Enrolling
100,000 Families
Pledged to Nonviolence
on August 09, 2004 (Quit India Day)
By
Dr.
N. Radhakrishnan
Hon. Ambassador, Soka University of
America
Chairman, Indian Council for Gandhian Studies
TFF
Associate
March 26, 2004
A multi-tier people's
programme commences the First Phase with 'Enrolling
100,000 Families Pledged to Nonviolence on August 09,
2004(Quit India Day)' - an initiative of Indian Council
of Gandhian Studies, New Delhi in association with
institutions and organisations promoting peace.
VIOLENCE-FREE SOCIETY
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
Introduction:
The manner in which violence is spreading in the
emerging global context should cause concern in every
peace-loving individual. While it would be naïve to
believe that violence could be totally eliminated, it
would be suicidal to accept it as a fact of life and not
to respond with creative initiatives to contain this
monster so that he will not be allowed to destroy all
what humanity has achieved hither to.
The emerging scenario is not conducive to nonviolence.
Glorification of violence in media, particularly in
television and films, is disturbing. The nexus between
money and muscle power and the way women are depicted in
media also create concern.
The type of education that exists in most of the
countries also is not conducive to accepting nonviolence
as a way of life or a philosophy of life either in
private or public life. The most disturbing trend in
recent times is the acceptance of violence as reliable
method of conflict management.
Utter disregard to values, ethics and adoption of
violent methods to get grievances redressed also create
great concern.
More disturbing is what the corporate houses and
multinational corporations seek to propagate with highly
damaging advertisement campaigns and slogans such as
"When the going is tough only the toughest get
going".
Not that nothing is being done at present to educate
people against the growing cult of violence.
Unfortunately in the din of the corporate values that are
aggressively being promoted, values and attitudes
associated with nonviolence get drowned.
Terror and violence are spreading like cancer
threatening the very existence of the nations. The State,
despite all the measures it has been taking seems to be
under heavy pressure. The varied and very often
conflicting interest of the different segment of people
in most of the countries and the deep penetration the
forces of violence and terror have also sent shock waves
all around. Innocent citizens are blown up and the
heartless perpetrators of violence are rejoicing. While
all this is happening, the citizens who are caught up in
the cross fires remain fear-struck and helpless
expressing just indignation.
In such a situation, can the citizens remain
unconcerned, leaving protection of civilians and their
properties to law-enforcing authorities of the State?
Should not the citizens also join the efforts of
law-enforcing authorities and help protection of lives of
innocent citizens? The public also has a big role to play
in an emergency. We are in an emergency that terror and
violence have assumed such shape that national, massive
and well-orchestrated initiatives need to be undertaken
in the wake of the emerging and frightening situation in
the country.
What we hear from different parts of India is the
deliberate manipulation of religious, communal, ethnic
and political feelings to rouse tension from which a very
few who promote violence openly and those who lurk behind
the curtain make gains. These forces pose severe threats
to systems, in a hitherto unknown dimension
The Indian nation today, contrary to the expectation
of the father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, is not a
peaceful country and despite the tremendous improvements
it registered in the various human development aspects,
violence seems to be spreading like cancer. Violence of
different sorts dominate the general scenario sending
shock waves all around. Mass killings, rioting and
destruction of other's property at the slightest
provocation seems to have become the order of the day. No
part of India can claim to be free from this scourge.
This is certainly not the India Gandhi and thousands
of martyrs who laid down their lives to free this country
from foreign yoke dreamt of.
A three day national convention arranged by Gandhi
Smriti and Darshan Samiti at Sevagram Ashram at Wardha
from 13th to 15th September 2001 and attended by 185
delegates representing the various Gandhian organisations
in the country debated this issue under five concurrent
workshops:
1. Nonviolent Strategies in the Context of
Globalisation
2. Nonviolence to Meet the Growing Violence Against
Women
3. Gandhi and Decentralised Democracy
4. Gandhi, Youth and Nonviolence
5. Gandhi and Voluntary Organisations for a Nonviolent
Future
The convention held under the shadow of threatening
war clouds following terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Centre as well as the Pentagon which led to the loss of
lives of thousands of innocent people from several parts
of the world, focused its concern to the relevance of
developing nonviolent capability to tackle the menace of
terrorism and other forms of violence and injustice. The
convention was guided by such senior luminaries as Sri.
Sundarlal Bahuguna, Kumary Nirmala Deshpande, Justice
Dharmadhikari, Dr. B.R. Nanda, Sri. Dharampal, Dr. Y.P.
Anand, Prof. K.D. Gangrade, Prof. R.P. Mishra, Dr.
Vijayam, Prof. Pandavanayak, Govindrao Deshpande, Dr.
Vibha Gupta, Radhakrishna Bajaj, Sri. T.R.K. Somayya,
Sri. Narendra Dube, Prof. Lallan Prasad, Dr. Kamal Taroi,
Dr. Mandira Dutt, Sri. Kanakmal Gandhi. Dr. Savita Singh
was the co-ordinator of the conference while Prof. N.
Radhakrishnan was the Director.
As a follow-up of the recommendations, a sub-committee
consisting of Prof. K.D. Gangrade, Dr. Y.P. Anand, Prof.
N. Radhakrishnan apprised Hon'ble Sri. R. Venkataraman
(Former President of India) of the outcome of the
National meet at Sevagram and sought his guidance on the
next step. The consensus at this meeting was to launch a
national initiative to combat violence of various types
by involving as many institutions, organisations and
individuals working in different parts of India. This was
the beginning of the Himsamukth Samaj Violence-free
Society National Campaign.
LAUNCHING OF THE NATIONAL
CAMPAIGN
Preliminary
Phase
The Violence-free Society (Himsamukth Samaj) campaign
was launched on 30 January 2002 from Delhi (the national
capital) Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh in Punjab and
Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, the southernmost state
in India. It was a multi-tier people's awareness creation
campaign initiated by the Indian Council for Gandhian
Studies, New Delhi in association with several Gandhian
organizations to educate and encourage people to search
for nonviolent alternatives.
Curtain Raiser of the
Campaign
It was resolved that in the first phase the campaign
should be limited to one state in order to watch and
learn people's response to the contemplated step, and
Kerala was selected to begin this campaign.
About a million people, majority of whom were children
and youth in over 20000 schools and other institutions in
Kerala, took the following pledge at 11a.m. on 30th
January, 2002.
Violence increasingly confronts us everywhere.
Fifty-four years ago it killed the Father of the Indian
Nation, today it threatens to destroy the nation
itself.
I believe that violence is the way of the coward. I
believe nonviolence calls for self-discipline and
courage; it is the most powerful answer to violence. In
Gandhiji's words, "violence is the law of the brute"
Therefore, I declare-
That I shall shun violence whatever be the
provocation
That I shall shun violence whether through words or
deeds
That I shall resolve all disputes through dialogue and
not through confrontation
That I shall practice and encourage tolerance of
dissenting views and differing faiths.
That I shall to the best of my ability resist violence
with nonviolence.
The focus of the preliminary phase of the programme,
which involved various activities was on the following
activities:
• Document the various tensions prevalent in
different parts of the state
• Identify the causes of tension and their
nature, whether they are communal, religious, ethnic _
political, economic, personal, trade union rivalry,
gender related etc. The cause of the tension may be
investigated and properly assessed. A proper analysis of
the causes will be a significant part of the work
• In every conflict there are minimum two
parties, very often more and, the enmity among them leads
to untoward incidents. These groups may be regional,
political, commercial sections or religious sects. There
may be other reasons lurking behind. The real cause
behind them may not come to the surface.
• These participants of clashes and conflicts,
are to be identified
• Possibility of employment of dialogues.
• Ever since the emergence of tension and
conflict, there have been methods to resolve them. Some
of them have been found very effective. A proper study of
such measures to choose from among them, that suits the
present needs, will also form a significant part of our
endeavour.
• All through the history of man, we see
philanthropists and social activists who were eager and
enthusiastic to prevent/control violence. They range from
individuals approved by all sections of people, a section
of political leadership, people's representatives at
various levels, religious institutions and organisations,
such as "Ayalkoottam" and "Grama Samba". These models are
to be examined and activities of such organizations and
individuals are to be co-ordinated.
Thus the Himsamukth Samaj(Violence-free Society)
initiative seeks to encourage discussions:
• to bring about a thorough social change for the
establishment of a nonviolent social order as Gandhi
dreamt.
• expose the evil intentions of the anti-social
elements that prosper very often on violence, death and
destruction.
• co-ordinate the activities of the youth, who
are involved in various social works for the
establishment of an ideal social order.
• to be vigilant against narrow
communal/political/ regional interests.
• organize awareness-creation campaigns against
anti-social elements.
• every time, everywhere, there have been
appropriate and motivated agencies, individuals and
social groups working against violence and promoting
goodwill among people.
• on the basis of the information gathered and
insights received from various quarters, it is intended
to prepare comprehensive work reports to which the
attention of the authorities is to be drawn.
• ensure the co-operation of various
organizations, Government machinery to ensure a
tension-free society which will be possible only if
social justice is ensured, and discrimination of all
sorts and exploitation ended.
