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The 25th Annual GANDHI PEACE FESTIVAL Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Towards a culture of peace, nonviolence and justice 2017 Theme: 25 Years of Moving Towards a Culture of Peace, Nonviolence and Social Justice Saturday, September 30, 2017 Sponsored by India-Canada Society, Hamilton, City of Hamilton, McMaster University Faculty of Humanities

www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi

Living Gandhi Today

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Mahatma Gandhi statue at Hamilton City Hall

http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi

Gandhi Peace Festival 2017 2 www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi

The 25th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival, Saturday, September 30, 2017

A Word of Welcome ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Message from Mayor Fred Eisenberger ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Gandhi Peace Festival Keynote Speakers ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Community Service Awards ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Past Recipients of Gandhi Peace Festival.................................................................................................................................................. 8 Winner of Newcombe Prize in Peace Studies ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Honouring Dr. Rama Shankar Singh ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 Mahatma Gandhi Lectures on Nonviolence.............................................................................................................................................. 11 What might Gandhi say to President Donald Trump? .............................................................................................................................. 12 Hindu Samaj Temple Commemoration .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Glimpses of Gandhi .................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Moving Towards Nuclear Abolition ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 Two poems about Peace .......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Two More Poems about Gandhi ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 Gandhian Nonviolence ............................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Mahatma Gandhi and the Contemporary Debate around Islam ............................................................................................................... 20 Gandhi in South America?........................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Spectral Presence: the Sensibility of Gandhi ............................................................................................................................................ 24 PEACE, SOCIAL JUSTICE and COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS .......................................................................................................... 26

Culture of Peace Hamilton .................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Immigrants Working Centre .................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Mahatma Gandhi .................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Canadian Foundation for World Peace................................................................................................................................................. 27 Greetings from Peace Studies at McMaster University! ....................................................................................................................... 28 Youth4Peace Leadership Capacity Building ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Mahila Shanti Sena .............................................................................................................................................................................. 30 YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford ............................................................................................................................................... 31 United Nations Association in Canada (Hamilton Branch) .................................................................................................................... 31 The Children’s International Learning Centre (CILC) ........................................................................................................................... 32 Department of Peace............................................................................................................................................................................ 32 Colombian Refugees Association ......................................................................................................................................................... 33 South Asian Heritage Association of Hamilton and Region ................................................................................................................. 33 Canadian Voice of Women for Peace................................................................................................................................................... 34 Hamilton Mundialization ....................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Ontario Public Interest Research Group - McMaster ............................................................................................................................ 35 Amnesty International ........................................................................................................................................................................... 35 The India-Canada Society of Hamilton and Region .............................................................................................................................. 36 Hindu Samaj Women’s Outreach Group .............................................................................................................................................. 36 Seniors Seva Mandal of Hamilton and Region ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 37 The Malhar Group ................................................................................................................................................................................ 38 McMaster Welcome Group ................................................................................................................................................................... 39

Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival Sponsors ............................................................................................................................................. 45 Themes of Gandhi Peace Festivals .......................................................................................................................................................... 45 Friends of the Festival – Thank you! ........................................................................................................................................................ 46 2017 Gandhi Peace Festival Committees and Volunteers ....................................................................................................................... 47 Gandhi Peace Festival Memories over the years ..................................................................................................................................... 48 Programme ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 52

Colombian Dance Group of Hamilton

Colombian Refugees Association dance group was founded in 2016. CRA believes dance is a gateway for acceptance and unification of kids, youth and adults of all races, gender, sexual orientation and religion. Our objective is to advocate and raise awareness about Colombian history and traditions through Colombian Folklore within Hamilton and surroundings. CRA folklore dance group has participated in many events in Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area. Gandhi Peace Festival is grateful to Colombian Dance Group of Hamilton for performing at the festival today.


A Word of Welcome We are thrilled to welcome you to the 25

th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival, a momentous anniversary! In Hamilton, we are

not just a city of waterfalls; we are a city of peace. Being known as a city of peace is an aspirational goal that makes a statement about who we are becoming. Understanding in concrete terms what it takes to have a culture of peace leads to making decisions and taking actions that move the city towards it. People too often think of “peace” in a passive way—as the absence of war. But, what is called “positive peace” is much more than that. It is a holistic concept with a long-term agenda that focuses on enacting the prerequisites for a sustainable peace. Peace can only exist when people’s basic needs are met—as Gandhi said, “poverty is the worst form of violence”—where human rights are respected and protected, where people manage their conflicts constructively, and are interacting nonviolently. Creating a culture of peace demands action. Across Canada Hamilton is becoming widely known for its leadership in peace and social justice—we hear that from people we meet in other places.

In 1983 Hamilton was declared a nuclear-weapons free zone by Hamilton City Council, and several mayors have signed the declaration of Mayors for Peace initiated by the Mayor of Nagasaki to ban all nuclear weapons

In 2013 Hamilton City Council approved and named Hamilton as a “City of Peace”

A “Peace Garden” and statue of Mahatma Gandhi are now part of the grounds of City Hall

For 17 years Culture of Peace Hamilton has been an active presence in the city

In 1991 McMaster University created one of the first Peace Studies programs in Canada

In the early 2000s the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion was created after the torching of the Hindu temple in our city by arsonists on “9/15” 2001.

And, this year, we are celebrating the 25th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival in Hamilton.

As part of the commemoration of the 25

th anniversary, the Gandhi Peace Festival has brought to Hamilton a special

exhibition of rare photographs of Gandhi. The exhibit runs from September 23 to October 21st at the main branch of the

Hamilton Public Library on York Blvd. On October 1, we are co-sponsoring with McMaster University a day-long conference on education for our times, and on October 2, we are hosting famous Indian actress and women’s rights activist Ms. Shabana Azmi who will be giving the annual McMaster University Gandhi Lecture on Nonviolence. Finally, this fall, we are also pleased to note that the Gandhi Peace Festival and the United Nations Association in Canada Hamilton Branch are publishing an illustrated history of peace efforts in Hamilton called “Waging Peace in Hamilton—an Illustrated History of the Journey Towards Peace, Nonviolence, and Justice.” (Funding for this book project was received from the Hamilton Community Foundation’s Community Fund for Canada’s 150

th)

Now, we ask you: What actions can you take to demonstrate your own commitment to creating a culture of peace in our city or wherever you may live? It may be small actions to reduce violence in your own life; or work towards poverty reduction, towards safe streets and communities, food security, environmental protection, or your own behaviour—being kind and respectful to anyone you know or meet. No positive action is unimportant. As Gandhi noted, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Similarly, Gandhi also wrote: “It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” We hope you will enjoy the festival and will be inspired by the articles in this publication and the presentations at the festival. We would like to extend sincere thanks to our sponsors and donors, to the Gandhi Peace Festival Organizing Committee and to the large number of volunteers who have made this festival possible.

Anne M. Pearson Chair, Gandhi Peace Festival [email protected]

Khursheed Ahmed Editor, Living Gandhi Today [email protected]


The Native Youth Advancement With Education Hamilton (NYA WEH) program housed at Cathedral high school, focuses on providing a culturally based support system that will enable Indigenous students to flourish within Hamilton’s Secondary School environment. NYA WEH cultivates the relationship between the culture of Indigenous Peoples and mainstream education. Both forms are integral to the progress of Indigenous youth and are viewed as necessary assets in building healthy individuals, communities and nations. The students at Cathedral high school, whom are part of the NYA WEH program, actively participate in a leadership Initiative, where they volunteer their time learning about Indigenous Peoples and many of

their traditional teachings, to create culturally appropriate workshops that the students facilitate throughout the community and schools within the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board. The NYAWEH Student Leaders recently began learning and sharing teachings about traditional drumming. They organized their own drum group – a female group and male drum group.

NYAWEH - Cathedral’s Female Drum Group Participants are: 1. Emily Fox - Top Left 2. Sage O’connor 3. Sam Fernandes 4. Crystal Lamarr 5. Melissa Button – (Indigenous

Youth Advisor) 6. Nisa Ferreria - Bottom Left

7. Amber Browatzke 8. Madison Slaght Missing from picture 9. Stephanie Dejesus Mirassol

10. Leanne Rego

Gandhi Peace Festival is grateful to Cathedral’s Female Drum Group for performing at the festival today.

We would like to extend

Our Sincere Thanks to the following organizations for their generous support

India Canada Society City of Hamilton McMaster University www.indiacanadasociety.org www.hamilton.ca www.mcmaster.ca

Population Health Research Institute The Hamilton Spectator www.phri.ca www.Thespec.ca

Sheraton Hotel Hamilton Hamilton Public Library www.sheratonhamilton.com www.hpl.ca

http://www.indiacanadasociety.org/

http://www.hamilton.ca/

http://www.mcmaster.ca/

http://www.phri.ca/

http://www.thespec.ca/

http://www.sheratonhamilton.com/

http://www.hpl.ca/


President and Gilmour Hall, Room 238 Phone: 905.525.9140, Ext. 24340

Vice-Chancellor 1280 Main Street West Fax: 905.522.3391 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada E-mail: [email protected]

L8S 4L8 http://www.mcmaster.ca

Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor On behalf of McMaster University, I am delighted to welcome you to the 25th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival, an inclusive event dedicated to the promotion of peace, nonviolence and social justice. Hamilton’s Gandhi Peace Festival is probably the only peace festival of its kind in the world. It has grown in size over the last twenty-five years and has become part of Hamilton’s cultural landscape, as well as gaining recognition both nationally and internationally. This year we are delighted to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Festival, and look forward to its growth and success over many more years. The Festival is jointly sponsored by the Centre for Peace Studies and Faculty of Humanities at McMaster, the City of Hamilton and the India-Canada Society and is a splendid example of collaboration between the community and the academy. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding work and dedication of all three partners and to thank the many organizers and volunteers who have made this event possible. The theme of the 2017 Festival is “Towards a Culture of Peace, Nonviolence and Social Justice”. This is an issue of enormous importance within Canada and globally, as we continue to witness acts of aggression and violence, the continued marginalization and oppression of certain groups within our society, and stark inequities in the distribution of material resources. The Festival provides a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of these important social justice issues and to celebrate Gandhi’s Life, which was dedicated to serving the greater good and taking action to change the world for the better. I am delighted that you have chosen to attend and to demonstrate your support for the promotion of peace and nonviolence in our society. My very best wishes to you all. Patrick Deane President and Vice-Chancellor


Message from Mayor Fred Eisenberger

September 30, 2017 Dear Friends, It is my particular pleasure and honour to welcome you as the Mayor of the City of Hamilton to City Hall as you mark the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and celebrate this year the 25th Annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival. The continuing commitment of the organizers and participants to holding this event each year and to nurturing a culture of peace is truly an example to our community. We are appreciative of the theme this year, ‘Towards a Culture of Peace, Non-Violence and Social Justice’. There is much that we are doing as a city to address concerns from housing and homelessness to food security from poverty to social justice. There remains much that we need to do to address these issues. Peace is more than the absence of war; it is the presence of social justice and prosperity for everyone. We have learned with your help that we can forge together a city of peace here in the City of Hamilton. I would like to welcome all of the participants to City Hall and thank the organizers, participants and sponsors of the Gandhi Peace Festival for this wonderful event. Namaste and welcome to the 2017 Gandhi Peace Festival. Yours Sincerely,

Fred Eisenberger Mayor

71 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, ON L8P 4Y5 T: 905-546-4200 E: [email protected]


Gandhi Peace Festival Keynote Speakers

Leo Nupolu Johnson

While most teenagers were surfing the web, watching friends and learning to drive, Leo Johnson spent eight years in refugee camps, after fleeing war-torn Liberia in 1998. He arrived in Canada in 2006. A government-sponsored refugee, he was accepted at McMaster University and In his second year, founded Empowerment Squared, a charitable organization that promotes access to education, life long learning and groundbreaking educational projects in his native Liberia. He graduated with a degree in political science in 2011, and received the Albert Lager Prize for Student Initiative and earning a spot as a semi-finalist in CBC’s Next Great Prime Minister Competition. He’s also received the YMCA Peace Medal, Gandhi Peace Award, World Citizenship Award from the City of Hamilton and has been recognized among the top 75 immigrants in Canada – and he’s been named one of the Hamilton Spectator’s Top 40 under 40.

