Mahatma Gandhi News Digest, Germany : Issue for May 7 – 13, 2007
Gandhi warns of non-physical violence
The Sault Star – Canada – May 14, 2007
The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi told delegates at a conference on children and domestic violence that violence doesn’t have to be physical.
“We cannot claim that we are not violent because we don’t go around beating up people,” Arun Gandhi told the International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence in this southwestern Ontario city.
“We are violent in many other ways,” Gandhi told the crowd of 700, which included experts on violence prevention. He called teasing, name calling and looking down on others passive violence.
Earlier, Gandhi asked half the participants to make a tight fist and pretend they held a diamond. He then told the others to try to get the diamond out.
“How many of you (simply) asked the person to open their hand?” Gandhi said as they pulled on their partners’ fingers. “You see how violent we are.”
Gandhi, 74, said he was greatly influenced by his grandfather, one of the most revered supporters of non-violence in the last century. Gandhi grew up in South Africa where his father continued his grandfather’s non-violence movement.
There, he was beaten by whites for being too black and by blacks for being too white. Frustrated by these beatings, the young Gandhi grew angry.
His parents sent him to live with his grandfather in India at age 12 so he’d learn revenge isn’t the answer to abuse.
Tagore and his contemporary politics
Bangladesh-web.com – USA – by Mohammad Gani – May 11, 2007
How do we see Galileo, Newton, Einstein and Tagore as politicians or did they ever engaged, took side or participated in any politics in its real term? Well, their political lives though were not that luminous, the answer is yes and they surely did not come off with flying colors as they did in their other fields with international prides and fames.
For example, Einsteins life was divided between politics and equations and most of us knew his politics of nuclear bomb as well as his famous letter to President Franklin Roosevelt. Einsteins political activities started during First World War when he was a professor in Berlin and was sickened by what he saw as waste of human lives, became involved in anti-war demonstration. His post war efforts to prevent nuclear war are also well known. His advocacy of civil disobedience and post war international reconciliation efforts did not make him any popular and actually his politics later were making it difficult for him to visit/enter US, even to give lectures.
His second great cause was Zionism. Though he was Jewish by decent, Einstein rejected the biblical idea of God. However, a growing awareness of anti-Semitism during and after the First World War made him an outspoken supporter of Jewish Community. His minds free speech on his theories also came under attack; an anti-Einstein organization was even set to repudiate and assault him. At one point, a man was convicted of inciting others to murder Einstein that ended up with $6 (six dollars) fine! In 1933, Hitler came to power and Einstein was in America and decided not to return to Germany. His efforts towards peace achieved little except only few friends. However he was duly recognized in 1952 for his support for Jewish cause and was offered Presidency of Israel. He declined it, perhaps; equations were more important to him, knowing very well that Politics is for the present but an equation is something for eternity.
Background: The Indian Independence Movement was a series of revolutions empowered by the people of India put forth to battle the British Empire to a complete political independence. It began with many organizations like the Sepoy Mutiny or Rebellion of 1857, reaching its climax with Indian National Congress, All India Muslim League, Mahatma Gandhis Quit India Movement (1942-1945) and Subash Chandra Boses Indian National Army invasion of British India during World War II and culminating eventually in full freedom on August14/15, 1947.
Kabi Guru Rabindranath Tagore was not deeply or visibly involved in any Party politics but never detached himself from maneuvering actively with current political events either. His political views marked complexities to characterize when he joined Swadeshi Movement in 1906 with the Indian National Congress, a Hindu-dominated political organization supported by the Calcutta elite against Lord Curzon. He strongly voiced against the partition of United Bengal and fiercely and forcefully opposed the division of Bengal in his essay published in Bangadarshan. All India Muslim League supported Lord Curzon for historical reason and voiced against Swadeshi Movement.
Tagore was uniquely complex in his attitude towards nationalism. He inaugurated the meeting of the Congress party that took place in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1896 by singing Bande Mataram to his own tune. He composed his celebrated piece Shivajis Utsav at that time and was inspired by the Shivaji Festival introduced by Maharashtras Balgangadhar Tilak. In his many articles like Sadhana, Bangadarshan, and Bharati, he passed many intransigent opinions and views on many contemporary political situations. In 1925 he stated that British imperialism was not a primary evil but only a political symptom of our social disease. He urged Indians to accept that there can be no question of blind revolution, but of steady and purposeful education. Such views inevitably enraged many, placing his life in danger.
During his stay in a San Francisco hotel in late 1916, Tagore narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Indian expatriates; the plot failed only because the would-be assassins fell into an argument. Yet Tagore wrote songs lionizing the Indian Independence Movement and renounced his knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in13 April 1919. Tagore was also the key in resolving a Gandhi-B.R.Ambedkar dispute involving separate electorates for untouchables. Though Tagore wrote for the movement of self-rule, he never supported extreme nationalism or terrorist activities and had disputed admirations for Netaji Subash Chandra Bose as a leader of Indian Independence.
