From : thefilmarchive
Added: Oct 21, 2009
Born to Sushila and Manilal Gandhi, Arun's childhood days under South Africa's apartheid for someone of Indian heritage was difficult. Like many Indians, he was demeaned by Europeans for not being white, ostracized by Africans for not being black, and subject to racially motivated violence from extremists in both groups. While living with his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi from 1946 until his assassination in 1948, Arun experienced the most tumultuous period in India's struggle to free itself from British rule. He saw the first-hand effects of a national campaign for liberation which was carried out through both violent and nonviolent means. Both the events and Mahatma Gandhi's teachings strongly influenced Arun. When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, Arun was in South Africa with his parents and felt such anger that he expressed the desire to take revenge upon the assassin. Then his parents reminded him of his grandfathers words: Never react immediately in anger. Arun's parents taught him to "forgive" and dedicate his life to ending senseless violence in the world. After the death of his father in 1956, Arun went to India to immerse his father's ashes in the River Ganges. During the trip Arun suffered a severe attack of appendicitis and was hospitalized for surgery. he fell in love with his nurse and later decided to marry her only to be told by the South African Government that his wife will not be allowed entry into South Africa. In 1957 Arun started as a trainee journalist and reporter for The Times of India. On the 50th anniversary of their wedding Arun's wife, Sunanda (1932-2007) died of a massive cardiac arrest while on a trip to India. She was also a partner in Arun's nonviolent campaigns. The couple had a son, Tushar, who is also an activist, and a daughter, Archana, and four grandchildren. In 1987, Arun Gandhi moved to the United States along with his wife, Sunanda, to work on a study at the University of Mississippi. This study examined and contrasted the sorts of prejudices that existed in India, the U.S., and South Africa. Afterward they moved to Memphis, Tennessee and founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence hosted by the Christian Brothers University, a Catholic academic institution. This institute was dedicated to applying the principles of nonviolence at both local and global scales. In 2007, after the passing of his wife, the institute moved to Rochester, New York, and is currently located on the University of Rochester River Campus. Arun has given many speeches about nonviolence in many countries. During his tour to Israel, he urged the Palestinians to resist Israeli occupation peacefully to assure their freedom. In August 2004, Gandhi proposed to the Palestinian Parliament a peaceful march of 50,000 refugees across the Jordan River to return to their homeland, and said MPs should lead the way. Gandhi also claimed that the fate of Palestinians is ten times worse than that of blacks in South African Apartheid. He asked: "What would happen? Maybe the Israeli army would shoot and kill several. They may kill 100. They may kill 200 men, women and children. And that would shock the world. The world will get up and say, 'What is going on?'" Gandhi later said that Yasser Arafat was receptive to the march idea, but it became a moot point after Arafat's November 2004 death.
Category : Education

Also Try: