US professors ‘in search of Gandhi’ come to Pune
Pune, July 26 - They are in India and they are searching for Gandhi. The 14 professors of philosophy, history, psychology and English from the US are on a five-week tour of India. The Fulbright scholars are going around the country visiting places where the Gandhian philosophy is practised even today. The subject of their scholarship is titled ‘In search of Gandhi in India’.
In Pune for four days, the scholars began their quest at the Yerwada central jail where they interacted with the authorities and inmates. Asim Sarode, a human rights activist, who had accompanied them to the prison later had a discussion with them on how the Gandhian thoughts help in solving the legal cases.
Madhuri Deshmukh, who teaches English at Oakton Community College near Chicago, said they chose the subject of scholarship because “Gandhi is more relevant today that he ever was with the rising violence and war around the world. Gandhian philosophy of non-violence looks practical .”
Before Pune, the group visited the samadhi of the Mahatma in New Delhi, the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, followed by a trip to Dehra Dun where they visited Navdanya which has grown over the past decade into a proactive movement for seed saving and organic farming. The team also visited Sevagram Ashram in Wardha established by Vinoba Bhave.
In Pune they will also be visiting the Aga Khan Palace. Incidentally, the group even watched Lage Raho Munnabhai and said that they enjoyed it thoroughly.
Struck by the Mahatma’s philosophy of non-violence, Paulo Rocha who teaches history at Evanston Township in Evanston Illinois said, “Gandhi was perhaps the first person to sense the dangers of globalisation and depletion of nature. Today, all over the world there is a food crisis and India is facing problems like water scarcity since a number of MNCs are drawing water for their gain.”
Professor of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago, Linda Heath added that Gandhian thoughts held a lot of hope for her. “His philosophy contained thoughts on energy, agriculture, economy not to mention the legal aspect,” she explained, even as Lynn Woodbury, another English professor said he found Gandhi’s thoughts very pertinent to the present problems.
After the Pune tour the group will head to Bangalore to visit Navdarshanam, a registered charitable trust that explores ecological and spiritual alternatives to the modern way of living and thinking.
Courtesy: Pune Newsline
In Pune for four days, the scholars began their quest at the Yerwada central jail where they interacted with the authorities and inmates. Asim Sarode, a human rights activist, who had accompanied them to the prison later had a discussion with them on how the Gandhian thoughts help in solving the legal cases.
Madhuri Deshmukh, who teaches English at Oakton Community College near Chicago, said they chose the subject of scholarship because “Gandhi is more relevant today that he ever was with the rising violence and war around the world. Gandhian philosophy of non-violence looks practical .”
Before Pune, the group visited the samadhi of the Mahatma in New Delhi, the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, followed by a trip to Dehra Dun where they visited Navdanya which has grown over the past decade into a proactive movement for seed saving and organic farming. The team also visited Sevagram Ashram in Wardha established by Vinoba Bhave.
In Pune they will also be visiting the Aga Khan Palace. Incidentally, the group even watched Lage Raho Munnabhai and said that they enjoyed it thoroughly.
Struck by the Mahatma’s philosophy of non-violence, Paulo Rocha who teaches history at Evanston Township in Evanston Illinois said, “Gandhi was perhaps the first person to sense the dangers of globalisation and depletion of nature. Today, all over the world there is a food crisis and India is facing problems like water scarcity since a number of MNCs are drawing water for their gain.”
Professor of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago, Linda Heath added that Gandhian thoughts held a lot of hope for her. “His philosophy contained thoughts on energy, agriculture, economy not to mention the legal aspect,” she explained, even as Lynn Woodbury, another English professor said he found Gandhi’s thoughts very pertinent to the present problems.
After the Pune tour the group will head to Bangalore to visit Navdarshanam, a registered charitable trust that explores ecological and spiritual alternatives to the modern way of living and thinking.
Courtesy: Pune Newsline
posted by deepamariam @ 10:36 AM
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