Gandhi and Tagore severely clashed over their totally different attitudes toward political philosophy, culture and science. In January 1934, Bihar was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people. Gandhi was then deeply involved in the fight against untouchability; and extracted a positive lesson from that tragic event. He argued, A man like me cannot but believe this earthquake is a divine chastisement sent by God for our sins; in particular the sins of untouchability. For me there is a vital connection between the Bihar calamity and the untouchability campaign. Tagore equally abhorred untouchability and had joined Gandhi in the movements against it, but fulminated against Gandhis interpretation of this event that had caused suffering and death to so many innocent people including children and babies. He also hated the epistemology implicit in seeing an earthquake as caused by ethical failure. He wrote It is all the more unfortunate because this kind of unscientific view of natural phenomena is too readily accepted by a large section of our countrymen.
Tagore was predictably hostile to communal sectarianism, such as a Hindu orthodoxy that was antagonistic to Islamic, Christian, or Sikh perspectives. Even nationalism seemed to be a suspect to him because of his attitude toward traditional Indian culture over broad cultural diversity. He wanted Indians to learn what is going on elsewhere, how others lived, what they valued, and so on, while remaining interested and involved in their own culture and heritage. Unlike Gandhi who promoted traditional Indian culture, Tagore was not dismissive to Western civilization. It could be found in his advice to Indian students abroad and in his letters wrote to his son-in-law (1907) Nagendranath Gangulee who had come to USA to study agriculture.
Rabindranath rebelled against the strongly nationalist form that the independence movement often took. This approach made him to refrain from taking particular active part in any contemporary politics. He wanted to assert that Indias right to be independent without denying the importance of what India could learn freely and profitably from abroad would not compromise traditional Indian culture.
Tagores criticism of patriotism is a persistent theme in his writings. In 1908, he expressed his position clearly in a letter replying to the criticism of Abala Bose, the wife of a great Indian scientist, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live. His novel Ghare Baire (The Home and the World) has much to say about this theme. In this novel, Nikhil, who is keen on social reform including womens liberation, but cool toward nationalism, gradually loses the esteem of his spirited wife, Bimala, because of his failure to be enthusiastic about anti-British agitations, which she sees as a lack of patriotic commitment. Bimala becomes fascinated with Nikhils nationalist friend Sandip, who speaks brilliantly and acts with patriotic militancy and she falls in love with him
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Tagore also was not invariably well-informed about international politics. He allowed himself to be entertained by Mussolini in a short visit to Italy in May-June 1926. It was arranged by Carlo Formichi, a Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Rome. During that visit Tagore wished to meet Benedetto Croce, an Italian Philosopher/ politician, but Prof. Formichi called it Impossible! Mussolini told Tagore that Croce was not in Rome. As Tagore continued insisting and said, I would go wherever he is. Mussolini then said to him that Croces whereabouts were unknown!!
Warnings from Romain Rolland, a French writer and Nobel Prize in literature in 1915 and other friends should have ended Tagores brief involvement with Mussolini more quickly than it did. But only after he received graphic accounts of the brutality of Italian fascism from two exiles, Gaetano Salvemini and Gaetano Salvadori and learned more of what was happening in Italy. Tagore did publicly denounce the regime and published a letter to the Manchester Guardian in August 1926. The following month Popolo dItalia a magazine edited by Mussolinis brother, replied: Who cares? Italy laughs at Tagore anyway and also at those who brought this unctuous and insupportable fellow in our midst.
Feroz Abbas Khans Gandhi My Father at Seattle International Film Festival
ScreenIndia.com – India – by Uma da Cunha – May 11, 2007
The long-awaited debut feature film by leading theatre director, Feroz Abbas Khan and produced by star-producer Anil Kapoor, is finally on the way. The film will first be seen at Americas largest film festival held in Seattle, Washington, held May 24 to June 17 the Seattle International Film Festival announced its full programme on May 10, which contains four entries that relate to India. Three of these are festival favourites that signify the years best work: Rajnesh Domalpallis Vanaja, John Jeffcoats Outsourced and Jasmine Dellals Gypsy Caravan. However the exception is an Indian film not seen before: the festival will hold the world premiere of the feature film, Gandhi My Father. This film has several unusual features.
Firstly, the film marks the entry of leading theatre director/actor Feroz Abbas Khan into the world of films. Feroz has to his credit several landmark theatre productions in India. Gandhi My Father marks his debut feature, a film that transports the true story of Mahatma Gandhi and his rebellious son Harilal on to the screen. Feroz Abbas Khan has written the script based on painstaking research and study.
Secondly, this film has been produced by the entrepreneur star-producer Anil Kapoor. His company Anil Kapoor Films is charting new courses in todays cinema, by backing films that are different, challenging and thought-provoking. Gandhi My Father relates to an emotional, high-pitched era in Indias recent history. It takes one of the most revered figures from that time to look at the ramifications that true greatness and ideals can have on a personal front at home and within the family.
