Arun Gandhi, grandson of the legendary spiritual leader and freedom fighter Mahatma Ghandi, kicks off a week of peace-centered activities at Grand Valley on Monday, February 11.
The younger Gandhi will speak at noon in the Cook-DeWitt Center on Grand Valley's Allendale Campus.
Gandhi's speech marks the beginning of Peace Week at Grand Valley, which is a week of activities to learn about various peace movements and show appreciation for peace.
Gandhi's speech marks the beginning of Peace Week at Grand Valley, which is a week of activities to learn about various peace movements and show appreciation for peace. Visit the university's calendar for information about activities.
Arun Gandhi was born in 1934 in Durban, South Africa and is the fifth grandson of India's late spiritual leader, Mohandas Karamchand Mahatma Gandhi. Growing up Indian under South Africa's apartheid system meant that Arun Gandhi endured confrontations from both blacks and whites for being different. As a young man, he was filled with rage and thoughts of revenge. At the age of 12, his parents sent Arun to his grandfather in hopes that he would learn to control his rage and deal with prejudice through nonviolent means.
Arun's stay with his grandfather -- the Mahatma (or great soul) -- began in 1946 and coincided with the most tumultuous period in India's struggle to free itself from British rule. His grandfather showed Arun firsthand the effects of a national campaign for liberation carried out through both violent and nonviolent means. For eighteen months, while Gandhi imparted lessons to his grandson, the young man was also witnessing world history unfold before his eyes: this combination set Arun on a course for life. His journey was strengthened by the resolve of his parents Sushila and Manilal, Gandhi's second son, to raise their children according to the principles of nonviolence--including loving discipline (not punishment) shared by child and parent, and lifelong commitment to social progress through nonviolence.
At twenty-three Arun returned to India and worked as journalist and reporter for The Times of India. He and several colleagues started India's Center for Social unity, whose mission is to alleviate poverty and caste discrimination. He has written eight books and hundreds of articles. He published the Suburban Echo, a weekly, in Bombay from 1985 through 1987. In 1994 Arun he edited World Without Violence: Can Gandhi's Dream Become Reality?, a collection of essays and poetry from international scientists, artists, and political and social leaders on the ideals of nonviolence.
Arun and his wife came to the United States in 1987 to compare race issues in the American South, color discrimination in South Africa, and the caste system in India. In October, 1991 they founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. Its mission is to examine, promote, and apply the principles of nonviolence thought and action through research, workshops, seminars, and community service. The institute is located at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., where Arun is also a scholar-in-residence.
