Autumn 2012 Gandhi Message

GANDHI Quarterly Newsletter of The Gandhi Memorial Center, Washington, DC

Volume X X X XVI, Numb er 4, 2012 - Autumn Issue

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Incorporated, was founded in the United States of America in 1959 by Swami Premananda of India.

The purpose of the Foundation is to disseminate the philosophy, ideal, life, service and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. The Foundation is a legally independent, nonprofit cultural and educational organization.

Gandhi Memorial Center

Dedicated to the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, the Gandhi Memorial Center seeks to offer a broad representation of authors from many cultures and times, as well as displays, recordings, lectures and demonstrations of cultural and educational value. The Library of the Gandhi Memorial Center is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm (except during July and August).

Our Appeal

For the expansion of its ideals and activities the Foundation will gratefully receive donations of funds and contributions of books, publications and memorabilia pertaining to Mahatma Gandhi and his associates. Please make checks payable to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Inc. or contribute online at our website: www.gandhimemorialcenter.org/contribute The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation is a 501c(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. The staff of the Foundation and Gandhi Center are dedicated workers who serve without any remuneration throughout the year. Your contribution is an offering towards the services and activities of the Gandhi Center.

Your contribution is tax deductible.

Gandhi Memorial Center 4748 Western Avenue Bethesda, MD 20816 301-320-6871 Email: info@gandhimemorialcenter.org Web: www.gandhimemorialcenter.org Facebook.com/GandhiMemorialCenterUSA Š 2012 Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Incorporated.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Content Image of Gandhi as a Child...............................................................front cover EKATVA and M.O.M.I.E.’s TLC Children Meet at Gandhi Center............2-7 Noble Thoughts..............................................................................................8-9 Recent Events and Visitors........................................................................10-11 Gandhi Jayanti 2012..................................................................................12-17 Image of Golden Lotus Temple at Gandhi Jayanti...........................back cover

“The forms are many, but the informing spirit is one. How can there be room for distinctions of high and low where there is this all-embracing fundamental unity underlying the outward diversity? For that is a fact meeting you at every step in daily life. The final goal of all religions is to realize this essential oneness.” -Mahatma Gandhi

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Children from Gujarat, India and Washington, DC Meet at the Gandhi Memorial Center On May 15, 2012, during their visit to the DC area, the children from Manav Sadhna’s Ekatva Tour came to the Gandhi Center to have a cross-cultural exchange with American youth from M.O.M.I.E’s TLC of Washington, DC. M.O.M.I.E’s TLC is an after-school mentoring program with an activity-rich interaction. Its purpose is to transform education for at-risk children of color through an educational model that uses social justice and cultural education as the foundation for improving academic outcomes for children. M.O.M.I.E’s dynamic, culture-based learning programs directly respond to the tremendous need for nontraditional learning opportunities for low-income children living in Washington, DC. M.O.M.I.E’s provides culture-based education, opportunities, and services during the preschool and elementary years to foster health, positive growth, and long-term self-sufficiency.

EKATVA is an experiment to touch the lives and spirit of 16 underprivileged children through dance and art, while inspiring the souls of thousands across the world.

Sixteen children from some of the largest slums of Ahmedabad, Gujarat were selected through a nine month audition process and were trained by two mentors from Manav Sadhna and teachers from Darpana Academy, to perform a 90-minute dance-drama production sharing Gandhiji’s message of ‘Oneness’. After one year of training and development, the children were ready to tour the show across India, the US, and the UK. 2

Throughout their journey, these young global citizens hoped to spread seeds of goodness and compassion throughout the world and inspire others to serve and care for those in need.

From a small corner in the Gandhi Ashram, 20 years ago, Manav Sadhna began a humble journey in selfless service of the underprivileged. Twenty years later, one small loving act after another, Manav Sadhna’s efforts have organically developed into supporting over 40 projects helping the underprivileged: pre-schools in the slums, tuition classes for the older kids, street schools, health and hygiene camps, sports programs, daily food and nutrition for all children in every project, childlabor alternative and income generation for mothers, art, music and dance activities, community centers, activities to promote communal harmony, and cultural programs.