Thirdly, the film has taken character actors from the theatre and screen to play its key roles. Darshan Jariwala plays the role of Mahatma Gandhi, Akshaye Khanna plays his son Harilal Gandhi, Shefali Shah is Kasturba Gandhi and Bhumika Chawla plays Harilals young wife, Gulab.
Directed and scripted by Feroz Abbas Khan, Gandhi My Father is an incisive depiction of the relationship between the pure idealist Mahatma Gandhi and his wayward and wanting eldest son, Harilal Gandhi. It is set against the backdrop of Gandhis political career in South Africa and later his struggle for Indias Independence. Harilal lived in his fathers shadow, craving to be part of his fathers extraordinary commitment and drive. His constant exclusion led to his roaming the streets of India in various garbs and changing his beliefs and goals at every turn. He turned into a rebel, converting to Islam, then reconverting to Hinduism as an act of penance. Five months after the death of Mahatma Gandhi, he died in a hospital in Mumbai. Unknown. Unsung.
Made in two separate versions in Hindi and English, Gandhi My Father was shot in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi and in South Africa. Its director of photography is David Macdonald, with production design by Nitin Chandrakant Desai, sound recording and design by Resul Pookutty, editing by Sreekar Prasad, costume design by Sujata Sharma. and music score by Piyush Kanojia. This is an Eros International presentation.
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), purported to be the largest film festival in the United States, has a steadily increasing audience. The 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. SIFF runs for three weeks (24 days) and features a diverse assortment of predominantly independent and foreign films and in recent years, a strong contingent of documentaries. SIFF was instrumental in the entry of Dutch films into the United States market, including the first major American success for director Paul Verhoeven. The festival includes a unique sidebar of a four-film Secret Festival. Those who attend the Secret Festival do not know in advance what they will see, and they must sign an oath that they will not reveal afterwards what they have seen.
MAN BEHIND THE AURA
The Telegraph – India – by Priyanka Jhala – May 11, 2007
Dalai Lama: Man, monk, mystic, By Mayank Chhaya, Mapin, Rs 595
He claims to be just an ordinary monk a Nobel Peace Prize and unending comparisons to Mahatma Gandhi are just a few indicators to the contrary. I met the fourteenth Dalai Lama myself, several years ago, when I was a child, and let me tell you, he is not ordinary. He is soft, he is enigmatic, and he is not easily forgettable. Add to that all one knows about this great monk, and you have someone who far surpasses the ordinary. But I suppose someone in his position, with his stature and magnetism, must tell himself that he is nothing special, in order to maintain some sanity. Mayank Chhaya, the author of this particular biography of the Dalai Lama, insists that the Dalai Lamas self-effacement is genuine, that the Dalai Lama truly sees himself, in many ways, at par with others in search of answers to challenging questions, as many of us are.
One of the main attractions of this book lies in the fact that it is an authorized biography of the Dalai Lama, and is the only authorized biography written by a non-Buddhist. Chhaya, an Indian journalist, provides a deep understanding of the Sino-Tibetan conflict that triggered the Dalai Lamas exile to India, in 1959, where he still resides. And while Chhaya admits, in his introduction, that his book is written under the definite promptings of his conscience in support of Tibet and the Tibetans, he makes a heroic effort at outlining the complex Sino-Tibetan situation in a highly objective manner. He constantly brings to life both sides of an argument within the China-Tibet context.
Because this is an authorized biography, the writer had almost unlimited access to the Dalai Lama a man who remains traditionally shrouded in mystery. These numerous encounters went far in unravelling some of those mysteries. Chhaya was able to ask the Dalai Lama some difficult questions, and his responses, and, more importantly, the way in which they were delivered, simplifies some of the seeming complexities surrounding the man.
In his attempts to reveal the various facets of the Dalai Lamas personality, Chhaya effectively delineates a very human and humane being, a person one can easily relate to, and it is in these simple and fundamental human traits that much of the Dalai Lamas magic can be found this, I think, is one of the key messages of Chhaya.
More than 45 years after fleeing Tibet, the Dalai Lama is still operating from his government-in-exile in Mcleodgunj in India. He continues to champion the cause of an autonomous Tibet through non-violent means. Over the years, he has gained global recognition as one of our greatest leaders. The world will continue to watch closely as events unfold in Tibet, mediated by China and the Dalai Lamas heroism. Had it not been for the latter, the question of Tibets autonomy would have been crushed long ago. We look forward to an updated edition of the biography, which will hopefully tell us the rest of the story about arguably the most memorable Dalai Lama in Tibets history.
