Dakshina Kannada district administration observes Gandhi Jayanti

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 2, 2026: The Dakshina Kannada district administration and Zilla Panchayat jointly observed Gandhi Jayanti at Rajaji Park in the city on Friday.

Tributes were paid to Mahatma Gandhi by garlanding his statue with khadi and offering floral tributes.

Legislative Council member Manjunath Bhandary, speaking on the occasion, said Gandhi’s life itself was an example for others. He noted that Gandhi not only expressed his views but also listened respectfully to others and treated every individual with dignity. This quality, he said, helped Gandhi emerge as a leader of the country’s freedom struggle.

Karnataka Minimum Wages Advisory Board chairman T.M. Shaheed, Eco-Tourism Board chairperson Shalet Pinto, and Ganiga Development Corporation chairman Vishwas Kumar Das also spoke at the event.

Deputy Commissioner Darshan H.V., Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Superintendent of Police Arun K., Assistant Commissioner Meenakshi Arya, Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey, DCP Sam Varghese, DDPI Shashidhar, and Bharat Seva Dal leaders Basheer Baikampady and T.K. Sudheer, among others, were present.

The programme included an all-faith prayer and renditions of Gandhi’s favourite bhajans, including Raghupati Raghav Rajaram and Vaishnava Janato. Special editions published by the Information Department to mark Gandhi Jayanti were also released during the programme.

Prizes presented to Bapuji essay competition winners

Prizes and certificates were presented to students who emerged winners in the district-level essay competition organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations as part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations.

The competition was conducted for students from high schools, pre-university colleges, and undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The dignitaries on the dais congratulated the winners and wished them success.

Officials from various departments, school and college students, and members of the public attended the programme in large numbers.

District Information Officer Khader Shah welcomed the gathering, while Saiduddin compered the programme.