Abstract
The Orient has been the nursery of the philosophy of non-violence. Buddha and Mahaveera established the tenets of non-violence and Mohandas K. Gandhi, Mahatma, Bapu, as we call him defined its application as a method of change and as passive resistance. 'Non-violence is the weapon of the brave not a shield for cowards.' Those who were not courageous enough to put their faith in the efficacy of non-violence and are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to reaffirm their faith and belief should rather openly embrace violence. Bapu's non-violence was never dogmatic. He believed that the true adherent of non-violence adopted this ideology as a way of life - as a natural life practice because they were convinced of its efficacy and did not see it merely as an imitation or an attempt to please someone else. This talk draws on several significant incidents in the life of Bapu which demonstrate his complex views on duty, violence and non-violence. One of these incidents comes from his travels in Bihar and the other relates to his views on dealing with insurgency in Kashmir. In several other instances Bapu had also counselled violence but he refused to personally ever flinch from the path of nonviolence and lead his life as the laboratory of the application of non-violence.
About the Speaker
Tushar A. Gandhi, is the great grandson of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi -- the father of the Indian independence movement. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi's second son, Manilal Gandhi. Tushar A. Gandhi is the founder of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, which was set up in April 1997 with the objective of establishing a digital archive of multimedia materials related to Mahatma Gandhi and making it freely available over the Internet. The archival exercise is nearly complete and will be hosted at www.mahatma.org.in and www.mahatmagandhi.org.in. His first book 'Let's Kill Gandhi!', a detailed account of the murder of Mahatma Gandhi was published by Rupa & Co in 2007. The book is also available in Marathi translation and an abridged Gujarati translation is in the pipeline. He holds a diploma in Printing Technology from the Government Institute of Printing Technology, Sir J. J. School of Arts, Mumbai. He was appointed President of 'Lok Seva Trust', a voluntary organisation engaged in running educational and legal aid programs for the unemployed former textile mill workers in Central Mumbai.