This year, be the change: Whole Earth Festival takes its inspiration for ’07 from Gandhi
DavisEnterprise.com – USA – by Sharon Stello – May 10, 2007
Arise, Smile and Be the Change. That’s the theme of this year’s Whole Earth Festival at UC Davis next weekend. The empowering mantra is based on a quote by Mohandas Gandhi, who said, You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Festivalgoers may find inspiration from many speakers and groups providing information on social justice, animal rights and environmental issues. The festival also features handmade craft vendors, vegetarian food, educational workshops and films, world music and dance on solar-powered stages, impromptu drum circles, parades, children’s games and art projects. The 38th annual Whole Earth Festival takes place on the UCD Quad from noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Closing times will be strictly enforced – no one will be allowed on the Quad after 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. About 30,000 people typically come to the festival during the three days. Admission is free, but parking on campus costs $6 per day. Those planning to attend are encouraged to bike, walk, ride the bus or car pool. The Whole Earth Festival started in 1969 as an art happening created by students in an art history class taught by Jose Arguelles. The festival has grown to include about 150 craft vendors selling their wares, from ceramics to jewelry, hemp clothing to nature photography and more. This year’s co-director Tyler Hawkins, a Davis resident, said he hopes those attending the festival become energized to rise up and be the change you wish to see in the world and be the change you wish to see within yourself. In this point in the world, we are faced with major catastrophic calamity in the form of global warming and consumerism, Hawkins said. Whole Earth Festival is a beacon for people to see what kind of alternatives are out there for sustainable living, including composting, recycling, reusable dishware and appropriate technologies like solar panels, alternative fuel vehicles and bicycles. Co-director Lindi Houser added that the festival also includes alternative healing in the form of massage and homeopathic healing stations. The festival is not only educational, but fun. One of her favorite parts is watching everyone dancing to the eclectic mix of live music. I just love that. It’s like a celebration, said Houser, a UCD senior majoring in women and gender studies. Whole Earth aims to be a zero-waste event, replacing trash cans with bins for recycling and composting. All food scraps are composted. Last year, about 97 percent of festival waste was recycled or composted. The remaining 3 percent includes diapers and plastic bags, Hawkins said. To reduce waste, the festival has offered reusable dishes since 2002. When buying food, customers pay a $1 deposit for cups and plates, 50 cents for forks and spoons and $2 for mugs. When dishes are returned, customers receive their deposit back. Each plate is used about five times during the festival. All dishes and utensils are washed in a commercial dishwasher for health and safety. Food booths offer everything vegetarian from Mexican to Indian, Thai and Chinese. There will be eggrolls, knishes, wraps, vegan ice cream, organic desserts and organic fair trade coffee. No bottled water will be sold. Instead, a truck of water will be stationed at the northeast corner of the Quad for anyone to fill up their reusable cups or water bottles. Those seeking to nourish their minds should head over to the Quad Stage, which presents a lineup of enlightening speakers, including the Sustainable Living Roadshow at 7 p.m. Friday as well as 10:50 a.m. and 7:50 p.m. Saturday. Some of the other Saturday speakers include Shopping for a Better World: The Seven Rules by Ellis Jones at 3:30 p.m.; The Education of Mass Destruction, UC and the Bomb by Scott Yundt at 5:20 p.m.; and Teach Peace to Prevent War with Iran, by David Dionisi at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, the Quad Stage features Saskia Achilles of Direct Action to Save Sealife at 10:50 a.m.; Hemp Can Save the Planet by the Cannabis Action Network at 11 a.m.; Climate and Lifestyle by Debra Chase of Tuleyome at 1:45 p.m.; and Students Taking Action Now Darfur at 3:20 p.m. In addition to speakers, the Quad Stage – and the W Stage – offer music from reggae to bluegrass, hip hop, rock, DJs, electronica and much more. The Soular Dance Stage features everything from international dancers to hula, swing, capoeira, belly dancing and taiko drumming. Movies and documentaries will be shown in Wellman 126. Films include Who Killed the Electric Car, Happy Feet, Supersize Me, What the Bleep Do We Know, Rockers, Healthcare and Education in Rural Uganda, The Secret and The Fourth World War. Continuous showings of An Inconvenient Truth and Fast Food Nation will take place in Hart Hall Room 1130 except during a workshop from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Learn about many issues at booths hosted by groups and companies from Tuleyome to Students for Sustainable Agriculture, UCD’s chapter of Amnesty International and Davis Electric Cars. Or attend workshops, speakers and performances at the Dynamic Education Station and Experiential Space. Topics include movement, spirituality, art, environmental and political activism. For example, learn to turn food scraps and lawn clippings into compost at these two workshops – Backyard Composting: How to build a compost heap at 11 a.m. Saturday or Worm Composting: Compost indoors/outdoors, anywhere with a worm bin at 11 a.m. Sunday, both at the Dynamic Education Station. The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University will present a fun and interactive outreach display with a pedal-powered blender and solar oven. Sample smoothies and vegan cookies made using these alternative energy demonstrations. Get in touch with your inner artist by trying hands-on crafts at the Art Space. Take part in paper-making, origami, weaving and flower garland workshops. Children will want to spend time at the Kids Space with activities such as finger painting, storytime, capoeira lessons, a scavenger hunt, a parade, folk dancing and making instruments, puppets and Mother’s Day cards. About 400 volunteers including 47 staff members – students and community members – make the Whole Earth Festival happen. It’s put on sheerly by the willpower and devotion of the staff who make very little money, Hawkins said. He noted that operational costs, such as insurance, security and parking, have been increasing and placing a financial strain on the festival. Donations may be made at the Karma Dome during the festival or by contacting a director at directors@wef.ucdavis.edu. For more information, go online to wef.ucdavis.edu.