Don McLean Don McLean is a co-founder of both Environment Hamilton and Citizens At City Hall (CATCH) and has coordinated the latter group since its inception in 2004. He also is very active in the Hamilton 350 Committee working for real action on climate change. Before retirement, Don taught environmental studies at two universities and chaired Friends of Red Hill Valley for most of the period between 1991 and 2003 when thousands of Hamiltonians struggled to preserve this east end greenspace.

Tom Cooper

Tom Cooper is director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. He's passionate about his community and its residents and works to advance an action plan to reduce and eliminate poverty in the community. He's pushed for social assistance rates that reflect the costs of living, an end to predatory lending in Ontario and along with community partners has helped lead the Hamilton living wage initiative. He's been actively supporting Bill 148 - legislation that would raise Ontario's minimum wage to $15/hr and implement greater fairness to workers. He lives in Hamilton with his wife Crista and son Aedan.

SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations

SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations is a Canadian Mississauga-based, award-winning South Asian dance company internationally recognized for forging new paradigms in Indian dance. The Company specializes in the creation and production of classical and contemporary dance works rooted in the tradition of Bharatanatyam, a dance form originating from India.

Described by the New York Times as 'a dance company of rare vitality', SAMPRADAYA's strength lies in its pursuit of excellence in the creation of a stunning range of solo and ensemble works that are infused with the creativity of Indian dance vocabularies, while inspiring audiences with the its innovative approaches and themes.

Gandhi Peace Festival is grateful to SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations for performing at the festival today.


The Gandhi Peace Festival Community Service Awards

Adult Category: Jay Parekh

Jayanti Parekh has an inborn instinct to serve people and the community. Soon after his arrival in Hamilton in 1970, Jayanti, popularly known as Jay, took interest in community work primarily involving East Indian community. He has served India Canada Society in every capacity as President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer over many years. He was also President of Hindu Samaj and is very closely associated with Seniors Seva Mandal, an organization to serve the seniors in the community. Currently he is a member of its Board. But Jay's service to Gandhi Peace Festival (GPF) is long standing and full of passion and pride. It was during his presidency that Gandhi Peace Festival was auspiciously inaugurated in 1993 at the City Hall with zest and fanfare. His many years of experience as a school teacher exposed him to a larger public than his own. By joining the Festival Organizing Committee and later its Board of which he became the first Chairperson, he

got the opportunity to truly work for the entire Hamilton community which he dearly loves. Over years, he has been influenced by the ideals of GPF and has dedicated himself for its success. Jay has a Master of Science degree in Economics and a diploma in Secondary School Teacher Education. He taught as a Secondary School Teacher from 1970 to 2000 for the Hamilton Board of Education. Currently he is a volunteer Grant Review Team member with the Ontario Trillium Foundation and also a Board Member of the Seniors Seva Mandal of Hamilton. He is also a past board member of the Mountain Legal Clinic in Hamilton and Past President of Hindu Samaj of Hamilton. Jay's unflinching commitment provides confidence to everyone including GPF. Rain or shine, early morning or night or even in sickness, Jay once committed is always there for any job, big or small. He has on his own accord volunteered to look after financial matters of GPF. Because of his prudence GPF feels assured to be safe. A person with a donation box at the Festival cannot be mistaken - he is none other than Jay.

Youth Category: No nominations awarded this year.

Past Recipients of Gandhi Peace Festival

Community Service Award – Adult category

2016 - Leo Johnson 2015 - Simon De Abreu 2014 - Gail Lorimer 2013 - Mary-Jo Land 2012 - Gail Rappolt 2011 - Khursheed Ahmed 2010 - Christopher Cutler 2009 - Robert Stewart 2008 - Ray Cunnington 2007 - Jack Santa Barbara

Community Service Award – Youth Awards 2016 - Rahma Ahmed Abdi 2015 - Than Thanapalasingham 2014 - Tanya Vojdani Fathieh


Winner of Newcombe Prize in Peace Studies

Morgan Potter

Morgan Potter is a third year student at McMaster University in the English and Peace Studies programs. Since starting at McMaster, she has been afforded many opportunities, both in and outside of the classroom, to broaden her understanding of the local and global communities. Volunteering at the Women and Gender Equity Center at McMaster and at the Ronald McDonald House are two of these opportunities from which she has learned a lot and met many amazing people. At McMaster she has also had the privilege of taking several engaging and thought provoking courses in both the English and Peace Studies departments. She is thankful for these experiences, and for the ways in which peace studies welcomes, and requires, a variety of experiences and perspectives in conversation with one another.

Dr. Hanna Newcombe

(Abstracted from Wikipedia)

Hanna Newcombe, co-founder of Peace Research Abstracts and Peace Research Reviews,

was the recipient of the 1997 Pearson Medal of Peace and was elected a member of the

Order of Canada in 2007 for her work in peace research and international relations. Hanna

Newcombe was born Hanna Hammerschlag on Feb. 5, 1922 in Prague. She was the only

surviving child of Arthur and Paula Hammerschlag (née Seger). When she was 17, the Nazis

marched into Prague, prompting her Jewish parents to emigrate with her to Canada in 1939.

Hanna Newcombe earned a BSc from McMaster University in 1945. She met her husband

Alan George Newcombe at McMaster, and they then both went on to earn doctorates in

chemistry from the University of Toronto. After receiving her PhD in 1950, she never worked

full-time as a chemist, due in large part to the fact that, at that time, married women with

children were not expected to work. In 1955, the Newcombes moved to the Hamilton area of

southern Ontario.

After meeting Norman Alcock, a physicist who had founded the Canadian Peace Research Institute, Newcombe realized

that she had found her calling: the use of science to better understand the path to peace. Alan joined her in working for

CPRI shortly thereafter. The Newcombes founded the Peace Research Institute in Dundas, Ontario in the late 1970s.

Hanna was prominent for many decades in the World Federalist Movement, the Canadian Voice of Women, and the

Canadian Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). She was also an advocate of mundialization and of twinning. Her

writing ranged over many topics, including ruminations on philosophy, religion and the history of science.

Hanna Newcombe died in Hamilton in the early morning of April 10, 2011, after a short illness. Family and friends have

endowed the Newcombe Prize in Peace Studies at McMaster University, which is given annually to an outstanding

undergraduate in Peace Studies. McMaster is also the home of an electronic record of her writing.


Honouring Dr. Rama Shankar Singh

On the occasion of the Peace Festival’s 25

th anniversary,

the Gandhi Peace Festival Committee is pleased to present Rama Shankar Singh with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of both his key leadership role in creating the Gandhi Peace Festival, and his lifelong commitment to the causes of peace, non-violence and social justice.

Born and raised in a village in North India, Dr. Singh received his B.Sc. from Agra University in 1965, his M.Sc. from Kanpur University in 1967, and his Ph.D., specializing in population genetics, from the University of California at Davis in 1972. After completing a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship first at the University of Chicago and then Harvard University, Dr. Singh joined the Department of Biology at McMaster University in 1975. The author of four books and well over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, he was elected American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow in 2006. Dr. Singh served as President of the Genetics Society of Canada from 2005-07, and he was honoured with the Genetics Society of Canada Award of Excellence for teaching and research in 2010. In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Singh has worked tirelessly to advance the cause of peace within Canada and around the world, and to raise the level of public discourse surrounding peace-related issues. His voluminous more popular writings – on such topics as human nature, racism, colonialism, the empowerment of women, poverty and human rights, violence and war, and nonviolence and the urgent need for a culture of peace – though aimed at a general audience, are deeply informed by his scientific research in population genetics and evolutionary biology. In the early 1990s, Dr. Singh conceived of the idea of a lecture series at McMaster University that would focus on raising critical questions relating specifically to the theory and practice of nonviolence. After much hard work, the Annual Mahatma Gandhi Lecture Series on Nonviolence was launched, and Dr. Singh has played a central role in selecting the various Gandhi Lecturers, and organizing their visits to the McMaster campus, since the Series’ inaugural lecture in 1996. Again in the early 1990s, Dr. Singh began work on creating an annual community festival that would celebrate Gandhi’s legacy and foster dialogue amongst various local

peace and human rights organizations. After much effort, the annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival was born, with Dr. Singh at its helm virtually every year since its inception. In India in 2002, along with Acharya Ramamurti, Dr. Singh founded a Gandhian organization called Mahila Shanti Sena, or the Women’s Peace Brigade, that aims to empower women by providing training in nonviolent social change to address problems such as violence and illiteracy that disproportionately affect women and young girls. Tens of thousands of women have now participated in the many MSS training workshops that have been conducted primarily in the Indian states of Bihar, Orissa and Assam. Dr. Singh has contributed to countless other peacebuilding initiatives. He is a team builder. He inspires others with his dedication, his moral vision, his integrity and his personal example. In honouring Dr. Singh, we also honour the efforts of the equally dedicated team of volunteers who have worked by his side, in Canada and abroad, throughout the years. For his life of exemplary service, Dr. Singh has been recognized with a Community Service Award by the Government of Ontario (1995), a Peace Medal by the YMCA (Burlington-Hamilton) of Canada (2002), a Community Peacebuilder Award by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace (2003), and a World Citizenship Award by the City of Hamilton (2010).

Cover page of the first Gandhi Peace Festival booklet published on October 2, 1993 to coincide with the 125

th

birthday of Mahtma Gandhi and the 20

th

anniversary of India Canada Society of Hamilton and Region


The organizers of the Gandhi Peace Festival wish to express their gratitude to all those who have contributed so generously over the years to the Mahatma Gandhi Trust Fund, in particular the following major donors: *Dr. Suboth Jain, University of California, Davis Drs. Raj and Sudesh Sood Dr. Shobha and Ravi Wahi, Burlington Drs. Khursheed and Maroussia Ahmed *Dr. McCormack Smyth, Senior Scholar, York University Dr. Rama Shankar and Mrs. Rekha Singh, Hamilton *Mr. Devindar and Mrs. Uma Sud, Brampton *Dr. Sri Gopal and Mrs. Shanti Mohanty, Hamilton *Dr. Douglas and Mrs. Sheila Davies, Hamilton *Mr. Subhash & Mrs. Jayashree Dighe, Hamilton *Dr. Naresh and Mrs. Meena Sinha Dr. Salim and Mrs. Waheeda Yusuf Mr. Kiran and Mrs. Rupa Jani *Dr. Ashok and Mrs. Nirmala Dalvi *Dr. Hemant and Mrs. Abha Gosain, Hamilton *Dr. Harish and Connie Jain *Drs. Mani and Sujatha Subramaniam

* Recipients of Gandhi Donor Appreciation Award

Mahatma Gandhi Lectures on Nonviolence

McMaster University The Mahatma Gandhi Lecture series was established at McMaster University under the direction of the Centre for Peace Studies, to make the value and strategies on nonviolence widely known, and to develop the concept and practice of nonviolence through intellectual analysis and criticism, dialogue, debate and experimentation. Each year a respected analyst or practitioner of nonviolence, chosen by a subcommittee of the Centre for Peace Studies, is invited to McMaster to deliver one or more lectures or workshops on nonviolence. The series is named after Mahatma Gandhi to honour his role in the revitalization and development of nonviolence. Gandhi brought together East and West, spirituality and practical politics, the ancient and the contemporary, and in so doing he helped rescue nonviolence from sectarianism and irrelevance. Our aim is not to put Gandhi on a pedestal, but rather to take seriously the tradition for which he gave his life. The inaugural lecture was given by Ovide Mercredi in 1996. The Mahatma Gandhi lectures series was initiated by India-Canada Society of Hamilton and is funded through private donations. Our goal is to raise $250,000 to provide a sustained yearly income of $10,000 to adequately fund the Lecture series. We have reached 40% of our target and need your support to bridge the gap. We urge you to make a tax-deductible donation to support this worthy cause. Past Gandhi Lecturers: 2017 Shabana Azmi: Towards a Violence Free Society for Women 2017 Mary Jo Leddy, OC, Romero House, Toronto: Why Are We Here? Reflections on Canada and Refugess at 150 2013 Ela Bhatt, President SEWA (India): Women and Poverty: The Hidden Face of Violence with Social Consent 2012 Chris Hedges, Senior fellow, The Nation Institute, USA : Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt 2011 Dr. Richard Falk, Distinguished Emeritus Professor, Princeton University 2009 Rajmohan Gandhi, a professor, biographer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi 2008 Narayan Desai, Gandhian Scholar, India 2007 Satish Kumar, Ecologist/Activist, UK 2005 Sulak Sivaraksa, Peace Activist, Thailand 2003 Acharya Ramamurti – Social Activist, India 2002 Dr. Lowitija O’Donoghue – Elder of Australian Aboriginal Nation 2001 Professor Fatima Meer, University of Natal, South Africa 2000 Medha Patkar, Human Rights Activist and Social Worker, Mumbai, India 1999 Douglas Roche, OC, Senator, Ottawa, Canada 1998 Dr. Adam Curle, Founding Chair, Dept. of Peace Studies, Bradford University, UK 1997 Dr. Gene Sharp, Director, The Albert Einstein Institution, Cambridge, Mass., USA 1996 Ovide Mercredi, National Chief of the assembly of First Nations, Canada Full text of these lectures has been published in previous issues of the Gandhi Peace Festival booklet. These are available on-line through the Gandhi website at McMaster University: www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi Donations to Gandhi Trust Fund are tax-creditable. Please make cheques payable to: McMaster University (Gandhi Trust Fund) and mail it along with your name, address and contact information to: McMaster University (Gandhi Trust Fund) Phone: 905-525-9140 x23112 The Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University, TSH-313 E-Mail: [email protected] Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4M2