For more information: www.momiestlc.com & www.manavsadhna.org

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Children share through Meditation, Music...

The afternoon was filled with activities and learning with both groups of Indian and American youth interacting and sharing ideas, art and friendship. The children began with a brief meditation lead by one of the youngest children in the room, a little girl from Washington, D.C. Following which the children had opportunities to meet and greet in English and Gujarati. Some of the M.O.M.I.E’s children brought printed translations to help guide them in mini conversations in both languages. The children shared Indian samosas and sweets, danced together, and enjoyed a wonderful art activity organized by Rachel Huddleston. Each child created his or her own artwork and then offered it as a gift to a new friend. Before the children left, the EKATVA kids performed a couple of the dances from their U.S. tour and then all sat down together to enjoy an Indian dinner.

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...and Dance

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The Children learn together...

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...Through Art

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Recent Performance

Dhrupad Vocal Performance by Aliya Rasheed and Amita Sinha Mahapatra On September 16, 2012 the Gandhi Memorial Center was proud to present two accomplished Dhrupad female vocalists; one from India and one from Pakistan.

The two young women were accompanied by Sukhad Munde on pakhawaj and Smita Kothuri and Antoine Calfat on tanpura.

Amita comes from Bishnupur, West Bengal. She was initiated into music by her parents, who encouraged her to become a Dhrupad vocalist. She received her Master’s degree in music (Hindustani Classical Vocal) from Visva-Bharati University at Shantiniketan, West Bengal, and stood first in her class. She received her initial training in Dhrupad from Shrimati Kaberi Kar. Subsequently she joined the Dhrupad Sansthan in Bhopal, where she learned the art of Dhrupad in the guru-shishya parampara tradition from Pandit Umakant and Pandit Ramakant Gundecha.

Aliya is a young visually impaired Dhrupad singer from Lahore, Pakistan. Impressed by her extraordinary voice, her family encouraged her musical pursuits as a young adult. She started learning music at the Sanjan Nagar Institute of Philosophy and Arts in Lahore. In 2001, she traveled to India to learn Dhrupad from the Gundecha Brothers in Bhopal. Aliya feels honored to be the first female Pakistani Dhrupad artist to undergo formal training in India. Since September 2005, Aliya has been a vocal teacher in the musicology department of the National College of the Arts (NCA) in Lahore.

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More Recent Visitors

Center for Inspired Teaching Public Charter School Visit As part of a joint effort with the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative Arts for Every Student program, second graders from this DC public charter school came to the Gandhi Center to learn about India, Gandhi, and some basic elements of Indian Classical Music on November 9, 2012.

American University Peace & Conflict Resolution Washington Semester Visit Professor Eleftherios Michael and his group of college students came to the Gandhi Memorial Center on November 16, 2012. The students, who are studying peace and conflict resolution, enjoyed a presentation on the ideals of Gandhi.

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The motive power of all progress, objective as well as subjective, is innate in our soul. Like the unfolding lotus we grow from within. We long for progress because our soul yearns for its advancement. Self-advancement is the impelling force of all our actions and achievements...It is the growth of man into a superior realm of perfection that brings about a higher state of civilization.

-Swami Premananda The goal is to live with godlike composure on the full rush of energy, like Dionysus riding the leopard, without being torn to pieces.

A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: “As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.”

-Joseph Campbell Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Who can set bounds to the possibilities of man? Once inhale the upper air, being admitted to behold the absolute natures of justice and truth, and we learn that man has access to the entire mind of the Creator, is himself the creator in the finite. This view, which admonishes me where the sources of wisdom and power lie, and points to virtue as to “The golden key which opens the palace of eternity,” carries upon its face the highest certificate of truth, because it animates me to create my own world through the purification of my soul.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Becoming more skilled in the art of illumination catalyzes transformation. How would the world be different if, for example, all of us were to reclaim our inheritance as members in a “tribe of light� who vow to bring enlightenment to all creation? If more and more people were to infuse the consciousness of light into their interactions - their intimate relationships, their work, and physical activities - the healing effect on others would be immeasurable.

-Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan It is a primary characteristic of the superior person that his or her practice of self-cultivation is focused upon helping everyone in the society.

-Confucius The capacity to devote yourself to the welfare of others yields otherwise unobtainable power and potential for good. Generate great compassion, and you become a friend to all sentient beings, a companion to all other altruistic beings and a cherished child of the enlightened.

-The Dalai Lama The spiritual aim will seek to fulfill itself...in a fullness of life and man’s being in the individual and the race which will be the base, becoming in the end of one substance with the peaks...It will reveal to man the divinity in himself as the Light, Strength, Beauty, Good, Delight, Immortality that dwells within and build up in his outer life also the Kingdom of God which is first discovered within us.

-Sri Aurobindo Remain true to yourselves, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge.

-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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Gandhi Jayanti

Srimati Kamala, Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Carrie Trybulec, and Jeffrey Hallam Bauer

Gandhi Jayanti Observance - October 2, 2012 On Tuesday, October 2, 2012 the Gandhi Memorial Center in cooperation with the Embassy of India presented Gandhi Jayanti honoring the 143rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Community members gathered to share this auspicious occasion with special remarks by Ambassador Nirupama Rao and reflections by Carrie Trybulec, Director of the Gandhi Memorial Center. Srimati Kamalaji, President of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation introduced Ambassador Rao as a longtime friend of the Gandhi Center, going back to the days when the Ambassador was previously posted in Washington DC in the 1990s.

The evening was a beautiful and inspired offering by many talented and devoted musicians and artists. Special presentations of music by Rabindranath Tagore, whom Gandhiji reverently referred to as “Gurudev”, were shared by Jeffrey Hallam Bauer on piano with Sudeshna Basu and Supriya Dutt singing the words of Tagore’s poetry in “Aguner Poroshmoni” and “Jibon Jokhon”. The traditional “Ram Dhun” and “Vaishnavajanato” were rendered along with a Nazrul sangeet “Toruno Premik Pronoy Bedon” by Samia Mahbub Ahmad and her vocal students: Rishi Das, Rebecca Rahman, Renu Suri and Rashad Ullah and accompanied by Krishna Ramdas on tabla. A special and prayerful hymn, “Lead, Kindly Light”, one of Gandhiji’s favorite hymns, was presented by the Golden Lotus Temple Bell Choir under the direction of Jeffrey Bauer with the words sung by tenor, Steve Bauer. The music introductions were offered by Pratap Das and Aishwariya Chandrasekar, with explanations of the meaning of the words and the significance to Gandhiji’s ashram prayer meetings. And in addition to the music offerings, Charu Narasimhan (introduced by her husband Shekar Narasimhan) presented a Bharatanatyam dance homage lifting everyone with her poise, strength and beauty.

Those who joined in the observance included some who have joined this Gandhi Jayanti annual tradition in Washington, DC for the past 38 years, as well those who were at the Gandhi Center for the very first time. It was a splendid and joyous reflection on the message and life of Mahatma Gandhi.

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Remarks by Ambassador Nirupama Rao at Gandhi Jayanti It gives me great pleasure to join you all on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary at the Gandhi Memorial Center.

The Gandhi Center has been a long standing partner of the Indian Embassy, and our association over the years has proved to be an enduring partnership rooted in the shared goal of promoting Gandhiji’s message and legacy that has grown from strength to strength. For me, it is also a personal association, because the Gandhi Center and Srimati Kamala ji are very special to me, because of my interaction with the Center from my days here as Minister at the Embassy almost two decades ago.

I would like to thank and congratulate Carrie Trybulec, Director of the Gandhi Center for her profound commitment and immense dedication to the lofty cause of furthering Gandhian ideals and philosophy in this country. And, I have the deepest admiration for Kamala ji, the founding president of the Gandhi Memorial Foundation, who has been a driving force in this effort. Her lifelong devotion to Gandhiji’s ideals and to this Center is truly unique and unparalleled.