PM SWITCHES ON LIVE TELECAST OF GITANJALI ON DOORDARSHAN
PIB Govt. of India – India – May 10, 2007
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, switched on the live telecast of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagores Gitanjali on Doordarshan National Channel on the occasion of 146th birth anniversary of Gurudev, here today. Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Somnath Chatterjee released the DVD of Tagores selected songs in Hindi. Smt. Sonia Gandhi released Satyagraha, a documentation on Mahatmas Gandhis Satyagraha, produced by the Publication Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Following is the text of the speech of the Prime Minister:
Today we are gathered here to mark the 146th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. I compliment my colleague, Shri Priya Ranjan Dasmunshiji, for organizing this important event to recapture the undying spirit of our freedom struggle. The organisation of this event, where we pay homage to the memory of Gurudev and Mahatma Gandhi makes this event even more special.
Gurudev Tagores melodious songs inspired our freedom fighters and generations of Indians. Both he and Mahatma Gandhi summoned extraordinary courage from the depths of ordinary peoples hearts and motivated them to great acts of heroism and sacrifice. I am happy to note that the Ministry of Broadcasting has prepared a comprehensive documentation on the Satyagraha and is popularising Gurudevs songs through the Prasar Bharati network. I hope all TV channels will also join in this celebration of Gurudevs rich legacy.
This year we have had several occasions to pay our deepest respects to Mahatma Gandhi, marking the centenary of his first Satyagraha. Satyagraha was his weapon in the struggle for freedom. In the beginning he walked alone. And, in walking alone he was often inspired by Tagores poem, ekla chalo rey. The sheer moral force of his actions attracted millions of people towards him. They walked with him. He inspired them to sacrifice for the liberation of our country from colonial rule. Satyagraha empowered the weakest of the weak. On one occasion he described it as the mute prayer of the agonized soul.
Mahatma Gandhiji was willing to walk alone because he had the courage of conviction. He was joined by coolies, by labourers, by traders, by children and women, by British and German follower, by Africans and the Chinese residents of Johannesburg. They all walked with him in the first Satyagraha. What he could do by harnessing truth cast a spell on the world at large.
Satyagraha, apart from being a method to fight against injustice, was also a means to cultivate an open mind, restrain ones passions, consume less, share more, live simply and keep oneself healthy. Satyagraha stressed the importance of performing ones duties before asserting ones rights. In pursuing these noble objectives, Mahatma Gandhiji did not count on the support of any body except his inner voice. It is this voice that Gurudev Tagore captured beautifully in the lines of his immortal song Yadi Tor Dak Suney.
By calling him mahatma, Gurudev acknowledged Gandhijis true inner self. Gandhiji hailed Tagore as Gurudev. Both became icons of our freedom struggle movement. They had their shared vision and yet agreed to differ on many issues. The lively debates they had on several issues educated our nation about the methods of discourse for establishing a democracy in our country. It was in one such debate with Tagore, that Gandhiji made that famous statement about the need to keep ones doors and windows open, allowing the winds of other cultures to flow in, yet not be blown away by any.
This event today rekindles the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. It should inspire us to nurture the values that they and other leaders of our freedom struggle espoused. In upholding these values we may sometimes have to walk alone – ekla chalo rey, as Gurudev one sang. One must walk alone, if the path is righteous. By walking the righteous path, one creates the way for others. So one must walk, however lonely that journey; one must walk, with ones head held high. This, in the final analysis, is the only path to fulfilment.
With these words, I wish Prasar Bharati success in reaching Gurudevs songs to a new generation so that they too are inspired to walk on the path of righteousness.
Book release: Eternal Gandhi
Pages for Ages Publishers – India – by N.B. Sudarshan – May 10, 2007
Pages for Ages Publishers, presents to you Eternal Gandhi, Design of the Multimedia Museum, a book authored by Mr. Ranjit Makkuni, Published by the Aditya Birla Group.
The right collectible for the right Era.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, one of the greatest influences on the 20th Century now presented in a order that the young generation imbibes the true spirit of Gandhi – using language and imagery that cuts across boundaries with the wonder of a new discovery, this comprehensive exhibition reaches far across cognitive frontiers.
In today’s world where every individual is tormented by the acts of terrorism and catastrophes, where basic principles of humanity such as love, peace and simplicity seem to vanish by the day, Eternal Gandhi, a design of the multimedia museum, a book, plays a pivotal role in re living the essence of Gandhian thoughts by beautifully weaving together technology and art which are present in our every day life.
