Gandhi Institute brings message of nonviolence
• Posted by GandhiServe Foundation on January 31, 2011 at 11
http://rocnow.com/article/local-news/2011101310316
By James Goodman - JGOODMAN@DemocratandChronicle.com
Mohandas Gandhi, more commonly known as Mahatma which means “great soul”, organized nonviolent protests that eventually freed
The
As volunteers with M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence at
Gardella, 21, is a UR senior from San Diego and Mendez, 20, is a junior from
The importance of their mission became all the more apparent because on the same morning of their visit, funeral services were being held across the street for
Located on the
“Conflict is an endemic part of our lives. It’s not going away. But trained people can deal with conflict in a constructive way,” said Amy Shuster, of
The local Gandhi institute has established several such programs, while operating on a shoestring budget and moving on from a controversy that led to the resignation of Gandhi’s grandson, Arun, as president of its board.
At noon today, a ceremony at the
“I would like people to seriously consider how to become more active in reducing violence,” said Kit Miller, 48, who has been director of the institute for the past 16 months.
Gandhi connection
The local institute, while a nonprofit organization legally separate from
Arun Gandhi and his wife Sunanda established the institute that bears his grandfather’s name in 1991 at
In 2007, the institute relocated to the
But the following January, Arun Gandhi found himself at the center of controversy when he said in a Washington Post blog that Jews “overplay” the Holocaust for sympathy and that “Israel and the Jews are the biggest players” in a global culture of violence.
In the uproar that followed, Gandhi said that, while he intended to “generate a healthy discussion,” his initial comments were “couched in language that was hurtful and contrary to the principles of nonviolence.”
He resigned as president of the institute’s board.
In an interview last week, Gandhi said that he felt forced out. He believed that if he didn’t resign, the institute would not be allowed to stay on campus.
UR President Joel Seligman said back then that Gandhi’s resignation was “appropriate.”
Gandhi, 77, of Brighton, has since started a new group that is establishing schools for underprivileged children — with the first now being set up in
A dynamo
Arun Gandhi’s departure from the institute created uncertainty about the organization’s direction.
But Miller’s arrival, after a nationwide search, in September 2009 has re-energized the institute.
“She has been a dynamo,” said UR Dean of Students Matthew Burns, who is also on the institute’s board.
Miller is a peace and justice activist with national ties but local roots.
“Gandhi said that if you are really to make lasting peace, you start with the child. We take that seriously,” said Miller, who previously was director of the Bay Area Nonviolent Communication group, based in Oakland, Calif.
A native of
But she also became active in peace and justice circles here and later helped establish the local chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
“I actually define myself as having Catholic hard drive and Buddhist software,” said Miller.
Although the institute operates with three full-time staff on a budget of $82,000 — most of which comes from
While Miller plans to keep close ties with
In addition to teaching seminars and classes on Gandhi, Miller helped two
Miller did not personally know either
At today’s event at the
© 2011 Created by GandhiServe Foundation.
Donations can be sent to the
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
No comments:
Post a Comment