What might Gandhi say to President Donald Trump? Rama Singh

Dr. Rama Singh is a professor in the department of biology at McMaster University. As a Gandhian thinker and peace activist, he occasionally contributes writing on Gandhian ideas, gender issues, and peace-building to The Hamilton Spectator. He wrote the following commentary in the form of letters that Gandhi himself had written, which was first published in The Hamilton Spectator on January 20, 2017.

Dear Friend, The last time I wrote a letter of concern to someone in position of power outside India was to appeal to Adolf Hitler to work for peace. Unfortunately, my letter was never delivered. I hope my letter to you will fare better and that you read it and act on it. There are moments in history when a leader finds himself or herself in a position that can make or break the world. President John F. Kennedy’s role in the Cuban Missile Crisis comes to mind as an example of the former; Hitler’s in the Second World War as an example of the latter. As president-elect of the United States, you stand at a juncture in history, with the power to change the world substantially, for good or bad. I am aware that American elections are characterized by spectacle, but as the recent campaign unfolded, your statements grew into an alarming barrage of verbal violence. Your stoking of the extreme right’s hatred of blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Muslims, and your assault on women’s dignity were hard to accept. I do not take seriously any comparison between you and Hitler, but I am afraid you are approaching him in terms of generating fear. I congratulate you on winning the presidency. You are about to become the rarest of rare individuals: a wealthy businessman and the most powerful political leader in the world. You have reached this point by taking a non-traditional approach. Your success to date is matched only by the huge challenge that awaits you in the White House. You want to make America great. A nation does not become great by wealth and might alone. Achieving greatness means preventing war, eliminating poverty, promoting vibrant democracies and lasting peace, protecting the environment, ensuring fairness for minorities, women and the elderly and cultivating a vision for future generations. Something tells me you are in a unique position to turn your weaknesses into strengths if you so wish. You can indeed shake Washington up for good. Going along with what president Dwight D. Eisenhower called the “military-industrial complex” would perpetuate the status quo: promoting confrontation with Russia, continuing biased policies in the Middle East, maintaining military bases

around the world, and continuing with the American division of the world into friends and foes. The current world order was created by the winners of the Second World War and, while it may have served to keep the peace since then, as President Barack Obama recently told us, the randomly drawn lines in Middle East and the post-Hiroshima polarization of the world into “us and them” are stretching the fabric of the world, and the seams are breaking. You can become the first president to follow the advice of George Washington, who urged Americans to practice neutrality and even-handedness in world affairs. I think it would be inspiring for you to initiate talks with Russia, and to show American neutrality in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, as I heard you mention during the campaign. You may consider my suggestions to be naïve. However, I must remind you that one of the problems with the world is that too many people take themselves too seriously. Everybody wants to save the world; nobody wants to save the neighbourhood. On January 20, the day of your inauguration, you will have a choice. You can become a Republican president and push your agenda of change on partisan lines, as presidents tend to do. Instead, I ask you to consider a unique and different route. You can offer a genuine promise to make amends, as well as a declaration to be a president for all Americans irrespective of politics, class, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. On January 20, you can create a new dawn. If not, I worry that the hatred percolating within your nation, and American arrogance abroad will combine to extinguish the American dream. If I could give you some advice from my own life, it would be this: stop chasing money and adoration, become a true public servant and start listening to your inner voice. I have written this letter with a sincere heart. If I have erred in writing to you, I beg your forgiveness. I remain, your sincere friend (In the spirit of) M.K. Gandhi


Hindu Samaj Temple Commemoration Gary Warner

Dr. Gary Warner taught courses on French African and Caribbean literature and International Development, and held various administrative positions including Director of McMaster International and Director of the Arts & Science Program at McMaster, prior to his retirement in 2006. He has been active in the Hamilton community for over 45 years on issues related to international development, poverty, human rights, immigration, social justice and peace. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction and the Order of Canada. (The following speech was given by Gary Warner on September 16, 2017 at the 16

th anniversary of

burning of Hindu Samaj Temple in Hamilton)

As we commemorate the rebuilding of the temple on this sacred site, it is appropriate for us to remember and to acknowledge that this land on which we meet this afternoon is traditional territory of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee Nations, and is Treaty land protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum treaty agreement. This agreement binds the Peoples who signed this treaty and all those who have subsequently come to these lands to share the territory and protect the land in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect. I am sure we can all still remember exactly where we were when we first heard the news of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States and saw the constant replaying of the images of the collapsing Twin Towers. Who would have thought that just 4 days after that episode the aftershock would be felt in Hamilton, as three early twenty-year olds would set fire to the Hamilton Hindu Samaj after having broken windows at the Hamilton Mountain mosque. The extent of the damage was considerable, the temple was completely destroyed except for the front entrance wall and the total cost of its restoration amounted to over $1.5 million. Hamilton earned a dubious reputation from this act of arson that was broadcast around the world. This was not just physical damage. There followed a noticeable rise in hateful words and acts directed against Muslims, Asians, Arabs and anyone perceived to be “different”. Many people lived in terror, would not go out at night, and adjusted their style of dress to be les conspicuous. We are here to remember in particular the destruction of the temple and the accompanying atmosphere of fear that developed around that time - painful though the memory is - but perhaps more importantly also to commemorate the rebuilding of the temple, the resilience of the temple community, and the support, financial and moral, of Hamilton community members from a wide range of religious, social and cultural backgrounds. “An attack against one is an attack against all” soon took off as a rallying cry. It is regrettable that it took some 12 years before the three perpetrators were identified and brought to trial, their original charge of arson to property, possession of incendiary material and mischief under $5,000 replaced by the lesser charge of two counts of mischief: one over $5,000 relating to the temple fire and one under $5,000 relating to broken windows at the Hamilton Mosque the

same night. The three men ended up, as you will recall, with a sentence of three years' probation, and were ordered to make a $10,000 donation to a charity of their choice and perform 80 hours of community service. The Hindu Samaj community demonstrated generosity of spirit in their response at the trial. An article in Metroland News Service published on Wednesday October 29, 2014 put it this way: “A victim impact statement from the Hindu community, read by Crystal Tandon, illustrated the devastation and loss the community faced after the arson, describing it as “our very own 9/11.” “The message that this hate crime spoke in volumes was ‘You do not belong here’ and ‘This is not your place,’” she told the court. But she also spoke of forgiveness: “We stand on the moral ground of reconciliation over retaliation in accordance with the teachings of our religion … we are interested in educating each person involved in the crime, to turn a new leaf by serving the community or the church.” There are some positive outcomes that emerged from this tragedy. I dwell a bit on this first outcome because it looms large in my mind as an important part of my personal experience of our collective response to these crimes. At the instigation of Mayor Bob Wade and a handful of leaders of key institutions, Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative (SHCI) was established as a channel to bring the community together in sympathy and support, build bridges between the City’s diverse communities, and develop strategies in response to the shocking expressions and acts of hate. Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative enunciated a vision of promoting “A vibrant and harmonious community that values our racial, religious and cultural diversity; that fosters respect and encourages public dialogue; a community in which people are enabled to become active participants and contributors.” Four key directives were identified and working groups assigned to each of them. These were to: • Promote the safety and security of all residents of

Hamilton • Develop broad-based strategies to combat racism


• Foster inter-faith, inter-cultural understanding and respect • Foster civic leadership The larger Roundatable of 60+ people, chaired by the Mayor, met every three months. I chaired the Working Group of 20 or so that met monthly. In addition to its work of community mobilization and education, among the tangible outcomes of SHCI’s activities over 4+ years we can count the establishment of Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) to carry on the work of SHCI on a longer-term basis. You may know that HCCI actually resulted from a merger between the new body SHCI was planning to create as its successor with the proposed Civic Resource Centre that SISO had been working on for some time (and that I had co-chaired with Howard Elliot, with Madina Wasuge (first HCCI E.D.) serving as SISO staff lead. A further more distant outcome is the creation currently underway of the Anti-Racism Resource Centre, a partnership between the City of Hamilton, HCCI and McMaster University. Another outcome was the establishment or extension of community advisory groups for the media, police and education, e.g. the Hamilton Media Advisory Council (HMAC) which has representatives of all major city media outlets and a cross section of members from various communities. Yet another outcome was the model of Community Roundtables that was later reproduced with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction (HRPR), the Affordable Housing Flagship, and the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC). A final example – this is not an exhaustive list of outcomes – would be the Jewish-Muslim contact group that emerged from SHCI and was later expanded in scope to become the more broadly interfaith and intercultural Hamilton Dialogue Group – which we probably need to resuscitate. Achieving the longer-term goal of ensuring a culture of equity and inclusion, of eliminating all forms of discrimination and hateful speech and acts is however more elusive. Human groups continue in so many places to erect walls of race, culture, religion, class and ideology to seek shelter in their separateness. As one commentator put it, “…any time you can define so many people as the ‘other,’ you can start to strip away the complexity of a community, which allows you to scapegoat and vilify.” Recent examples of violent hate crimes abound. We need look no further, for example, than the September 14, 2016 arson attempt on the downtown Hamilton mosque or the six dead and several wounded in the ‘terrorist attack’ at a Quebec City mosque, January 29, 2017. The Hate Crime Reports produced by the Hamilton Police reveal endemic patterns of hate crimes and incidents, the most recent reports indicating that we have one of the highest number of hate crimes in the country. The presence in Hamilton of neo-Nazi groups like the Sons of Odin and the Storm Alliance calls for vigilance on our part.

The case of Charlottesville south of the border is instructive. Research conducted by Paul Staniland, a political scientist at the University of Chicago who studies political violence around the world, has confirmed what we know intuitively, namely that “rhetorical support, even tacitly, from mainstream political leaders can encourage violence from radical groups.” Trump’s statements, he believes, literally made further neo-Nazi violence more likely. A study of the US around the turn of the 20th century entitled, “The Course of Law: State Intervention in Southern Lynch Mob Violence 1882–1930”, published in Sociological Science, September 26, 2016, showed how sanction and support from US officials influenced lynching. It found that lynch mobs were more likely to kill if they had support from the political leadership, and less likely to do so if mainstream leaders spoke out against them. Pronouncements or the lack thereof by civic leaders sets the tone. We are witnessing the rise of prominent political candidates and movements that espouse xenophobic, anti-immigrant and narrow nationalist nativist views. It is not surprising then that we are seeing an uptick in right-wing extremist activity directed against the other – Muslim, Jewish, Asians, racialized people, immigrants. Borders, as in the case of Donald Trump’s proposed Mexico Wall, serve as barriers to keep out unwanted people – people seeking refuge or hoping for a better standard of living for themselves and their children. But borders, rather than serving as walls of exclusion, can also play a positive and constructive role, keeping people safe by protecting them from accidents or epidemics. Borders or boundaries around acceptable language serve to protect against hate speech; boundaries around acceptable behaviour enshrined in human rights policies serve to protect against harassment, discrimination, sexual abuse and violence. Borders in this sense can also serve as bridges to connect spaces and people. We commemorate the rebirth of the temple by committing ourselves to building bridges of love and mutual service. Raymond Moriyama, architect of the McMaster University Student Centre, whose family was one of those Japanese families forced out of Vancouver to live in an internment camp during World War II, captures beautifully in this poem this bridging of spaces and people, building bridges of hope and promise, bridges to the future: Bridges There are many kinds of bridges. There are bridges of the mind – conceptual and philosophical bridges. There are bridges of the heart – bridges of love, bridges of friendship and of the spirit. There are bridges of vision – bridges to the future, bridges of hope and of promise. The building of a bridge begins – not from one side, but from each side. Flexibility is a must – a rigid bridge will not long endure.