In this modern day and age – should we choose to ignore or should we act? Experience the synchronization of Gandhian thoughts and technology! If an electric mix of ancient tradition steeped in character and sound values served in modern format be your mantra, then ETERNAL GANDHI, must be the ‘crown jewel’ of your library.
Book your copy now! Visit www.pages4ages.com the first of its kind- A book with a new vision for the future of design inspired by Gandhian thought. Pages for Ages Publishers announces the release of Eternal Gandhi, Design of the Multimedia Museum, a book authored by Mr.Ranjit Makkuni- at the Raj Bhavan, Mumbai-India. Released by Smt.Rajshree Birla. First copies received by His Excellency, the Governor of Maharashtra and the Chief Minister in a gathering of eminent personalities from the entertainment and corporate world. Special Reviews on the book from the eminent lists of guests will be present on our website from 10th June 07.
This handsome book is generously illustrated by original sketches and designs of internationally acclaimed multimedia researcher and designer, Ranjit Makkuni, his visions for the future of design inspired by Gandhian thought, a critical essay on the meaning of Satya by renowned indologist Dr. Madhu Khanna, supporting text on Gandhi by Gandhian scholar Dr. Y.P.Anand, as well as a dialogue on Charkha between Gianfranco Zaccai, world’s leading product designer and Ranjit Makkuni. In addition, the historical dimensions of Gandhiji’s life are juxtaposed next to the presentation of the design of the multimedia museum (www.eternalgandhi.org)and new artifacts, so that the reader can explore continuity of modern design and the historical bases and thoughts in which designs have been grounded in.
Pages for Ages Publishers, a leading publishing house from Chennai-India, with over 3 decades of publishing tradition, committed to the cause of show casing good Indian literature to the rest of the world is conferred the sole distribution rights for the ‘Eternal Gandhi’ design of the multimedia museum , a book. Authored by Ranjit Makkuni – the visionary multimedia researcher, designer and musician. He is the president of the Sacred World Foundation, and Director of the Sacred World Research Laboratory (www.sacredworld.com). Published by Aditya Birla Group a US$8.3 billion conglomerate, India’s first truly multinational corporation. Pages for Ages deems it an honor to be chosen to work in tandem with the esteemed Aditya Birla Group. The project Eternal Gandhi – inspired by Smt. Rajshree Birla and Sri. Kumarmangalam Birla of the Aditya Birla Group.
As Smt. Rajshree Birla quotes “for my family, he was Bapuji friend, spiritual leader and mentor. We were honoured to have him as our guest and our lives and beliefs were forever altered by his effect on us. Once, he was our Bapu. Now he is an ideal for people across the world.
Feedback from Per-Kristian (Kris) Halvosen, Ph.D. Vice President and Centre Director, Solutions & Services Research Centre, HP Labs. this is the most powerful combination of story telling and aesthetics brought about by combining art, craft and computing anywhere in the world.”
To order your copy, visit www.pages4ages.com or call us at 1-800- 425 -6786 / +91-44- 32977482.
Rabindranath Tagore: His work will live for generations
Sify.com – India – May 8, 2007
If one individual is to be singled out for representing the values and traditions of India from the ancient times to the modern age, it cannot be any one other than Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941).
He was the one person who incorporated the wisdom of the past, reflected in the spiritual and intellectual attainments of the Vedas and the Upanishads. Yet, he was never so immersed in India’s seemingly other worldly heritage, underlined in the philosophical concept of the world being an illusion, as to negate rationalism. To use a cliché, he combined the best of both worlds.
Tagore scored in this respect over his other great contemporary, Mahatma Gandhi, for the Mahatma placed a far greater emphasis on the spirit of renunciation marking a rejection of the Western industrial civilisation.
To a large extent, it is this attitude extolling the ‘simple living, high thinking’ outlook that is still favoured in India, even if it is not infrequently identified with hypocrisy.
Tagore set his face against such a rule of thumb approach to life if only because his horizon was much wider than Gandhi’s. He had no time for Gandhi’s rejection of European machines and preference for primitive Indian ones like the ‘charkha’, or the spinning wheel.
“If a man is stunted by big machines”, Tagore wrote, “the danger of being stunted by small machines must not be lost sight of. The charkha in its proper place can do no harm … but where … it is in the wrong place, then the thread can only be spun at the cost of a great deal of the mind itself. The man is no less valuable than the cotton thread.”
Poet, thinker, playwright, novelist, writer of short stories, dance dramas and songs, painter and educationist – Tagore’s versatility was matched only by his genius. Truly, he was Gurudev, the epitome of the preceptor idealized in Indian myths and folklore.
Not surprisingly, Gandhi bestowed the title on Tagore – an honour that befits him even today – just as Tagore called Gandhi the Mahatma, recognising the sterling qualities of a saint in the politician, who is embroiled in the heat and dust of quotidian battles.
It was left to Nehru to say that although Tagore and Gandhi were “entirely different from each other, and yet both of them (were) typical of India, both in the long line of India’s great men”.
