Symposium on Mahatma Gandhi commemorates his 151st birth anniversary |05 October 2020
The symposium in full swing (Photos: Thomas Meriton)
A Satyavaarta (symposium) on Mahatma Gandhi was organised by the high commission of India and the James Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute under University of Seychelles to mark the culmination of a two-year long celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary that started on October 2, 2018.
High commissioner of India Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag started the symposium by noting that “As we remember Mahatma Gandhi and recall his principles and ideals today, these questions cross our minds – how would Mahatma Gandhi view the world of the 21st century? What would he write today in some of the journals that he published – the Indian Opinion or the Harijan? How do we establish the relevance of his thoughts and ideals in this new century? How would he reflect on the ongoing pandemic? How can his ideals inspire us today to create sustainable models for decentralised development and wellbeing in remote parts of the world? This symposium is an attempt to seek answers as to how Mahatma Gandhi would apply the precepts of his ideals and values in explaining, or searching for an answer, to these and a number of other challenges the world confronts today. It is an attempt at looking to answer questions that will perhaps tell us how we can discover new paths to global peace and human progress, navigating through the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century”.
The HC of India also talked about how the Mahatma was revered by several international figures such as Nelson Mandela, Dr Martin Luther King and His Holiness Dalai Lama.
“It is no coincidence that all these personalities, who embodied in one way or the other Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas and ideals, were recognised – long after the death of Mahatma Gandhi – for their contributions to global peace and harmony. Each of them went on to be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Each of them, in their own way, also proved the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy in the modern world in most indisputable ways. They demonstrated that Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals have inspired and will continue to inspire, political, social and religious wisdom over and over again to successive generations all over the world.”
HC Suhag also talked about Mahatma Gandhi as a global leader. “Mahatma Gandhi led a life suffused by simplicity and marked by his acute sense of self-awareness – ridding himself of unnecessary possessions and turning simply to the basics and to value them. His ways show us the power of the immeasurable reserves of humility and compassion that exist within the human mind. His respect for diversity and the human in all of us led him to work tirelessly for the upliftment of the weak as part of the larger nation-building exercise.
“There is, therefore, an undeniable and essential universality and timelessness about Gandhian ideas and ideals that were, are and will remain relevant across generations. Some of them, perhaps, will be even more relevant today and in future than they have been in the past. Let us pledge today to try and live by those principles and ideas to make this world a better and happier place for coming generations.”
Mahatma Gandhi believed in many ideas inherent in a globalised world order. He stood for connectedness and connectivity, for openness and transparency, for simplicity of communication, for sharing of knowledge, and for the cross-pollination of thoughts and ideas – all of which he saw as essential ingredients for nurturing diversity, pluralism and common prosperity. He abhorred closed minds and ghetto mentalities. Instead, he believed in synergy and cooperation – even with adversaries.
He further stated that “the people and government of India believe in these exact ideals and our actions and policies are embodiments of the same. We rely on Gandhi’s ideals of Ahimsa and Satyagrah – non violence and insistence on truth – when we call upon our fellow nations to shun violence and use of terrorism as state policy. We believe in equality among nations irrespective of their size and strive for a peaceful rule based global order that gives each nation their rightful place in the comity of nations in the 21st century”.
Dr Justin Valentin, vice-chancellor at the University of Seychelles, was the moderator of the symposium. The audience was able to hear from Prof. Dr Ravindra Kumar, former vice-chancellor Meerut university on the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi; the Emeritus Professor Dennis Hardy from the James R. Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute, UniSey on Gandhi and the Ashrams; from Dhivya Pillay, lecturer at UniSey on The Work of Gandhian activist Elango Rangaswamy and from Prof. Mark Jeurgensmeyer from the University of California, USA on Global Gandhi in a pandemic age.
The audience had the chance to also interact and talk about this great figure in the history of the world.
Vidya Gappy