Patience is the necessity – for to design a lasting structure takes time. What makes the best foundation? Where shall it be placed? Why? Nations build bridges – forge spans to ideas, goods, people. People build bridges –

use bridges, are bridges to the future. I say to new Canadian citizens at citizenship swearing-in ceremonies that we build robust communities when we engage with each other as active citizens. When we get to meet and know each other, we are less likely to hold stereotypical views about people with whom we have interacted normally in everyday situations. I also remind the new citizens that we may not share the same past, but from now on we can share the same future and together build a Canada that is strong, resilient and the best home in the world for future generations of Canadians. We can do this by recognizing our complementarily, not just our differences. We are all interconnected. The cells in our bodies function in this inter-related way. It is extraordinary how the body’s trillions of cells are able to move energy instantly from wherever it is stored to wherever it is needed in the event of injury, illness, or a physical threat from the environment. Martin Luther King expressed this admirably when he stated in a 1961 speech that “We are caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny. What affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As long as there is poverty in this world, no one can be totally rich even if he [or she] has a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot expect to live more than twenty or thirty years, no one can be totally healthy, even if he [or she] just got a clean bill of health from the finest clinic in America. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.” (“The American Dream” (12 March 1961)). I also believe that it is important to recognize that we all have multiple identities which are windows or bridges to shared experiences with others. We are not locked within

the borders of whatever we consider our primary identity and cultural group. Timothy J. Winter, a Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge University, England, and Director of Studies in Theology at Wolfson College, Oxford University is somebody who has followed the English middle-class path to academia and success. To many others, he is Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad, a religious scholar of eminence in the Islamic community. Both of these people reside in the one body. To an interviewer who asked: Do you ever feel you live in two worlds? Tim Winter replied: “Yes, and I enjoy it enormously. I think everybody has a complex identity nowadays, we’re all hyphenated one way or another, and I’m Anglo-Muslim, and I find that rather an interesting sort of identity to have.” I agree with Amartya Sen, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics, who argues that the greatest hope for harmony in our troubled world lies in the plurality of our identities which intersect at the borders and militate against overly rigid divisions. In our interconnected world, solidarity, too, knows no borders. I believe we commemorate the rebirth of the Hindu Samaj not only by standing firm against beliefs and behaviours that defame our common humanity but also by intentionally articulating a clear vision of the world of justice, peace and human solidarity that we wish to see and working actively to make it a reality at the personal and institutional levels in the context of our life situation. Finally, I would like to commend this Samaj community for being such a welcoming community. I commend you for your interfaith outreach – a personal example is the invitation you extended to Joy and me to give a blessing to the youth during your recent Saraswati celebration. I commend the work of your Women’s Outreach Group. I also know that so many of you contribute greatly in many ways to promoting Gandhian ideals and to the vitality of the wider Hamilton community. May this sacred site and this temple be forever blessed with the peace, friendship and respect envisioned in the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum treaty agreement.

Hindu Samaj of Hamilton and Region Please contact us for: • Booking our lower hall for weddings and other special occasions • Booking our priests for religious functions both in and out of the temple • Sponsoring special poojas and preethi bhoj on Sundays • Celebration and sponsorship of special events & festivals Please note: No alcohol or non-vegetarian food allowed in the premises

Phone: 905-679-6935, www.hamiltontemple.ca, Address: 6297 Twenty Road, Hamilton, ON, L0R 1P0

http://www.hamiltontemple.ca/


Glimpses of Gandhi Mohan M.S. Ragbeer

Dr. Mohan Ragbeer retired recently from practicing geriatrics, after 19 years previously as a professor of pathology

at McMaster University, two years in Saudi Arabia, and five years as Dean of Medicine at the UWI, Jamaica.

Gandhi had numerous encounters with British authoritarianism in Africa and India in the last decades of imperialism, when British rule in South Africa and India had reached the acme of immorality and rapacity under a succession of tyrannical aristocrats. In India, in the 1920s, Motilal Nehru, father of Jawaharlal, demanded Dominion status, such as Canada’s,

while his son had called for complete independence a year earlier, which Gandhi had opposed, thinking the time was unripe. In this, he was opposed by the Hindustan Republican Association’s Sachindra Nath Sānyāl, who noted “…Official terrorism is surely to be met by counter terrorism. A spirit of utter helplessness pervades every stratum of our society and terrorism is an effective means of restoring the proper spirits in the society...”

The Indian National Congress (INC) had had a turbulent time since the end of WWI, when Britain broke its promise to advance Indian self-rule, and instead passed the Rowlatt Act, extending war emergencies. In 1921, Gandhi became head of the INC. The INC’s goal was clearly Swaraj (self-rule). He chose the process of civil disobedience, or Satyagraha (soul force), the Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM), which he had used in South Africa, and Egyptians had copied against the British in 1919, to force their independence, obtained in 1922.

The impact of Satyagraha was impressive; the British responded with oppression and excess force, provoking retaliation. One lethal incident at Chauri Chaura in 1922, where several policemen were killed, breached Gandhi’s ahimsa rules, prompting him to halt the NCM, and causing a rift among independence leaders that would last the rest of the decade. His was a “controversial, if not unpopular decision. The NCM had a large following, including Diasporal Indians in the Americas and elsewhere, had raised Gandhi’s profile and had put great pressure on the British Raj to the extent that many saw imminent victory. Moreover, it had taught discipline, solidarity and sacrifices as tools of resistance. Many believed that the incident at Chauri Chaura had been engineered by British Police to provoke Gandhi’s followers and discredit him, and provide the excuse for reprisals, and justification for further oppressive legislation.

In 1929, the Simon Commission was struck, without an Indian member, to determine the course of India’s rule. The issue united the INC to oppose it. Viceroy Irwin, who tightened already harsh emergency laws, jailed leaders and writers for criticisms (several editors were then in prison), prompting British Labour MP Fenner Brockway to admonish the government “for the repression with which the civil disobedience campaign had been met, and urged

the government to withdraw all repressive measures in India, liberate political prisoners, and open negotiations for the transfer of political power from British to Indian hands.” This and appeals for peace and compromise by pro-British Indians were also rejected.

Gandhi told Irwin, “British rule is a curse because it has impoverished the dumb millions by a system of progressive exploitation and by the ruinous expensive military and civil administration, which the country can never afford. It has sapped the foundation of our culture, and by the policy of disarmament, it has degraded us spiritually. Lacking inward strength, we have been reduced by all but universal disarmament to a state bordering on cowardly helplessness.” Gandhi was snubbed; capitalists branded him as leftist, while communists called him bourgeois, and wrong, viewing Indian problems as a class war, prompted by economics, which capitalism would only exacerbate. When he suggested the Salt Satyagraha as a tool of protest, the British Press described it as ‘a ludicrously impractical step and one that is evoking absolutely no response.’ Viceroy Irwin summed up the British Government’s yawn thus, ‘At present the prospect of a salt campaign does not keep me awake at night.’”

But the march was a huge success, and stunned British detractors. Irwin lost not only sleep but his reason and his job. The Government responded by arresting Gandhi and Congress leaders, and by imprisoning over 60,000 Satyagrahis, all charged with violations of the Salt Tax! Follow-up plans were carefully laid, to avoid further repressive laws, as “in those tumultuous years it seemed that the British would hastily pass knee-jerk laws banning every criticism or right an Indian citizen had, blissfully abandoning the freedom of speech and association, which Englishmen believed that had made them a ‘superior’ nation.” But in India, civil rights were applicable only to whites, just as Americans at independence had denied Blacks those rights. A second march of some 2500 non-resisting persons, “led partly by Sarojini Naidu, was assaulted at Dharasana Saltworks, with two deaths and countless maimed. The savagery was broadcast world-wide by an American journalist, Webb Miller, and while ridiculed and trivialized by Irwin to King George V, convinced Indians of the implacability and terminal agonies of British rule.

A century later, and 69 years after Gandhi’s death, India survives, now under increasing American threat culturally, economically, and spiritually. I wonder what Gandhi would have said, noting the relentless advance of Americanism throughout the nation, and the intransigence of caste and other divisions and susceptibilities that undermine the nation’s integrity, and create conditions to facilitate yet another foreign take-over. (Quotes adapted from India, under siege, Amazon, 2015).


Moving Towards Nuclear Abolition Dr. Barbara Birkett - Physicians for Global Survival

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” said Mahatma Gandhi. On July 7, 2017, 122 nations finalized negotiations for the Treaty on the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. First the nuclear weapons states had ignored those proposing such a treaty, then they denigrated it as impractical, preferring the long- stalled “step by step” process. Then they ordered the umbrella states, including Canada, not to get involved. The 122 states, however, overcame the obstacles. The treaty will open for signature on September 20. When 50 states commit to it, the worst of all in humanitarian weapons will be officially illegal. In our present world with about a couple of thousand weapons on high alert, and the Doomsday Clock

at two and a half minutes to mid-night, with sabre–rattling between the US and North Korea ,we needed to hear that message of hope. Mr. Gandhi, I am sure, would encourage Canada to support and sign the treaty and continue work for elimination. Most importantly it should do everything it can with like-minded NATO states to change NATO’s appalling nuclear doctrine which will not even reject possible first use. With steps like continuing promotion of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, calling for removal of weapons from dangerous high alert status, adding to its work on verification, Canada could play a constructive role. It could also help lead at the 2018 UN High Level meeting on Nuclear Disarmament. Let us hope that our country, energized by those who helped achieve the July7 giant step , will help move our planet to a nuclear weapon-free status. Help to encourage such change by writing to our MPs and Prime Minister. Petitions are available on www.ceasefire.ca ; www.icanw.org ; and Physicians for Global Survival’s Facebook page.

Two poems about Peace

Dr. Khalid Sohail is a poet and a short story writer, a humanist and a psychotherapist. He has authored many books. His Creative Psychotherapy Clinic in Whitby, ON is unique in its approach to provide psychotherapic counselling. You can find more about Dr. Sohail at www.drsohail.com

Promise We promise We all promise We all promise to work together To create a wold where no child will go to bed hungry No teenager will be deprived of free education No woman will be abused by men No elderly will be isolared We all promise To grow to our fullest potential And Create a peaceful world together

Rainbow of Peace There is inner peace and outer peace There is emotional peace and there is social peace There is religious peace and there is political peace There is local peace and there is global peace These are all colours of peace And we need all these colours To create a rainbow of peace

(From Dr. Sohail’s recent book, The Seeker)

http://www.ceasefire.ca/

http://www.icanw.org/

http://www.drsohail.com/


India’s Butterfly Vivek Khindria

One flap of a butterfly’s wings can lead to a storm We’re lucky to witness butterflies of massive impact and form Bapu was just such a creature free of hate and full of forgiveness Where the Indian and Atlantic waters merge, here was forged his sense of compassion and justice Non-violence was his method; it melted hearts and embraced all in its path Love and understanding were his ways, and made him a great man Our hard work leads to results and sweat, and drains our salt The force of oppression is destroyed with simple collection of salt So much violence around us and all reasoned out Has humanity been blinded, to not go beyond physical assault? We must demand better of ourselves each and every day For our children, we must deliver and show them the way Bapu stepped up, when it was there for him to have faith and act Let’s open our hearts; we all have compassion that is a fact Martin Luther knew this, Gandhi-ji knew this, in our hearts we all know this Let’s stop the wishing for this and be this….be the change we want to be So start each and every day grateful, and work for change Our children will see and believe Love and understanding is the way

Namaste, Gandhiji Leonard Dabydeen

Footprints on the sands of time glow with birthmark each glittering step unshaken and challenging not by yielding to temptation but thirst for truth for the awakening of men for soul-searching in glimpses of the Transvaal for monsoon moments in vestibules of maharajas turnstiles in South Africa under a mango tree in India ricocheting in global rumbles for peace and non-violence and as the wind whispers in a stormy weather where wars create bedrocks for sleepless journeys I clasp my hands in solemn gesture as if it were the beginning of the end namaste, Gandhiji. ******************************* I shouted when I heard the shot rang out his frail hands in solemn prayer, hey Ram. Today I mark his final 'Namaste' satyagraha no more fight ending war.