If Tagore’s legacy remains as relevant today as it was in his time, the reason is that he cherished certain ideals that have come to distinguish India in the present-day world. Hence, perhaps, the statues, busts and university chairs named after him which dot the world.
The first and foremost concept of Indian nationhood that he lauded was its inclusiveness. He recounts in one of his poems how the streams of Aryans, non-Aryans, Sakas, Huns, Pathans, Mughals et al have merged to give India its distinctive identity. It is not impossible that he developed this concept from a study of his own family, which he regarded as a product of the “confluence of three cultures, Hindu, Mohammedan and British”.
It is this ideal of an integrated and vibrant multicultural society, a rainbow nation, which India holds up today as the only valid model which can ensure the survival and advancement of all. Otherwise, the so-called civilisation clashes between ethnic, religious and linguistic groups will tear the world apart.
It is perhaps just as well that the great man died before India itself fell prey in 1947 to one such murderous conflict based on religion. And, then, the broken nation saw another divisive conflict in 1971 based on language and sub-nationalism, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Tagore would probably have been even more mortified by the second rupture because he came from that part of the subcontinent – East Bengal. In his time, he witnessed the colonial rulers partition Bengal in 1905, a traumatic upheaval for his Sonar Bangla. Fittingly, it is his song of love and reverence for the land where he was born (Amar Sonar Bangla) which is now the national anthem of Bangladesh.
Tagore recognised the seeds of the conflicts that tore apart India in Gandhi’s use of religious symbols, both Hindu and Muslim as in the concept of Ram Rajya and the exhortation in favour of the Caliphate. He was as opposed to Gandhi’s love for “small machines”, with their numbing effect on the mind, as to his idealization of religious emblems, which can exert an equally stifling impact on the largely illiterate masses.
“I blamed Mahatmaji”, Tagore wrote, “for exploiting (the) irrational force of credulity in our people.” While Gandhi defended the Hindu idols, as the English clergyman and admirer of India C.F. Andrews recalled, “believing the masses (to be) incapable of raising themselves immediately to abstract ideals”, Tagore could not “bear to see the people eternally treated as a child”.
Many will see Tagore’s depiction of the crafty politician mouthing nationalistic slogans to mobilise the credulous in his novel Gharey Bairey as a mirror image of the present political scene, just as his prescient vision that a revolution devours its own children, as in Char Adhyay, will be appreciated today although it was written in the context of the much-lionised anti-British revolutionaries and anarchists of his time.
Tagore wasn’t without his critics at home and abroad. Even while accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, he referred to the “calumnies and insults” he had received from his countrymen. The West, too, lost its interest soon enough. Graham Greene thought in 1937 “I cannot believe that anyone but Mr Yeats can still take his (Tagore’s) poems very seriously”. And Yeats himself had come to the conclusion by then that Tagore wrote “sentimental rubbish”.
Notwithstanding these ups and downs, as in the life of all individuals, big and small, Tagore’s thinking had a stamp of modernity which can act as guideposts for India and the world – just as his song, Ekla Chalo Re (walk alone), inspired Gandhi during the communal violence of 1946-47.
And nowhere is Tagore’s modern outlook more evident than in his paintings, with their remarkable stark originality, quite in contrast to the mellifluous nature of his verse. Perhaps more than any other aspect of his vast artistic output, it is in his paintings that apparently depict his real self – “I am by nature a savage” – that Tagore will live for generations.
Four questions for Arun Gandhi
The Hamilton Spectator – USA – May 14, 2007
As a boy growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, young Arun was nothing like his famous peacemaking grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi spoke to The Spectator’s Sharon Boase:
Spectator: I’ve read that your notion of justice involves transforming your opponent through love and suffering. Whose suffering?
Gandhi: Our justice system seeks revenge and revenge is not justice. The person who has done wrong becomes hardened and continues doing wrong. Violence and crime grow unchecked.
Justice, ideally, would be prisons that are centres for psychiatric, psychological and educational help. They would realize the path they have taken was wrong and become better human beings.
The Spectator: How did your grandfather teach you about non-violence?
Gandhi: He had a very wonderful way of teaching. He didn’t lecture. Through his everyday life, he created lessons. He taught me his philosophy of nonviolence through a little pencil. I threw away a pencil one day and, when I asked him for another, he began asking me a lot of questions. Eventually, he made me go out and look for it. I must have spent two hours searching for it. He said, “I want you to learn two very important lessons. Even simple things like a pencil require a lot of natural resources to manufacture and when we throw them away, we are wasting those resources and that is violence against nature.”
The second lesson was that, because in an affluent society we can afford to buy all these things in bulk, we over-consume the resources of the world, thereby depriving people elsewhere of these resources. They have to live in poverty and that is violence against humanity.
I contemplated the amount of waste we incur, there is so much that we over-consume and every time we do we are committing violence.
The Spectator: Some people who are the offspring of famous figures feel as if they are overshadowed by their famous relative. Do you ever feel this way?