As we remember Mahatma Gandhi and recall his principles and ideals today, one question that crosses our mind is – how would Gandhiji have viewed the world of the 21st century? What would he write today in the Indian Opinion or the Harijan – journals where he often expressed his inner voice? Can you visualize an electronic version, or a Facebook or Twitter account for these journals? I certainly can, because Gandhiji was a communicator par excellence. How would he have reflected on the Euro-zone crisis, or the Arab Spring, or the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in this country and of 26/11 in Mumbai? What would he have to say about the information highway, hyperlinks, social media and internet search engines which pretend to “think like God”?

How would Gandhiji apply the precepts of his ideals and values in explaining, or searching for an answer, to these and myriad other challenges the world confronts today? How do we establish the relevance of his thoughts and ideals in this new century?

That is not to say that they are not relevant; or, that we doubt that they are not.

But looking to answer that question 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.

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Krishna Ramdas, Rebecca Rahman, Renu Suri, Samia Mahbub Ahmad, Rashad Ullah, & Rishi Das

Let me begin by recalling five iconic individuals, who have believed in Gandhiji’s ideas. They were and are inspired by the Gandhian philosophy of humanism, compassion and non-violence. They showed courage and conviction in standing up to adversity and embracing the truth. They, in their own way, became the change they wanted to see in the world.

And they did so decades after Gandhiji had lived and walked on our planet. One of them dared to “have a dream” – of equality, opportunity and liberty, and to heal a nation wounded by racial segregation. Inspired by Gandhiji, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saw the spirit of the historic Salt March at Dandi resonating in his own courageous Montgomery Bus Boycott. Martin Luther King said, and I quote “As I read, I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of nonviolent resistance.

As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.”

Another man, lovingly called Madiba by his compatriots, and whom the world knows as Nelson Mandela, emulated Gandhiji in choosing to suffer a long incarceration in order to humble a tyrannical regime. He empowered his people, but told them never to hate their oppressors. He ended apartheid by showing the power of courage and truth, as he laid the foundations of a new era in South Africa and promoted a path of reconciliation.

The third icon, who is admired in both India and the United States, and across the world, for her fearless non-violent resistance is Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who I was privileged to personally meet when I visited Yangon in June last year, when I was the Foreign Secretary of India. She has often acknowledged Gandhiji’s influence in a life she has dedicated to freedom and democracy. Referring to the impact that Gandhian values have had on her own life, Suu Kyi asked students while speaking at Columbia University last month to “remember that change through non-violent means was not ever thought of before Gandhi. He was 14

the one who started it, he was the one who decided that it is possible to bring about revolutionary change without violence… the more you read Gandhi, the more impressed you are by who he was and what he was.” From Gandhiji, she learnt that for a doctrine of peace and reconciliation to be translated into practice, one absolute condition was to be fearless. One of the essays Aung San Suu Kyi wrote begins with the sentence: “It is not power that corrupts, it is fear.” She was, and remains, the beacon of peace and hope for her compatriots as Myanmar embarks on a new and historic journey.

Gandhiji has been a great light for another great spiritual leader, who, much like the Mahatma, uniquely blends spiritualism with humanism, religiosity with courage, and faith with conviction. His Holiness the Dalai Lama views the success of Gandhian philosophy in its most tangible outcomes. He says, “Many ancient Indian masters have preached ahimsa, non-violence as a philosophy. That was mere philosophical understanding. But Mahatma Gandhi, in this twentieth century, produced a very sophisticated approach because he implemented that very noble philosophy of ahimsa in modern politics, and he succeeded. That is a very great thing.”

And finally, President Obama. Speaking before India’s Parliament in November 2010 about how he was influenced and inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, President Barack Obama said, “I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as President of the United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with and inspired America and the world.”

It is no coincidence that all these five personalities, who embodied in one way or the other Gandhiji’s ideas and ideals, were recognized – 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 his or her own way, also proves the relevance of Gandhiji and his philosophy in the modern world in most incontrovertible ways. They demonstrate that Mahatma Gandhi has inspired and will continue to inspire, political, social and religious wisdom over and over again to successive generations all over the world.