• to make effective propaganda to recognize
violence and tension dangerous to progress and well being
of the society.
• to ensure a violence-free society, ensure
co-operation of young men and women who will be prepared
to join any initiative, provided they are properly
motivated.
The occasion of a three-day international conference
on the theme a 'Gandhian alternative to terrorism and
war' initiated by Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti, New
Delhi and G. Ramachandran Institute of Nonviolence and
held at Thiruvananthapuram from 7th to 9th February 2002,
was the first major initiative taken by the International
Community since the outbreak of hostilities between the
US and International Terrorist Groups operating in
different parts of the world. The attacks on Indian
Parliament, Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly and
the Red Fort in Delhi have also raised very serious
doubts in the minds of peace-loving citizens all over the
world about the motives of the terrorists.
The Thiruvananthapuram Conference was the realisation
on the part of some of the most eminent peace activists,
researchers, nonviolence experts, civil liberty
activists, leaders of the nonviolent struggle for justice
and freedom all over the world, that serious efforts are
to be made to look for a Gandhian Alternative to this
serious problem humanity faces at the moment from
terrorists, extremists, religious fundamentalists and
proponents of war who have no concern for the suffering
humanity on account of poverty, malnutrition, ignorance
etc.
Over one hundred delegates from different parts of the
world attended the conference, which was inaugurated by
Feodore Starcevic, Director of UN Information Centre New
Delhi. The most prominent among those attended were Prof.
Glenn D. Paige (President, Centre for Global Nonviolence,
Hawaii), Lou Ann Ha'aheo Guanson(President, Hawaii
Edumenical Coalition, Honolulu), Mr. Vance Engleman
(Gandhi Ashram, USA), Dr. Chaiwat Satha- Anand (Director,
Peace Information Centre, Thailand), Prof. Howard Hunter
(Prof. Emeritus, Tufts University, Cambridge), David
Hartsough (Chief Coordinator, Global Nonviolent Peace
Force, USA), Prof. K.D. Gangrade (Vice Chairman, Gandhi
Smriti & Darshan Samiti, New Delhi), Dr. Y.P. Anand
(Director, National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi), Prof. S.
Jayapragasam (Prof. & Head, Dept. of Gandhian
Studies, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamilnadu), Prof.
R.P. Mishra, Dr. B.R. Nanda, Kumari Nirmala Deshpande,
Avadesh Kumar and Dr. Savita Singh.
Campaign on foot (Padayatra)
to prepare a Gandhian Agenda for the eradication of
violence
In continuation of the modest beginning of the
campaign on 30th January 2002 and on the basis of inputs
received from various sources, a 27 day Padayatra
(campaign on foot) from Neyyatinkara (Trivandrum
District) to Kasargode in the extreme north of Kerala by
Gandhian Constructive Workers was flagged off on 7th of
May 2002 to take the message of the initiative to the
people seeking their valuable inputs and support.
Highlights of the
Padayatra
This Padayatra(March by foot) was a preliminary
exercise, which would facilitate the preparation of a
composite programme of Gandhian Agenda for holistic
development. This was an ambitious task, which involved
serious discussions, debates, and awareness creation on
the various aspects of the present models of development,
socio-political order, economic system, erosion of
values, declining morality, environmental crisis,
directionless education system, growing intolerance and
spread of violence, unhealthy growth fundamentalist
forces, problems of farmers and labourers, frightening
unemployment and dwindling natural resources on one side
while consumerism reigns supreme. While absolute poverty
has loosened its grip, more people have become poorer
after globalization has set in. It is pointed out that to
stem this rot, a Gandhian Agenda, outlining an
alternative development model and political order is the
need of the hour.
Through people to people contact during the 27 day -
trekking along the 700 kilometer distance, the Padayatra
sought to draw people's attention through Discussions,
House visits, Exhibition and sales of Gandhian literature
and pictures, Exhibition and sales of Khadi and Village
Industries products and Manufacturing of soaps.
This was certainly an ambitious task but the
organisers were confident that even a small candle lit in
the dark would have its relevance.
It was hoped that the lessons learnt from this
campaign and its impact, however limited it might be,
would be useful for preparing a Gandhian Manifesto for
Holistic Development which might help in taming the
monster of violence effectively. This exercise might also
help the rest of India.
The Padayatra was guided by Prof. N. Radhakrishnan as
the Chairman of the Organising Committee. Sri. K.
Parameshwara Sharma (Secretary, Poornodaya Book Trust)
and Advocate Soman P. Paul besides participating
full-time in the Padayatra, looked after the
organisational aspects and financial side
respectively.