Gandhi: I did feel this legacy was a burden when I was growing up, especially as a teenager. When I expressed this to my mother, she said, “It is entirely up to you. If you consider this to be a burden, then it will just get heavier and heavier and eventually you will break down. But if you consider this legacy to be a light illuminating your path, it will make it easier for you to look ahead.” It was a beautiful piece of advice. Ever since, I have looked at this legacy as a light and it has done wonders.
The Spectator: How do you see the world today in relation to your grandfather’s teachings?
Gandhi: I don’t think he said anything new. I think non-violence is a part of human nature. We don’t always fight but we suppress the positive attitudes and feelings within us because we feel that everybody will walk over us and we have to be aggressive. We’ve built this whole culture of violence around us to show that we’re aggressive and powerful. We resort to violence at the very first opportunity.
He tried to show us that non-violence is a part of our nature we need to reconnect with. We need to replace feelings like hate, prejudice, suspicion and anger with love and respect, compassion and understanding.
If we say today that non-violence is not relevant, what we are saying is that love and respect and understanding are not relevant.
If that’s the case, then God help humanity and civilization.
Arun was always getting beaten up by the white kids in Johannesburg because he wasn’t white. Then the black kids would beat him up because he wasn’t black.
Filled with rage, the 12-year-old began subscribing to Charles Atlas’s body-building magazine in a bid to take revenge on his tormentors.
But fate stepped in. When his parents came to understand why their son had developed a sudden interest in physical fitness, they sent him for an extended hiatus with his grandfather in India.
The elder Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948, was the pioneer of Satyagraha — non-violent resistance of discrimination and oppression through mass civil disobedience. It led India to independence and inspired the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Biko and Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as struggles for civil rights in South Africa and Myanmar.
Arun Gandhi spent 18 months learning first-hand his grandfather’s philosophy of non-violence. He went on to found the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Memphis, Tenn.
At 74, he continues to travel the world sharing his grandfather’s teachings. He’ll share those lessons with Hamiltonians Thursday when he speaks at the Plaza Hotel ballroom (formerly the Ramada) at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $25, $45 for reserved seating or $15 with a student ID. Call 905-389-1364 or visit unityhamilton.com/ArunGandhiTickets.
Truth and Reconciliation
AllAboutJazz.com – USA – by Dan McClenaghan – May 7, 2007
Pianist/composer Darrell Grant’s Truth and Reconciliation might be categorized as music to make the world a better place. A strong case could be made that all musicindeed, all arthas that purpose. Grant’s aspirations in that direction here are more on-the-sleeve than you find on most musical endeavors. The results on the project are remarkable for their celebratory beauty and unadorned artistic truth.
The core of the music-making is the piano trio of Grant teamed with drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Patitucci. They craft a gorgeously organic sound on the trio tunes; and the same holds true for each of the guest spotssaxophonist Steve Wilson’s plaintiff tone on Ubuntu, vibraphonist Joe Locke’s seamless integration on the American Songbook jewel, The Way You Look Tonight, a lovely look at the tune that serves as a highlight among highlights.
The opening cut, Reconciliation, a Grant composition, features very busy sideman, guitarist Bill Frisell. One of the strengths of this set is Grant’s arrangements of the guest spots, integrating the various sounds perfectly with the trio. Rather than setting Frisell in front of the rhythm team, it’s four musicians locked into the music as one.
Grant and company cover Sting’s King of Pain and Sheryl Crow’s I Shall Believe, as a backdrop to John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address followed by portions of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream and I’ve Been to the Moutaintop speeches. Citing a belief that eloquent words can make a difference, Grant inserts snippets of inspirational speeches from Mohandas Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela, along with some vocals of his own on a three of his original songs, R&B flavored tunes that sound like a Stevie Wonder/Curtis Mayfield/Marvin Gaye mix.
That may sound like a bit of a mish-mash, but Grant’s artistic vision, deft sequencing and core trio sound hold it together.
It takes some chutzpah to take on a project this ambitioustwo full-length CDs that attempt to make the world a better place. Take it as just music or take it as an inspirational work of art. It works both ways, marvelously.
Visit Darrell Grant on the web.
Darrell Grant at All About Jazz.
Track listing: CD1: Reconciliation; Ubuntu; The Way You Look Tonight; Tight; Introduction; Fils du Soliel (for Tony Williams; Day of Grace; Resolution of Love; King of Pain. CD2: King of Pain (reprise); Cross of Gold; When I See the Water; Blues for the Masters; I Shall Believe; The Geography of Hope; Algo Bueno.
Personnel: Darrell Grant: piano, Fender rhodes; John Patitucci: bass; Brian Blade: drums; Bill Frisell: guitar (CD1#1); Steve Wilson: saxophones (CD1#2, CD1#6, CD2#4); Joe Locke: vibes (CD1#3); Adam Rogers: guitar (CD1#8; CD2#3).
The articles of the Mahatma Gandhi News Digest originate from external sources.
They do not represent the views of GandhiServe Foundation.
Email – mail@gandhimail.org