Sarvodaya Day event, featuring a lecture on Gandhi’s continuing relevance.
First Piper 