Gandhian Natwar Thakkar will attend the ‘Guest of the Month’ program of Guwahati Press Club tomorrow (September 2). The interactive program will begin at 3 pm. Member-journalists are requested to participate in the program.
Natwar Thakkar, who was born to Gujarati parents at Dahanu, has made Nagaland (and Assam) his home place. He has dedicated his life for the mission of promoting goodwill and emotional integration through voluntary social service on Gandhian lines among various ethnic groups of the region.
Thakkar, when he was only 23 years old, went to Nagaland in 1955 and established the Nagaland Gandhi Ashram under the auspices of Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangha at Chuchuyimlang.
Initially it was a risky period for Thakkar and even he was in hit-list of some insurgent outfits there. But Thakkar and his Naga wife Lentina survived.v They have today four children (two sons and two daughters).
Thakkar with his Gandhi Ashram continues encouraging the local people for various development and income generating activities like Bee-keeping, Gur making, Oil ghanis, Biogas Plant, Mechanised carpentry workshop, Khadi sales centres etc. Thakkar is honoured with Padmashri Award (1999), Diwaliben Mehta Award (2001), Jamnalal Bajaj Award (1987), Indira Gandhi Award (1994), Meghalaya State Mahatma Gandhi Award (1996) etc.
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