Leonard Dabydeenis a retired legal services provider with the Law Society of Upper Canada, and a Guyanese-born Canadian freelance writer and published author of two books of poetry

Two More Poems about Gandhi

Inspired by all the materials shared to me about Gandhi, I am blessed. Vivek is a long-time resident of Hamilton and an information technology professional


Gandhian Nonviolence Sri Gopal Mohanty

Dr. Sri Gopal Mohanty is a Professor Emeritus at McMaster University. He is a Founding Member of India-Canada Society of Hamilton and Region and is associated with Gandhi Peace Festival and Mahila Shanti Sena(MSS) from the beginning. He is the Chairperson of SEEDS (Sustainable Economic and Educational Development Society) and is involved in Odisha’s development projects.

I call it Gandhian nonviolence because Gandhi's concept of nonviolence is not the same as its common usage. In Living Gandhi Today, 2010 Issue, I wrote an article, Understanding Nonviolence wherein I presented cases which yielded effective results by adopting nonviolent approaches. I referred to an excellent book on the subject, Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky. On page 6, his remark on nonviolence is the following: It has been marginalized because it is one of the rare truly revolutionary ideas, an idea that seeks to completely change the nature of society, a threat to the established order. And it has always been treated as something profoundly dangerous. He went on to say: The widely held and seldom expressed but implicit viewpoint of most cultures is that violence is real and nonviolence is unreal. But when nonviolence becomes reality, it is a powerful force. Dangerous - because it requires extraordinary degree of cooperation and collective patience. It also requires a willingness to suffer. The unacceptability of these requirements make us to believe: nonviolence is unreal. Here I mentioned Frans de Waal who in his book The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society suggests that through a better understanding of empathy's survival value in evolution, we can work together toward a more just society based on a more generous and accurate view of human nature. Our skepticism still persists and we may still stick to the disbelief that nonviolence will ever work. Yet, in his book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, Steven Pinker, a Canadian-born American cognitive scientist, infers from a wealth of data documented across time and geography that violence of all forms from war to improved treatment of children has declined both in the long run and in the short run. Pinker rejects what he calls the "Hydraulic Theory of Violence" – the idea "that humans harbor an inner drive toward aggression” (a death instinct or thirst for blood), which builds up inside us and must periodically be discharged. Instead, he argues, research suggests that aggression is not a single motive but the output of several

psychological systems. He examines four motives that can orient humans away from violence and towards cooperation and altruism, and identifies them as: 1. Empathy: which "prompts us to feel the pain of others

and to align their interests with our own”; 2. Self-Control: which "allows us to anticipate the

consequences of acting on our impulses and to inhibit them accordingly";

3. The Moral Sense: which "sanctifies a set of norms and

taboos that govern the interactions among people in a culture." (These sometimes decrease violence but can also increase it "when the norms are tribal, authoritarian, or puritanical.);

4. Reason: which "allows us to extract ourselves from our

parochial vantage points.". Pinker's discussion on violence refers to killing and from this point of view nonviolence simply means non-killing. Now I turn to Gandhi's concept of nonviolence which is broader in scope and content than non-killing. Here I refer to Richard Shorabji's book Gandhi and the Stoics. Gandhi conceptually framed nonviolence as universal love. His ahimsa or nonviolence means an ocean of compassion and shedding from us every trace of ill will for others. According to him, achieving this attitude requires humility or emptiness as Indian sages required to attain moksha (spiritual liberation). In shaping up this framework he was immensely influenced by Tolstoy's work, especially the book, The Kingdom of God is Within You. Gandhi was not appreciative of the usual practice of nonviolence in India. He thought that the people omitted compassion for suffering in animals and substituted a ritual of outward behaviour that was satisfied without regard to suffering so long was killing was avoided. While they can go to its utmost limit in refraining from destroying bugs, mosquitoes and fleas or from killing birds and animals, they do not care if these creatures suffer nor even if they partly contribute to their suffering. Gandhi considered nonviolence as an inner psychological state of good will to all and it could only be achieved by the kind of emotional detachment he found in the Bhagavadgita, in short Gita(a Hindu scripture). The Gita repeatedly tells us to avoid attachment especially to the


fruit of action and further advocates avoidance of emotion and to be indifferent to pain and pleasure. Universal love in his case implied detached love – an amazing similarity with Stoicism and an almost impossible task that Gandhi resolved to practice. It gave him a certain kind of freedom to engage on politics and other activities. Here he distinguished two kinds of freedom, political and personal self-rule, a distinction between non subordination and being one's own master, for which he insisted to reduce one's wants to zero – an ascetic detachment. His popular quote ,“The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed” resonates his detached love for humanity. Gandhi stated that four things are needed to become a nonviolent resister: chastity, truthfulness, fearlessness and poverty. Gandhi's nonviolence has its implication to rights and duties. Teachings in Gita emphasizes human duties. According to Gandhi, rights follow from a due performance of duties as against the trend of asserting rights without any regard for duties. Violence becomes imperative when an attempt is made to assert rights without reference to duties whereas performance of duties rules out violence altogether. This led him to prefer a Charter of Human Duties to a Charter of Human Rights. He wrote to H. G. Wells when asked about Human Rights, “ I suggest the right way. Begin with the charter of Duties of Man and I promise the rights will follow as spring follows winter.” and yet he was hesitant about universal moral rule. Better than universal rules, he advocated to appeal to individual's own conscience.

Experimenting his own prescription on himself and practicing his own ideals , Gandhi was remarkable - “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi was not a pacifist and did not rule out all killings. He realized all have to destroy some life to sustain their own bodies, to protect those under their care or sometimes for the sake of those whose life is taken. Thus a criterion for killing is the absence of ill will and presence of good will in order to avoid being violent. Even some violent killing , though evil, is accepted , for example, if it is less bad in a moral double-bind or if it is one's swadharma (individual duty). Gandhi insisted on the right attitude of nonviolence rather than dictating any conduct required in different cases. Shorabji is asking (page 93): How many can achieve Gandhian nonviolence, 30,000 or 1? In 1931, he was asked how many followers of Gandhian nonviolence were there, to which he answered 30,000. By 1940, when Gandhi asked the Congress Party to restate its commitment to nonviolence as a creed, the Congress Working Committee stated in a resolution:” They are unable to go in full length with Gandhiji. But they recognize that he should be free to pursue his great ideal in his own way.” Gandhi acknowledged everyone had taken the course right for them, that is, had followed swadharma. Nonviolence as a creed, he felt was followed by 1. Eventually Shorabji concluded that Gandhi was first and foremost a spiritual and moral leader and only after that a politician. The opening of his book reads: Was Gandhi a philosopher? “YES” is his answer. If Gandhi has climbed Mount Everest, then he persuaded us at least to climb the nearest hill around us and later to venture for the next and so on.

Mahatma Gandhi and the Contemporary Debate around Islam Binoy Shanker Prasad

A former President of India-Canada Society and a member of the Gandhi Peace Festival Organizing

Committee, Dr. Binoy Shanker Prasad has taught Humanities at Centennial College, Ryerson and

McMaster University. His collection of brief essays, “Gandhi in the Age of Globalization” is to be

published soon.

"There will be no lasting peace on earth unless we learn not merely to tolerate

but even to respect the other faiths as our own". Mohandas K. Gandhi

When the 9/11 happened in 2001, I was teaching a course, “Globalization of the World Politics,” at Ryerson University (Toronto). Following the tragedy, I told my frightened class of students -- many of them were Muslims -- that the hijackers had brought unprecedented injury to the Americans on their soil, but they, in the process, had

forced common everyday North Americans and Europeans to take a closer and closer look at Islam as a religion. As the weeks and months progressed, a huge number of American families who had lost their loved ones in the 9//11 attacks spoke against the outright US invasion of


Afghanistan or Iraq in their name. An eye for an eye, they must have believed with Mohandas Gandhi, would turn the world blind. As we see now, the open-ended wars could not resolve the issues after years; new methods of violence and terrorism were invented that led to impassioned debate around Islam, Islamism and the role of the West. Gandhi’s principles of truth, non-violence, mutual respect and compassion for others became more relevant than ever. With the body of knowledge on Islam mounting, the non-Muslim world now knows that the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims, believed to be a collection (in installments and patches) of oral revelations of God through a messenger, Gabriel, to Prophet Muhammad wasn’t compiled into a present-day book format until the reign of an Islamic government (Caliphate) by a political leader (Uthman, the third Caliph), between 644 and 656. The non-Muslim world also came to know that in order to understand Islam and its prophet Muhammad, one would have to read the Hadith along with the Quran. The Hadith was a collection of reports on the life and deeds of Muhammad (and other early Muslims) transmitted orally for two centuries after Muhammad’s death. Like the Quran, the Hadith also took some time in their actual production in the written or codified form. The Hadith, therefore, served as a source of Muhammad’s biography; they contextualized Quranic revelations and the Islamic laws. Mohandas Gandhi, during his active public life, also studied Islam, and paid eloquent tribute to its founder prophet Muhammad. He wrote: "I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind ... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his selflessness, his absolute trust in God and his own mission -- these and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle..” Gandhi went on to assert: "Muhammad was a great Prophet. He was brave and feared no man but God alone. He was never found to say one thing and do another. He acted as he felt. The Prophet was a Faqir (beggar saint), he could have commanded wealth if he had so desired..” Unifying himself emotionally in no uncertain terms with Muhammad, Gandhi further said, “.. I shed tears when I read of the privations, he, his family and companions suffered voluntarily. How can a truth-seeker like me help respect one whose mind was constantly fixed on God, who ever walked in God's fear and who had boundless compassion for mankind.."