The Padayatra during its 27-day mass contact programme
from the extreme South (Trivandrum) to the Northern most
district (Kasargode) of Kerala generated appreciable
response among the Gandhian constructive workers, social
activists and those who have been worried about fall in
standards, crumbling of values and the growing
violence.
All along the route of the Padayatra, the members of
the team highlighted the importance of people's
initiative to contain the monster of violence. The
Padayatra also offered very valuable insights to the
members of the team among whom were University teachers,
leading lawyers, teachers, youth activists, Gandhian
constructive workers and student representatives. The
27-day programme of walking which invariably commenced at
5.30 in the morning, covering an average 35 kilometers of
distance by foot every day, turned out to be a noble
mission for peace and harmony through constructive work
as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. The group received from
modest to exciting reception enroot and when the
programme concluded at Nileswaram on 3rd June, 2002, the
seed for an honest thinking on the part of the public on
a Gandhian agenda for a holistic change had been
sown.
Adv. Soman P. Paul, on behalf of the group, presented
at the concluding function at Nileswaram, the salient
features of the discussions that were held with the
public during the march, and the suggestions, views and
opinions received from the public in response to the call
given by the Padayatra team. The sentiments expressed by
the people and the suggestions made by the Gandhian
constructive workers and others, have been, by and large,
similar to the call given by the National Convention of
Gandhian constructive workers, Peace activists,
intellectuals and youths from different parts of India
from 13th to 15th October 2001 at Sevagram.
(b) Special Lecture Series on
Nonviolence
As part of a programme to generate a public debate on
the efficacy of nonviolence in the contemporary society a
nine day each special lecture series on contemporary
relevance of nonviolence was held at Thiruvananthapuram
from 16th to 24th October at which Prof. N. Radhakrishnan
discussed the contemporary relevance of nonviolence on
the basis of ten recently published books on Gandhi,
religion and politics:
The following was the schedule
First Session 16th Oct 2.30 to 6.30
• Gandhi and Godse A review and a Critique - by
Koenraad Elst
Second Session : 17th Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• Gandhiji's Lost Jewel: Harilal Gandhi - by
Nilam Parikh
Third Session : 18th Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• Gandhi, Ambedkar and the Dalit Emancipation-by
N.Radhakrishnan
Fourth Session : 19th Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• Gandhi: A Sublime Failure - by S. S. Gill
Fifth Session : 20th Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• Nonkilling Global Political Science - by Glenn
D. Paige.
Sixth Session : 21st Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• The Great Indian Way: A life of Mahatma Gandhi
- by Raja Rao
Seventh Session : 22nd Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• Gandhi's Passion: The life and legacy of
Mahatma Gandhi - by Stanley Wolpert.
Eighth Session : 23rd Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• For the sake of Peace: Seven paths to global
harmony - by Daisaku Ikeda
Ninth Session : 24th Oct 2002 - 2.30 to 6.30
• Is there no other way?: The search for a
nonviolent future - by Michael. N. Nagler
• In Search of Gandhi by B.R. Nanda.
Over 80 participants from different walks of life
participated in this special programme of
interaction.
This programme was a joint venture of Institute of
Interdisciplinary Studies, Thiruvananthapuram; Madhavi
Mandiram Loka Seva Trust, Neyyattinkara; G.R. Institute
of Nonviolence and Ikeda Centre for Value Creation and
was co-ordinated by Dr. S. Sivakumar.
These lecture series were held later on different
dates in Madurai, Chennai, Coimbatore, Pune, Bangalore,
Baroda, and Nagarcoil. In these eight series of
discussions and lectures around three thousand
individuals from different segments of society attended
and they were hailed as important initiatives towards
encouraging people to realise the nonviolent capabilities
in each of them.
Strategies of Nonviolent
Conflict Management
As part of the campaign on 2nd October 2003, a
year-long certificate course on 'Strategies of Nonviolent
Conflict Management' was also commenced. Over a hundred
young men and women have enrolled for the first batch of
this course and it turned out to be a significant
programme. This is the first time in India that a
programme dealing with Conflict Management in personal
life is being offered in a non-academic setting. The
focus of the course is on encouraging those who attend
the programme to look within for courses of conflicts as
well as searching for alternatives instead of waiting for
others to solve one's problems. The idea of introducing
this program in a phased manner in other parts of India
with the help of institutions and individuals who share
our concerns on the menace of growing violence.
The birth anniversary of Gandhi in 2003 also witnessed
hundred thousands of school children in Kerala taking
pledge against violence at special functions held in
their school premises. We have been able to persuade the
Directorate of School Education to co-operate with us in
this very ambitious program.
