'Mahatma Lives': UNESCO, DD Join Hands for TV Show on Gandhi's 150th Anniversary

New Delhi: Rarely heard audio clips of Mahatma Gandhi will be featured as part of an hour-long television programme jointly hosted by the UNESCO and Doordarshan to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, officials said on Monday.

The bilingual programme - 'Mahatma Lives'/'Bapu Zinda Hain' - will be telecast on October 1 at 10 pm and repeated on October 2 at 5 pm across the country on DD News, they said.

"Rarely heard audio clips of the Mahatma will remind us vividly of his thoughts and philosophy, focusing specifically on education, culture and the sciences. The clips include his speech from 1947 (November 29) in which he addresses corporate leaders and exhorts them to give wealth for welfare of the society," a UNESCO India official told PTI.

"Another clip will be about Gandhi talking about music," the official said.

Other clips include his speech on the caste system and eternal set of duties (Sanatam Dharam) on June 7, 1947, in which he had said,

"Untouchability and discrimination is not the right way of living. It is not easy to follow Santam Dharam," the UNESCO said.

While delivering his thoughts on the power and effect of generosity on June 12, 1947, Gandhi had said, "Believing in blow for blow or tit for tat approach is not a noble thought. Today, we have to win evil by doing good, we should speak the truth and be generous," it said in reference to another clip.

The programme seeks to celebrate his ideas and teachings and how it has shaped the lives of people in the country and around the world, she said.

"Eleven speakers from different walks of life, age and background have been chosen to share with the audience their personal experiences and achievements, and how they have integrated the Mahatma's vision and applied his principles into their work and daily lives," the UNESCO official said.

The programme will be jointly hosted by UNESCO New Delhi Director Eric Falt and renowned academician and historian Pushpesh Pant, the UNESCO said.

"Bapu, as he is so affectionately called in India, is perhaps the most influential person of the 20th century and still inspires the old and the young today as we will see in our programme," Falt said.

The UNESCO said the programme will help "discover or rediscover the Mahatma's teachings about different themes and contemplate how aspects of Gandhi's legacy remains relevant in todays times, not just to India but to the world".