Sri Vijaya Puram, October 2: Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dr Dinesh Sharma, on Friday called upon Islanders to draw inspiration from the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and work towards building an inclusive, clean, united and sustainable Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Addressing a programme organised on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and Shastri Jayanti, Dr Sharma said the lives and principles of the two national leaders continued to hold relevance for the country and should be translated into action in everyday life.
Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of truth, non-violence and selfless service, the Lt. Governor said Gandhi’s ideas had transcended national boundaries and continued to inspire people across the world. He said Gandhi believed in practising what he preached and made personal conduct the foundation of his public life.
Dr Sharma particularly highlighted Gandhi’s emphasis on cleanliness, recalling that the Mahatma did not merely call upon people to maintain sanitation but personally undertook cleaning work, including cleaning toilets, to demonstrate that cleanliness and dignity of labour must begin with the individual.
He said the cleanliness campaign launched at the national level under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had transformed sanitation into a mass movement. Cleanliness, he emphasised, could not remain the responsibility of government agencies alone and required the active participation of citizens.
To illustrate Gandhi’s approach to personal discipline, Dr Sharma narrated an anecdote involving a mother who approached Gandhi seeking his intervention to persuade her child to give up an unhealthy habit. Gandhi asked her to return after some time rather than immediately advise the child. When she returned later, Gandhi finally gave the child the advice. Asked why he had delayed the advice, Gandhi reportedly explained that he himself had first needed to overcome the habit before asking the child to do so.
Dr Sharma said the episode reflected an important principle of Gandhi’s life — that leadership required individuals to first practise the values they expected others to follow.
Referring to Gandhi’s vision of an inclusive India, the Lt. Governor said the Mahatma sought to take people of all communities together. He said the country could progress only when people rose above caste and religious differences and worked collectively in the national interest.
Dr Sharma also paid tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastri, recalling his leadership during the 1965 India-Pakistan war and his reputation for simplicity, humility and integrity. He said Shastri’s life remained an example of how public office could be used with discipline, sincerity and dedication to the nation.
The Lt. Governor said Gandhi Jayanti and Shastri Jayanti should not be viewed merely as occasions for paying ceremonial tributes but as opportunities to renew the commitment to the values represented by the two leaders.
Turning to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dr Sharma emphasised the need to protect the archipelago’s unique biodiversity while ensuring that development remained relevant to local communities.
He called for greater attention to the conservation of wildlife, birds and other species as well as the protection of the Islands’ ecological wealth. At the same time, he stressed that development initiatives should create meaningful employment and opportunities for Islanders and remain sensitive to the needs of indigenous tribal communities and local residents.
Dr Sharma said the Islands had the potential to move towards a new development model that combined economic opportunities with environmental conservation. Protecting biodiversity, he said, should remain an integral part of the Islands’ development journey.
Calling for a “new Andaman”, the Lt. Governor urged people to work together beyond caste and religious identities and place national interest and collective welfare above individual differences.
He said the ideals of Gandhi and Shastri provided a strong foundation for such a journey and called upon Islanders to convert the tribute paid to the two leaders into a collective pledge to uphold unity, cleanliness, service, environmental responsibility and inclusive development.
Dr Sharma concluded by urging the people of the Islands to move forward together and strengthen the spirit of unity and collective responsibility that, he said, remained central to the vision of both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri.