Workshops on
nonviolence:
With a view to initiate children and youth, regular
two-day workshops on nonviolence have been designed and
held regularly on every Saturday and Sunday at G.
Ramachandran Institute of Nonviolence and Shanti Sena at
the Rangaprabhat campus. Thirty six batches of children
and youth were held during the last 20 months. Over four
thousand children youth attend these programmes.
Discussions on Strategies to be adopted in the next
phase of the campaign:
In order to seek guidance and support to the campaign
at the national level several rounds of discussions were
held in different parts of India such as Delhi,
Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumai, Ahmedabad, Wardha,
Bhuvaneshwar, Bangalore, Chennai and Madurai. Senior
Gandhian leaders and several national leaders were also
consulted on the campaign to be launched in the first
phase.
FIRST PHASE
What is the present phase of the campaign?
Family as the basis:
As a creative response on the basis of inputs received
in the Preliminary Phase, a national initiative of
identifying and enrolling 100.000 families pledged to
nonviolence is proposed now.
The highlights of this phase will be to recognize the
importance of families and encourage them to embrace
nonviolence as the guiding principle in their life. This
is felt so on the basis of the disturbing manner in which
family as an institution is disintegrating and dialogue
as a sustaining force is also becoming scarce.
Focus
The focus of the campaign is as follows:
To foster
1. Value creation
2. Social Justice
3. Human rights
4. Gender equity
5. Women Empowerment
6. Biodiversity
Objectives:
• Encourage members of the family to experience
in their daily life the creative aspects of
nonviolence
• Promote interpersonal dialogue and human
warmth
• Encourage members of the family to be tolerant
and respectful to each other.
• Highlight the importance of sorting out in the
nonviolent tradition any difference of opinion among the
members of the family or with the neighbors or
colleagues.
• Promote nonviolent dispute settling methods
with the neighbors.
• Encourage members of the family to explore and
study the experiences , experiments and legacy of great
souls like Jesus, Mohamed , Buddha, Mahaveer, Gandhi,
Martin Luther King , Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and
others.
Strategies
Phase I
a. Identification of one lakh families and
b. Designating them as families pledged to
nonviolence
Phase II
1. Encouraging them to form Local affinity groups with
the help of NGOs, Gandhian organizations and other
service groups.
2. educate people on the positive and creative aspect
of nonviolence through discussions interactions and
dialogues
3. to seek to encourage people to adopt nonviolence as
a way of life and explore suitable methods to realise
it.
Phase III
1. Opening of Shanti Kendras (Peace Centres in
educational Institutions)
2. Encouraging institutions and groups to organise
short-term and long-term training programmes in
nonviolence.
3. Extend help to the historic campaign of spreading
the brilliance of Ahimsa launched by His Holiness Acharya
Mahapragya who is on Ahimsa Yatra.
Calendar of
Activities
January 30th 2004 to March 30th 2004
• General discussions on the initiative at
various levels and identifying partners in the
project.
April 1st Week
• Announcement of the programme
May and June
Formation of State committees
July
• Planning strategies
August 9, Quit India Day
• Commencement of the enrolment campaign (
Simultaneously in all states )
• National commencement at Gwalior tank at Bombay
and other important centers and places
September, October, November, December
• Campaign continues
31st January 2005
• Conclusion of the first phase of the campaign
at Rajghat New Delhi and in other places
February and March
• Commencement of the second phase with the
formation of affinity groups
April 2005
• Formation of a central body to coordinate the
future activities
Partners to implement this project and possible
sources of financial support
No doubt, this is a very ambitious project. However,
difficult it might be, the large number of individuals,
institutions and agencies with which those of us who have
visualized the project and begun working in the
preliminary phase, give us the confidence that this might
turn out to be a massive and timely people's awareness
creation programme.
Advisory Committee
This National Campaign, an initiative of the Indian
Council of Gandhian Studies (Registered Office at New
Delhi), is being guided by a National Advisory Committee
headed by Hon'ble Sri. Venkataraman, former President of
India.
Organising Committee
An organizing Committee guided by some of the senior
most national leaders, social activists, Gandhian
activists monitor the initiative.
State Level Committees
State level committees are being formed in all the
States of India.
Address of the National Convener:
Prof. N. Radhakrishnan,
'Neelakantom', Marappalam Gardens,
D Lane, Pattom Post,
Thiruvananthapuram 495004
Phone-91-471-2534397
e-mail drnradhakrishnan@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2004 TFF
& authors
Tell a friend about this article
Send to:
From:
Message and your name
Back
to NONVIOLENCE
FORUM
|
|