In the post-modern globalized society, however, with the information technology (the search tools) dominating, a thorough and in-depth critical study of Islam along with Muhammad also intensified. A re-evaluation of Islam and Muhammad had been undertaken as much by a number of university departments as also by the learned sons and daughters of the practicing Muslims in the East and the West. The critics of Islam who are in the middle don’t necessarily object to the five pillars of the religion that are: Shahadah (the declaration of faith), Salaat (daily prayers), Sawm (fasting during the month of Ramadan), Zakat (charity donation) and Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca). What they don’t agree with is the way the fundamentalist priests (the Mullahs) had established their sway on the interpretation and practice of Islam. They believe, however, with time and reforms -- as in any other religion -- the Islam would also shed its orthodoxy. The staunch critics of Islam and ex-Muslims, on the other hand, appear to negate the very foundation of the religion which commanded the followers to declare their unquestioned loyalty and commitment to the faith and accept that Muhammad was the last prophet. There’s an unwavering emphasis on the term, “last”. In a dynamic, evolving world -- even in the spiritual arena -- how can one be the last prophet or preacher, the critics question from a scientific angle? They further argue, how can the Quran be a holy book when there are numerous references to polytheists, idol-worshippers, Jews and Christians as kafirs (non-believers) and, therefore, subject to de-recognition, proselytizing or persecution. Such verses, writings or interpretations, they point out, were the source of inspiration to killings in the name of Islam. In the Islamic community, other issues around which acrimonious and politically charged debates have been raging are polygamy often facilitated by easy talaq (divorce), hijab or niqab (full or partial veiling of the ladies), khatna (female genital mutilation) and halala (temporary marriage with another before a divorced lady rejoins her husband). Despite the fact that a few Muslim-majority societies and their regimes have discontinued many of such practices, the Islamists still insist on their retention, primarily, perhaps, to keep their distinct identity. The command to follow such practices, they maintain, is contained in the Sharia, the Islamic laws. They imply the Sharia is a far superior set of laws that should be implemented universally and until that happens, the world will remain divided between the territory of Islam (Dar-al-Islam) and the territory of war (Dar-al-harb). Deeply religious and pacifist as Gandhi was during his entire public life, he too went through convulsive periods involving Islam and the Muslims: From the South African campaign (1906-1914) where he litigated for equal rights to the Indian Muslims and Hindus, to the Non-Cooperation Campaign (1920-1922) in India when he took the Muslim leaders of the Ottoman-related Khilafat movement (1919-


1924) on board, to the Civil Disobedience movements of the 1930’s and 1940’s when he had to address the Hindu-Muslim communal tensions. The reality of the troubled and chequered Islamic history must not have escaped Gandhi when he wrote in 1926 rather ambiguously, “..The sword is no emblem of Islam. But Islam was born in an environment where the sword was, and still remains, the supreme law... The sword is yet too much in evidence among the Mussalmans. It must be sheathed if Islam is to be what it means -- peace.” Himself an apostle of peace and nonviolence, Gandhi said there could be many reasons for him to die, but not a single reason to kill anyone. “To change one’s religion under the threat of force,” Gandhi asserted, “was no conversion, but rather cowardice”. He preached, “no religion taught man to kill fellow men because he held different opinions or was of another religion”. During his own time, Gandhi was disturbed by disruptive and violent behaviors of fringe elements. He wrote in 1947 that there was “no room for Goondaism (bullying) in any other religion worth the name, be it Islam, Hinduism or any other.” He had warned almost 23 years earlier, “..to revile one another's religion, to make reckless statements, to utter untruth, to break the heads of innocent men, to desecrate temples or mosques is a denial of God.” However, Gandhi was hopeful that the men who were of “comparatively pure in character would work among such men (goondas)” and eventually “convert and control” them.

An advocate of progress especially for those who were left out in the society, Gandhi had counseled the Indian Muslims to reform their strict practice of the purdah (the veil) system. On account of religious sensitivity, he didn't appear to be so strident about transformations needed in the Indian Muslim community at that time. However, his Muslim followers like Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan, Maulana Azad, Humayun Kabir, Dr. Zakir Hussain and many others were first rate intellectuals and reformers. They were all focused on social emancipation concerning illiteracy, poverty and backwardness of every Indian community. In the world of today, we needed a healer, not a tormentor; a unifier, not a divider. The key to the easing of the faith-related tension, according to Gandhi, was for everyone to follow “the best in his own religion and entertaining equal regard for the other religion and their followers”. Gandhi, therefore, strongly recommended the following verse from the Quran: “A perfect Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe. No man is true believer unless he desireth for his brother that which he desireth for himself. The most excellent jihad is that for the conquest of self. Assist any person oppressed, whether Muslim or non-Muslim.”

Gandhi in South America? Ramnarine Sahadeo

Ramnarine Sahadeo is a retired Ontario lawyer and author of the book “MOHANDAS K GANDHI: Thoughts, words, deeds and his inspiration the Bhagavad-Gita”.

Mohandas K. Gandhi was born in Asia, educated in Europe, and matured in Africa but never touched the soil of the Americas yet his influence was global and it would be a dim perception to conclude that his life and

message was restricted to a few continents. His impact in the USA is indelible. President Barack Obama stated in India in 2010 that he would not have been President had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the rest of the world. Martin Luther King who also lived and learnt in India stated in 1955 "Christ gave us the goals... Gandhi gave us the tactics...he influenced my life in terms of action more than anybody". Cesar Chavez used non-violence strategy to

protest the exploitation of California farm workers and showed patience when he stated the rich has money but we have time. In Canada there are a number of organisations supported by peoples of all races, religions, nationalities and cultures that hold events at least annually to promote the philosophy and practice of non-violence. McMaster may be one of the few Universities that have courses in Peace Studies while this will be the 25th year that the Gandhi Peace Festival will be held in Hamilton. Latin America Similar acknowledgement of Gandhi’s inspiration in Latin American and the Caribbean may not be so well known but has been documented. Argentine activist Adolfo Perez Esquivel founder of Serpa (peace and justice) with many branches across Latin America was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1980 for


advocating non-violence. Pietro Ameglio Patella from Uruguay translated Gandhi's SWARAJ into Spanish and the Zapatistas used it as a guide to seek local autonomy from the nation state. The greatest disciple however may have been Guiseppe Lanza del Vastos (1901 -1981) who lived with Gandhi in Warda, Maharashtra in 1936 and was baptized Shantidas. After the death of his guru he tried to promote the Ashram lifestyle by establishing Community of the Arc. Brazil has a peace organisation called Filhos de Gandhi, and one of that country's famous teacher and feminist, Maria Lacerda de Moura was a great admirer. Mexico has a chain of bookshops under the name Libererias Gandhi. After the violent Cuban revolution of 1959 Ernesto Che Guevera visited India where he observed similar problems that caused him to join Fidel Castro; grinding poverty and grossly unfair land distribution. However he understood that India was unique and its non-violent methods to redress social injustice worked because she had Gandhi and an old philosophical heritage both of which was absent in the new world. Guyana and The Caribbean There was no doubt that Indentured Servants who were sent as labourers from India to replace slaves on the many plantations across Caribbean and Guyana (British Guiana) was one of the Mahatma's concern since he observed the treatment meted out to them in South Africa and was involved in the massive anti indenture campaign waged in India from 1910 to 1917. Guyana, the only English speaking country in South America, has historical and emotional significance as it was the first country in the West where the ships The Whitby and the Hesperus landed on May 5,1838 with 396 workers. Some died during the journey but this process continued until 1917 after over half a million left from the ports of Calcutta or Madras for the Caribbean and Guiana where the largest number settled. And what did Gandhi do for them? Enter Rev. C. F. Andrews referred to in the movie GANDHI as Charlie. His missionary activities in India exposed him to blatant arrogance and racial discrimination against Indians and soon found himself immersed in the struggle for freedom. He was sent by Gopal Krishna Gokhale to assist Gandhi in South Africa. at functioned well. On their return to India he joined the nationals who vehemently opposed the indentureship system in Natal and Fiji. Rabindranath Tagore won the noble peace prise for Literature in 1913. He and Reverent Andrews toured Vancouver in 1929 from where the latter left for British Guiana as the guest of the British Guiana East Indian Association formed in 1916 with political objectives similar to the freedom movement in India. The Indian National Congress introduced him as the man who Gandhi considered a younger brother and gave him the name Deena Banda, friend of the poor. During his three months sojourn he obtained information about the inhumane

conditions of some villages and also some that functioned well. His presence in the country mirrored the treatment and activities of Gandhi in India. The children of Bharat turned out in huge crowds to hear him waiting long hours for him to finish in English and then complying with their request to speak in Hindi making them nostalgic for Mother India. A dinner in his honour would attract over 500 people. The situation he described in his report IMPRESSIONS OF BRITISH GUIANA, 1930 reveals similar problems among the East Indian communities in South Africa, Fiji, and even India some of which bedevil these nations even today. They include child marriages, illiteracy, non registration of religious marriages resulting in children deemed illegitimate; nominal priests not qualified to raise the moral standards of the society leading to gross superstitions and demoralization; religious conversion, government encouraging missionary work instead of practicing religious neutrality; absence of Indians on the police forces who did not speak or understand Indian language or customs; buildings unfit for human habitation; overcrowded classrooms with few girls while Hindu and Muslim children were compelled to say Christian prayers in government aided schools; few Indian teachers in Christian run schools since many refused to change their religion in order to be employed; abundance of rum shops and excessive alcohol consumption unlike the lifestyle of Indians from northern India; non registration of voters particularly East Indian women who could not read not write the form which was only in English; poor race relations. On the positive side he was impressed with a few leaders there, prominent among them Dr. Jung Bahadur Singh, president of BGEIA, medical practitioner, and member or legislative assembly who had travelled 24 times on ships between India and Guyana. The visit lifted the national consciousness of the people and enabled the few leaders to pursue their goals with greater determination. Many also came over from neighbouring Suriname to meet the Mahatma's best friend in the hope that he could persuade the plantation owners and the authorities to improve the working and living conditions there also.. On July 14, 1929 he official opened the Dharam Sala in Georgetown established by Pandit Ramsaroop Maraj in 1921 and this is perhaps the longest humanitarian mission in Guyana and possibly the Caribbean. Reverend Andrews left his mortal body on April 5, 1940 in Calcutta but his balanced remarks are still relevant today. "I am not forgetting that conditions in large over-populated malarial areas in India are even more distressing than those I have found in Guiana. But when people leave their mother country to come abroad and make sacrifices of habit and tradition it should at least be expected as an axiom that the material conditions to which they come, by Immigration, must be superior to those they left behind".


There are many statues of Gandhi all over the globe and several groups organise an event each year to celebrate his life but more must be done to teach the next generation about the message of non-violence. Every individual or organisation can do something to change the world to one where peace and truth prevail. We can all contribute to that effort and in the process challenge and prove the great Einstein wrong by making sure that the time will

never come when posterity questions the fact that the Mahatma once graced the surface of this earth.

The author edited a pocket sized Gita in English and encourages all organisation to print and distribute it to every home as the PDF can be obtained without cost. He has initiated the Jung Bahadur Scholarship in Guyana. Contact him at [email protected] 416 970 1492.

Spectral Presence: the Sensibility of Gandhi Shiraz Dossa

Dr. Shiraz Dossa is a Fellow (Political Science) of Senior College, University of Toronto (Canada) and Research Professor (Political Science) at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia

In the West, Gandhi is a spectral figure, a ghost like apparition. His visibility is symbolic and sentimental. His intellect seems unserious. His authenticity is doubted, he comes across as unreal. In every aspect, Gandhi appears as suspicious in modern space. In Western eyes, his sensibility is contrary and disruptive. It offends modernity’s

conceits. For the so-called “civilized”, his liminality is justified. Invisibility thus surrounds him as a thinker and critic. He was not a philosopher or a grand theorist. His ideas seem unusual and at best unrealistic. The affective mode of Gandhi’s thinking fails to connect with modern tropes. In the Italian theorist Gramsci’s terms, he was an “organic” sage sired by Indian soil and culture. It is no surprise that the West is generally averse to Gandhi. The classical Gandhian notions of non-violence and pacifism flowed from his rejection of modernity. And they were equally nourished by his disdain for Western colonialism. In this sense his thought was reactive but also defensive of Indian tradition. In 1908, he said that India will “discard modern civilization” to save herself. His conviction about this was even “deeper” in 1921. But he was not an ideologue despite his “severe condemnation”. As he asserted, he would not eliminate British induced “railways and hospitals”, though he “welcomed their natural destruction”. Neither constituted markers of “a high and pure civilization” imagined by the English colonizers. On the contrary, “they are at best a necessary evil”. Such emblems of modernity don’t “add one inch to the moral stature of a nation”. Indeed, they are emanations of forms of colonial and modern violence. For Gandhi, they are all versions of war and domination undercutting “morality” and “religious” values. (Gandhi 1939, 15 – 16) Thus he discovers and defends Satyagraha (non–violent resistance) as absolute principle and measure of “true

civilization”. Simultaneously, it justifies his opposition to colonialism, imperialism and capitalism. Gandhi grasped these truths during his long sojourn in South Africa. His views in this respect are notably Platonic. As he puts it “Civilization is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty.” And duty and morality are “convertible terms. To observe morality is to attain mastery over our mind and our passions” (Gandhi 1961, 53). This logic authorizes Gandhi’s much misread concept of non-violent resistance. It is by no means a passive attitude or passive withdrawal. For Gandhi, it is militant resistance sans force and violence. It is action without savagery. The Gandhian discourse in other words. Likewise his pacifism was deeply religious. Killing life was forbidden: a leading principle of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Accordingly, he counseled Jews under the Nazi threat to commit collective suicide, to preclude a Nazi victory. It was in his eyes an immense sacrifice with meaning and hope when no Jewish resistance against the Nazis was possible. Gandhi’s counsel and his pacifism were consistent with Satyagraha. In her text Eichmann in Jerusalem (1965) the Jewish scholar Arendt made a parallel judgment about Jewish conduct under Nazi control in Europe. She argued that the Judenrate (Jewish Councils) should have done nothing. It was not possible to fight and defeat the Nazis. If the Judenrate had refused to obey Nazi directives, declined to co-operate, there would have chaos but far fewer Jews would have been killed. Arendt was counseling a variant of Satyagraha. (Arendt 1965, 124 – 125; Arendt 1978, 248) Orwell fully understood the logic of Satyagraha and pacifism. (Reflections 1949). Among European he was an exception. It was a “definitive technique, a method capable of producing desired political results”. It was not in any sense “passive” or submissive. As Orwell noted, it was “a sort of non-violent warfare” to overpower “the enemy without” “hurting” him or “hating” him. Gandhi assumed the human equality of the combatants. Unlike modern Europeans, he was humane in the midst of