Temple Bell Choir: Katy Bauer, Karen Shanor, Kathy Keenan, Susan Hayden, Steve Bauer, Jeff Bauer, Fred Dixon, Muriel Hilgers, Jacki Rockwell, Fritz Kramer, and Shirley Bauer

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Indeed, I would dare say that there is hardly any country in the world where Gandhiji’s passion for non-violence and his supreme humanism is not inspiring people, transcending the divisions of race, religion and ethnicity.

If the 21st century is the century of the common man and woman, then Gandhism has even more relevance in inspiring individuals wanting to be agents of change, as they strive to make their societies and this world a better place. Always leading by example, Gandhiji taught us to stand strong in the face of fear and hold fiercely our faith in truth and freedom Charu Narasimhan even when confronted with extremism, brutality or prejudice. Gandhiji once said, “a small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”

Today, more than ever, because of the world we find ourselves in and the many instances of violence we have seen in recent times, many around the globe feel the need to remember and implement, yet again, Gandhiji’s message of peace and non violence. Gandhiji said, “Once we recognize the common parent stock from which we are sprung, we realize the basic unity of the human family, and there is no room for enmities and unhealthy competition.”

As we deal with the threats and acts of terrorism and violent extremism in the world today, we need to look for effective ways and solutions as that truth force to urge humankind away from mindless vendettas, bloodshed, retribution and conflict. Here lies the critical relevance of Gandhiji’s message in the contemporary world. Let us not forget how he inspired Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, or the Frontier Gandhi as he is lovingly known, to advocate and practice non-violent resistance among the Pathans of the NW Frontier. Today when we contemplate the troubled border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, we scarcely realize that the history of these areas, offers as Karl Meyer has noted, “an extraordinary precedent for peace” besides a legacy of war.

At the United Nations General Assembly last week, rejecting religious and cultural intolerance, President OBAMA said, “It’s time to heed the words of Gandhi: Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit. We must work towards a world where we are strengthened by our differences, and not defined by them.”

Gandhiji led a life suffused by simplicity and marked by his acute sense of selfawareness - 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 16

of the weak as part of the larger nation-building exercise.

As the Indian historian, Ramachandra Guha said in his address to the UN General Assembly last year to mark Gandhiji’s birth anniversary and I quote, “Gandhi was and remains a genuinely trans-national figure. He was trans-national in the range of his influences and in the reach of his thought.” Gandhiji 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 saw the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower, to paraphrase William Blake.

But, he did warn us of blind emulation and of making choices without judging the merits of each idea. He said, “I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”

There is, therefore, an undeniable and essential universality 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 the 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.

I leave you, today, with Gandhiji’s own words: “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” We live in hope of a better world and we strive for peace through our actions. No one better exemplified this than Gandhiji himself, and as we gather here today to celebrate his life, let us take the time to reflect and move ahead seeking this reality.

I wish the Gandhi Memorial Center every success in its continued endeavour to enlighten our friends in America about the timeless importance of Gandhian thought and values in our daily lives. Thank you.

Sudeshna Basu Supriya Dutt Jeffrey Hallam Bauer (From musical offerngs during the Gandhi Jayanti Observance)

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Thoughts from Mahatma Gandhi: The seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not until then, will he have a glimpse of truth.

Service is not possible unless it is rooted in love or Ahimsa. True love is boundless like the ocean and rising and swelling within one spreads itself out and crossing all boundaries and frontiers envelops the whole world.

There is an indefinable mysterious Power that pervades everything. I feel it though I do not see it. It is this unseen Power which makes itself felt and yet defies all proof, because it is so unlike all that I perceive through my senses. It transcends the senses.

And is this Power benevolent or malevolent? I see it as purely benevolent. For I can see that in the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists, Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, Light, He is Love, He is the Supreme Good.

Devotion to Truth is the sole reason for our existence. All our activities should be centred in Truth. Truth should be the very breath of our life.

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