Mokokchung, Nagaland: Breaking the
monotony, Gandhian philosophy has taken firm roots in a
little-known village in Nagaland -- a state which has become
synonymous to violence and militancy now.
Chuchuyimlang village in Mokokchung district hosts the
Nagaland Gandhi Ashram, which has been rendering valuable
services to the underprivileged on Sarvodaya ideals ever since
it was founded in 1955.
A brainchild of Gandhian Natawar Thakkar, the ashram has
been recognised by the IGNOU as a provider of services to the
poor and the needy.
The IGNOU joined hands with Thakkar, a follower of
Sarvodaya leader late Kaka Saheb Kalelkar, to open the Mahatma
Gandhi Institute of Education and Development (MGIED) last
August.
To begin with, a wing of the MGIED called Mahatma Gandhi
Centre of Social Work has started operating, offering a
two-year course of Master of Social Work.
The first batch of 17 students, including six girls,
drawn from Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, appeared for the
second semester exams in late May.
At present the centre is being run with four contract
faculties. It is planning to offer Bachelor of Social Work
course from the academic session 2011-12 onwards on hired and
rented accommodation, MGIED project director Dr R
R Singh said.
The institute, which is at present run in the Ashram
premises, will be gradually shifted to the new complex being
developed in a compact area of 230 acres donated by the
Chuchuyimlang Village Council free of cost, Thakkar said.
PTI