oppression. In Hind Swaraj, Gandhi defined Satyagraha also as “a method of securing rights by personal suffering: it is the reverse of resistance by arms”. He concludes: instead of “body-force, I use soul-force”. (Gandhi 1921, 69) Interestingly Orwell then favored the continuation of British rule over India. Yet he also shared Gandhi’s attitude to the “humbug of civilization” and imperialism. In his Burmese Days (1944) the disaffected English man Flory says that he is in Burma to “to make money” not advance civilization. “All I object to is the slimy white man’s burden humbug” (Orwell, 37). In 1943, the French Catholic writer, Simone Weil, penned an incisive criticism of modern civilization and colonialism. It was uncannily similar to Gandhi‘s view. Like him, she lambasted the western zeal for violence especially in its colonies. Weil’s major point was that the “evil” the Nazis unleashed on Europe was the “same evil inflicted by colonization”, which is the “evil of uprootedness” and “to lose one’s past is to fall into colonial servitude”. In brief, the Nazi assault replicated Western subjugation in the colonies. Weil added that this “evil” renders the assaulted “featureless human matter”. Weil 1943, 199, 201). In Asia, Gandhi’s visibility was extensive. Accepted as a classic Indian spiritual guide, he was deemed a highbrow ascetic. His self- imposed physical and spiritual disciplines attracted admirers. His sacrifices for the Indian nation were lauded. So was his emphasis on truth as basic to citizenship. Gandhi insisted that untruth in politics was criminal and immoral. In Asia he was a spectral figure. His novel ideas fell flat. For colonized Indians his critique of modernity was unintelligible. Long British rule had refurbished Indian ethics and religions. In India and Asia the tide of modernity of was irreversible then and now. Indeed, his native ideals of non-violence and pacifism slipped into irrelevance. Asian literati, surprisingly, failed to grasp the fallacies of Western democracy. Concurrently they proved incapable of seeing the symbiosis between liberalism and fascism, democracy and fascism, modernity and Nazism that Gandhi exposed. It was evident in WW II that both sides were devoted to violence and aggression. As Gandhi said, liberalism and fascism were not polar opposites but kindred doctrines. In substance and style, their differences were minor and negligible. In their public conduct the variations were lexical and trivial. As he asserted there was no “true democracy” in the West. Liberals had not instituted authentic democracy. It was instead suffused with “violence”, “suppression” of freedom and much “inequality”. In fact, Gandhi perceived “disregard for the law of non-violence and enthronement of violence as if it were an eternal law”. It was not subdued but vicious and systematic. Thus, the “democracies” in France, England and the US were “only so-called, because they are no less based on violence than Nazi German, Fascist Italy or even

Soviet Russia”. In essence, they were regimes of the same species. The sole “difference” was that the latter’s “violence” was “better organized”. (Gandhi 1961, 7-9) In truth, Western democracies were just façades. Unlike its rivals, the West’s PR was clever and effective. As the abode of capitalism and marketing, the West was better at selling spectacle. As Gandhi put it, “my notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should have the same opportunity as the strongest”. In principle, the West was in accord with this view. But because it accepted vast economic inequality, Western democracy was inherently violent. In Gandhi’s lexicon, “large holdings cannot be sustained except by violence”. Thus, he proffered a radical and accurate analysis: “Western democracy as it functions today is diluted Nazism or Fascism. At best it was merely a cloak to hide the Nazi and Fascist tendencies of imperialism”. It seems harsh but it was a factual critique. Naturally the Westerners saw it as outlandish. Stressing imperialism’s possessive and racial coordinates, he added that “it was not through democratic methods that Britain bagged India”. Still Gandhi conceded Indian collusion in this conquest. And he also asked “what is the meaning of South African democracy? Its very constitution has been drawn to protect the white man against the colored man”. (Gandhi 1961, 11). In the US and Canada the same exclusionary logic was operative then. Currently the same issues are in the public eye in both places. Once again the issue is the and legitimacy of “white supremacy”. And Gandhi’s analysis is not just relevant; it shapes the contours of this debate. Since the election of Harper and Trump, the “Nazi and Fascist tendencies” of “so-called democracies” in the West is the quandary in this moment. In a special sense, the troubles are worse in settler colonies like Canada and the US born in the twilight of “white supremacy”. It was no coincidence that John A. Macdonald was committed to building an “Aryan Nation” on stolen native Indian land. As Gandhi fittingly said “I see no difference between the Fascist or Nazi powers and the Allies ... … America and Britain are very great nations …… but they have no right to talk of human liberty unless they have washed their hands clean …. Then will they be fighting for a new order” (Gandhi 1961, 78). References Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (New York: Viking Press, 1965) Hannah Arendt, The Jew as Pariah (ed. Ron Feldman) (New York: Grove Press, 1978) M. K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj (Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1939) M. K. Gandhi, Democracy: Real and Deceptive (Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1961) George Orwell, Burmese Days (New York: Penguin Books, 1944) George Orwell, “Reflections on Gandhi” in Partisan Review (January 1949) (London: UK) Simone Weil, Selected Essays(London: Oxford University Press, 1962)


Six Principles of Peace by Nobel Peace Laureates Respect All Life: Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice. Reject Violence: Practice active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents. Share with Others: Share my time and material resources in a Spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression. Listen to Understand: Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others. Preserve the Planet: Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and developmental practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet. Rediscover Solidarity: Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity.

PEACE, SOCIAL JUSTICE and COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Culture of Peace Hamilton

Congratulations on the 25 anniversary of the Gandhi Festival! And congratulations to the people who have fostered and lovingly made

the festival such a vital institution in Hamilton. As Gandhi has shown, peace is the result of many individuals working together to produce good outcomes.

In this spirit of togetherness Culture of Peace Hamilton is continuing its work for peace with other groups, holding public meetings or other educational activities. Twice a year it also hosts its Peace Luncheons. These mid-day meetings provide a useful opportunity to bring together a cross-section of community leaders, activists, academics, and politicians to discuss and move the city closer to a more just, less-violent society.

This year a major boost for Culture of Peace has been the success of its fund at the Hamilton Community Foundation. Entitled the United Nations Culture of Peace Hamilton Fund, it was established in 2014. Since then more than $30,000 has been donated, topping the original goal of $25,000. This money will not only help the Foundation support other good causes, but will provide a small but regular income for Culture of Peace. This recognition by a major financial institution confirms the view that peace is an important ingredient in the smooth running of a city. Hamilton is lucky to have such foresight and so many generous donors.

This year also the idea of a culture of peace has received a little more attention because of the thoughtful book about history and peace by Hamilton’s Ray Cunnington. His book, Towards Less Adversarial Cultures, is now available at the Hamilton Public Library. Ray (age 97) has just published the Kindle version.

This summer, to top off a good year, Gail Rappolt hosted a wonderful garden party to thank a number of prominent Hamilton peace people for their help and support, and to say farewell to Rev Cynthia Vermillion Foster of Unity Church who is moving to Kansas City.

During the fall the regular monthly meetings of Culture of Peace will be held in conjunction with those of The United Nations Association in Canada, (Hamilton Branch). This will provide more opportunities for cooperation.

Anyone interested in exploring the many aspects of peace, or sharing their own views on peace matters are invited to join. Meetings are held the second Friday of the month at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn Street South. Everyone is welcome.

For more information, or to get involved, please visit:

www.cultureofpeacehamilton.com Gail Rappolt <[email protected]>

www.facebook.com/cultureofpeacehamilton

http://www.cultureofpeacehamilton.com/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/cultureofpeacehamilton


Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace

Box 60002, University of Alberta Postal Outlet, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2S4

www.gandhifoundation.ca Email: [email protected]

Who Are We? Established in 1988 in Edmonton, Alberta, The Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace is comprised of like-minded individuals of diverse backgrounds committed to the advocacy of a peaceful society through non-violent means as upheld by Gandhi. The foundation facilitates a variety of programs and events throughout the year. Annual programs include the Mahatma Gandhi Summer Institute: Building Peaceful Communities held at the University of Alberta, a youth conference aimed at exploring issues of peace and social justice, a commemoration of Gandhi’s birth, and a memorial event held in remembrance of Gandhi’s death. Other events we have supported include the Edmonton Walk for Values, Daughters’ Day, the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl, and the Season for Non-violence. Recently, we raised funds to assist those impacted by floods in Northern India and Southern Alberta, Canada. As well, in our hope to cultivate future generations of peace-minded individuals and our concurrent belief that education plays a key role, the foundation has established a number of scholarships for youth and graduate students.

What is Our Vision? Inspired by Gandhi's life and principles we envision a just and peaceful society. What is Our Mission? We promote peace and encourage nonviolent action based on Gandhian principles through education, public awareness, collaboration, and building intercultural

understanding. “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” -Mahatma Gandhi “The future depends on what we do in the present.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Where Can You Find Out More? For more information about membership, upcoming programs, and/or to make a donation, please visit: www.gandhifoundation.ca. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

Immigrants Working Centre

The Immigrants Working Centre is a leader in providing settlement services in Hamilton, welcoming new Canadians and supporting their full social, civic and economic participation in their new city. For over 28 years, IWC has provided a broad range of settlement services to newcomers to Canada. We are Hamilton’s only dedicated settlement service organization, delivering in-person and online services in 16 languages at four locations in Hamilton.

Orientation and Settlement Services: Settlement support, information on key settlement issues, and referrals

English Language Training: LINC English program from Literacy to Levels 1 - 7

English for Work, WorkLINC & English Credit Courses: Telephone communication, interpersonal skills for employment, and workplace preparation

Employment Services: Job Search Workshops, resume & interview preparation, one-on-one job search coaching, and Canadian workplace rights & responsibilities

Hamilton Newcomers Club: Learn and connect at monthly networking events Visit IWCHamilton.ca | Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube & Instagram: @iwchamilton.

Address: 8 Main Street East Suite 101, Hamilton. Tel: 905-529-5209 www.iwchamilton.ca

http://www.gandhi.ca/

http://www.gandhifoundation.ca/

http://www.iwchamilton.ca/


Greetings from Peace Studies at McMaster University!

