NEW DELHI: In 1946-47, Mahatma Gandhi spent more than three months in Noakhali, now in Bangladesh, dousing the flames of communal violence that had engulfed the district. Almost 70 years later, a Gandhian is trying keep the Mahatma's memory alive in Noakhali by upholding non-violence and working for the poor and the minorities.

On Thursday, the work done by Naba Kumar Raha, director of the Gandhi Ashram Trust in Noakhali, was recognized in the capital, when he was conferred the G Ramachandran-Ikeda Award for 2014. The award is named after two international peace activists.

Raha, 51, has for decades been associated with Noakhali's Gandhi Ashram Trust, an organization formed during Gandhiji's visit to the district. His work has touched the lives of 1.2 million families in and around Noakhali through training programmes, workshops, dialogues and interactions with the community.

The Trust has also become a shelter for the poor, particularly the minority Hindus.

Raha is also well known in Bangladesh as an active campaigner for human rights and good governance.

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Originally posted here:
Gandhian from Bangladesh gets peace prize