Children of the world must be taught about non-violence: Seychelles prez

The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi were still relevant, Seychelles President Danny Faure said here today, adding that the principle of non-violence should be taught to children across the world. The visiting leader of Seychelles also paid rich tributes to the icon of India's freedom movement.

Faure, who landed in Gujarat last evening as part of his India tour, visited the Sabarmati Ashram today, where Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1930.

"The principle of non-violence is what we need to teach the children of our world and what was expressed by Gandhi many years ago remains relevant even today -- an eye for an eye will make the world blind," the president of the island nation wrote in the visitors' book at the ashram.

Ashram trustee Kartikey Sarabhai and secretary Amrut Modi showed him around the premises, which house an archive, an exhibition centre and the "Hriday Kunj", the place where Gandhi used to live.

"Faure showed a keen interest about the life and times of Gandhiji. He sought to know why Gandhiji chose Ahmedabad and what exactly did he do during his long stay here.

"He also wanted to know the details about the Dandi March (a civil disobedience movement against the British rule), which was started from the ashram," Modi told reporters.

Faure also tried his hands on the spinning wheel (charkha) at the ashram and understood the process of producing Khadi strands.

He was gifted two books on Gandhian philosophy by the ashram. In return, Faure gifted a book on his country, Modi said.

Earlier, Faure visited the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIMA), where he held a meeting with the institute's director, Errol D'Souza. He also visited the heritage campus of the top business school, a release from the IIMA said.

From the Sabarmati Ashram, Faure headed to the Gujarat Forensic Science University (GFSU) in Gandhinagar, where he interacted with 18 police officers from Seychelles who are undergoing training at the institute.

Faure was apprised of the various facilities at the GFSU such as the Cyber Defence Centre, the Ballistic Research Centre and Asia's first bulletproof testing unit for armed vehicles, a release from the university said.

Impressed by these facilities, the president expressed willingness to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between his country and the GFSU in the cyber defence and security sector, the release added.

Before leaving for Goa, Faure, along with his delegation, visited the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar, where Governor O P Kohli hosted a lunch for him.

Faure's visit comes on the heels of his government's announcement earlier this month that a joint project with India to develop a naval base at Seychelles' Assumption Island would not move forward.