Warm congratulations from everyone at McMaster on the 25th Anniversary of the Gandhi Peace Festival! We join with you to celebrate both the Gandhi Peace Festival and the lifework of the man in whose honour this Festival is named, Mahatma Gandhi. In this, the 150th year of Canada, long regarded as a land of hope for those in war-torn lands abroad, we are taking note of the 500 years of oppression of Indigenous

Peoples of the Americas. We live in at a time of opportunity: The Final Report of the Commission on Truth and Reconciliation offers us guideposts toward justice, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals give us concrete goals and targets for sustainability, health and well-being. Both support the recognition that peace is essential. On September 13, we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and on September 21 we marked the United Nations International Day of Peace. This year’s theme for the 2017 International Day of Peace is: “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”. We know that when some suffer, all suffer. We cannot be free, we cannot have dignity, we cannot be safe unless we respect the rights of all to the same respect, dignity and safety that we would wish for ourselves and our loved ones. This means that while there are Grenfell Towers that burn because of government indifference, no one is safe. This is not an isolated event - it is a symptom. If members of our community are systematically deprived of their access to water, to food, to shelter, we are all impacted - because we are a global community. But we are also a fractured community - fractured by boundaries that we have created, and by systematic inequalities and injustices we enable and allow. We see the evidence in the acts of war and the flight of millions of people away from violence, searching for safety. What is our responsibility? What power do we have? Arguably our responsibility and our power is that of Gandhi, and of Martin Luther King, and of all those countless others who have stood before aggressors and refused to give way. We can choose our response. We can engage. We can turn away from violence in all its forms. As we celebrate “25 Years of Moving Towards a Culture of Peace, Nonviolence and Social Justice” with the Gandhi Festival in Hamilton, we choose a clear direction. Then it remains for us all to create the many paths to peace and justice and safety that are needed. It is here that McMaster University has a special role, and a higher responsibility. The University has long understood the importance of engagement with global issues, from its efforts in establishing Peace Studies as an academic domain, to creating the Institute for Globalization and the Human Condition, to building bridges across academic silos, through its commitment to community engagement. Our students serve the community in many capacities, and in many organizations, locally, nationally and internationally. Our Alumni support McMaster’s Global Justice Hub; and our medical professionals train the next generation of global health experts. This year, McMaster also celebrates 25 years of Indigenous Studies, and we see the peace growing in the fruits of these efforts, from the success of the athletes attending the 2017 North American Indigenous Games; to Indigenous Leadership in Global Water Futures research targeting improvement of water quality and access for thousands of Indigenous Peoples; to recognition of Indigenous models for healthcare and healing. This is peace in action. McMaster University has been and continues to be an ally, and a supporter of struggles for peace and justice everywhere, and we are very pleased to celebrate the Gandhi Peace Festival with you. Congratulations to all Gandhi Peace Festival organizers and supporters who have worked so hard for these 25 remarkable years and warmest wishes for the 25th Anniversary of the Gandhi Peace Festival from Peace Studies at McMaster University! Dr. Nancy Doubleday, Director, Peace Studies


Youth4Peace Leadership Capacity Building

Violent conflict resulting from increasing intolerance is becoming the defining features of the world today. It is frightening that around 1.5 billion people around the world live in fragile or conflict-affected states, including over 600 million young people. Violent conflict disrupts social structures,

breaks down the rule of law, and cripples health systems. It has a devastating impact on young people’s development, human rights, and their ability to reach their full potential. More people are on the move today than at any time since the Second World War. The world is learning at great cost the risks posed by violent extremism when left unaddressed. While developing countries bear the heaviest burden of accommodating refugees, their impact is being felt in developed countries including Canada. Recent political events, including the highly divisive elections in the US and an increasing support for the populist and nationalist parties in UK, Turkey and India and authoritarian regimes around the world have created an environment of rising intolerance and xenophobia. In a time of social, political and economic chaos, Canada’s pluralism and multiculturalism are seen as one of the few bastions resisting this global tide of intolerance and xenophobia. 1 in 5 Canadians is foreign-born, and two thirds of Canada’s population growth is attributable to international migration. Canada’s population is over 35 million, of which over 10.2 million are children and youth. However, there is some evidence that attitudes may be hardening in Canada too. A survey by the Angus Reid Institute in February 2017 found that a "significant segment" of Canadians say Canada's current refugee target of 40,000 is “too high”, while one in four Canadians wants to impose its own Trump-style travel ban on refugees. Many Canadians are becoming more fearful in the aftermath of attacks against visible minorities, including the recent violent attack on a Quebec City mosque that killed six innocent worshipers and wounded many. We at the Global Peace Centre Canada seek to strengthen the foundations of Canada`s positive experiences with multiculturalism, and share its unique example with the rest of the world. We are therefore pleased to launch our new Youth4Peace Leadership Initiative that aims to build the capacity of young people through training, experiential learning and action projects. We aim to train “30 under 30” action-oriented youth by providing them with leadership opportunities that include public speaking, communication and facilitation skills, cross-cultural understanding and conflict transformation. We are collaborating with young people, schools, campuses, and youth groups to host three boot camps,

each one lasting for three days. We aim to enable youth to undertake the projects of their choice to foster diversity; and social, cultural, racial and economic, gender and other forms of justices. The need for such a program is evident as world headlines offer daily evidence of the challenges while shifting the public discourse, bringing hate crimes and fear into the mainstream conversation. Fortunately, many young people and the community leaders show enormous courage in overcoming fear and promoting peace. We are pleased that our initiative has received considerable support from over 50 stakeholders and a generous financial contribution from the Hamilton Community Foundation. We plan to provide a comprehensive package of tools, including seamlessly integrated frameworks, experiential learning methods, conscious self-reflection, and interactive program modules, which are replicable, scalable, and cross-cultural. We help young people make the necessary and long-term community connections for their own and their community future. Our training initiative has five stages: 1) LAUNCH: Collaborate with campuses, schools and youth groups to organize public events; 2) RECRUIT: Select a cohort of 30 young leaders 3) TRAIN: Host three boot camps of three days each; 4) UNLEASH: Support graduates to have access to social networks, mentors, funding and lead community building initiatives; and 5) CONNECT: Link peacebuilders at local and national levels for broader and deeper collective impact. Given the overwhelming support and our collaborative approach, we are optimist that our peace leadership initiative will enhance the social wellbeing of Dundas and areas youth. We are looking forward to collaboratively work with young people, schools, campuses, service sector, businesses and government community which would provide us the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of Canada’s young leaders. For more information on our work, upcoming training activities, and how to get involved, please contact us: Jahan Zeb, Co-Founder/Secretary GPCC Board, 289 788 4646, [email protected] | www.gpccanada.org Prateek Awasthi Director, Policy and Advocacy at Engineers Without Borders Canada, [email protected] (Inspired by Nobel Laureate and Honorary Canadian Citizen Malala Yousafzai’s work for peace and education, GPCC is a registered charitable organization that creates hope and opportunity through peace skills and leadership training for young people. Registration #: 81916 7321 RR0001)


Mahila Shanti Sena


YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford

United Nations Association in Canada (Hamilton Branch) On October 24

th this year the world marks the 72

nd anniversary of the formation of the United

Nations. Designating October 02 as The International Day of Non-violence is surely one if its most important days on which to be thoughtful about the future of our world. Though there is much that could have been different or more effective during the UN’s 72 years, its charter still stands as a benchmark for how we hope the world can be.

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom We are happy to join in the celebration of the 25

th anniversary of the Gandhi Peace Festival, and the work that it has done

to bring various communities and people together to learn about and reflect on the pressing issues of our time, and the on-going relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings to these issues.

On Monday October 23

rd 2017 UNAC Hamilton Branch will host a book launch for award-winning

author Patricia Pearson’s new book profiling the recipients of the Pearson Peace Medal. This event will take place at 7 PM at the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, 170 Dundurn St S. Please join us to hear about some of the distinguished recipients of the Pearson Peace Medal, including our own Dr. Hanna Newcombe, who was the founder of the Dundas Peace Research Institute. Copies of the book will be available, along with refreshments and a chance to share with the work of many of our local peace and other social justice organizations.


The Children’s International Learning Centre (CILC)

OUR VISION: A world of care and respect for all people and our environment. OUR MISSION: Promote respect for diversity and awareness of our world community through guided discovery and interactive artisitc programmes. HISTORY: The CILC was established on Oct. 24, 1970, as a volunteer project of UNICEF. In 1988 the Centre was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization with its own board of directors. The Centre is supported by volunteers, admissions, memberships, donations and grants. Yearly, we produce 2 hour thematic programmes available to the community. PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE: 2 hour programmes are available by booking sessions Festivals of Light: How Traditions Change (November 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018) Celebrated locally in our communities and globally in neighbourhoods are many festivals which use light. This programme gives each participant the opportunity to discover many observances such as: Haudenosaunee Mid-Winter Ceremony, Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali and more! Examine ways in which the traditions have evolved through time and location. (Fits many curriculum expectations and requirements) New! Spring and Summer Programme: (Availabe Spring and Summer 2018) Orbit the Earth (January to October) An engaging, hands-on, planetarium-inspired programme that enables exploration of parts of our solar system including the moon, the stars, and planets. Earth’s unique significance to all living things will also be explored. (Excellent for grade 6 curriculum and Guiding Astronomy badge) OPEN TO: School classes, home schools, community groups, day camps, guiding and scouting units, adult groups and religious groups. We also do FUN-educational birthday parties. For more information about the Centre, booking a 2 hour programme, interest in volunteering or financially donating please contact us: The Children’s International Learning Centre 189 King William St., (across from Theatre Aquarius), Hamilton, ON L8R 1A7 Tel: 905-529-8813 Fax: 905-529-8911 E-mail: [email protected] Visit: www.cilc.ca

Department of Peace

The Canadian Peace Initiative (CPI) is committed to the establishment of a Department of Peace within the Government of Canada. The Department of Peace would work towards building a new architecture of peace by establishing and supporting a culture of peace and assertive non-violence in Canada and the world.

We are part of a growing international movement that includes citizens from some 50 countries represented in the Global Alliance for Ministries & Infrastructures of Peace. Four governments have already established Ministers of Peace: the Solomon Islands (2005), Nepal (2007), Costa Rica (2009), and most recently the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

Please visit our website http://canadianpeaceinitiative.ca to learn about the activities of the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative. To get involved with our Hamilton chapter contact Christopher Cutler at [email protected] or 289-689-4397.

Conflict Transformation by Peaceful Means


http://www.cilc.ca/

http://www.gamip.org/



E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.southasianheritage.org

www.facebook.com/southasianheritage

youtube.com/user/SouthAsianHeritageHR

Colombian Refugees Association

Our mission To assist newly arrive refugee claimants in settling and integrating into Canadian society, delivering direct and indirect services such as orientation, transportation, translation, interpretation, referral to community resources, professional counseling and general information. Who we are The Colombian Refugee Association is a non-profit community organization that serves newly arrived refugee claimants. We bring a range of services and consultations in Spanish. We engage in their remainder of their settlement and integration process helping them to establish in Hamilton and surroundings. We take into consideration their needs and concerns, including affordable housing, sports, educational, cultural and recreational activities while we advocate for their rights. We aim to improve the quality of life of new families providing cross cultural understanding and equality. We also work in community development and volunteerism. We present and produce culturally relative activities, promoting the heritage and the image of Colombia and Latin America in Canada.

Our Vision - An inclusive welcoming and engaged society

Carlos Vasquez, President, Colombian Refugees Association C: 289.700.6341, [email protected], www.colombianrefugees.ca

South Asian Heritage Association of Hamilton and Region

Since 2004, South Asian Heritage Association of Hamilton & Region (SAHAHR) has been working on bringing South Asians from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan as a unified community and on the same stage. We organize several events through the year to promote South Asian culture and create better understanding of the rich heritage of South Asia for all to enjoy. Our activities include:

Annual Cultural Program on the second Saturday of May (May is the South Asian Heritage Month in Ontario)

Cultural programs and South Asian cooking demonstrations on Cable 14 and YouTube

Annual Members’ Dinner (non-members are also welcome - see below)

International Women’s Day (March 8)

Canada Day Picnic (July 1) and more! Membership is open to anyone interested in South Asian culture. We welcome new members to join us. Please visit our website for current activities and let us know what talents and skills you can contribute to advance the South Asian Culture in Hamilton. Please contact us further information: Jesmin Haq: 905-304-3350, Indu Singh 905-807-4638 Zafar Pasha Siddiqui: 289-700-3006, Mujahid Ahmadzai: 905-865-2359 Lydia Fernando 905-308 -9062, Rabindra Nepal 289-776-8328 Upcoming event: Annual Dinner - Friday, October 22, 2017 at 5:00 PM - Narula's Banquet Hall, 1162 Barton St E, Hamilton (Members $15 - Non-members $25). E-mail address for tickets [email protected]

DINNER 4 HOPE Fundraising gala with Miss Universe Canada 2017

Wednesday, 4 October 2017 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Narula's Banquet Hall, 1162 Barton Street E

Hamilton, ON L8H 2V6

http://www.southasianheritage.org/

http://www.facebook.com/southasianheritage

http://youtube.com/user/SouthAsianHeritageHR

http://youtube.com/user/SouthAsianHeritageHR


http://www.colombianrefugees.ca/



Canadian Voice of Women for Peace

About us: Established in 1960, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) is a non-partisan Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) comprised of a network of diverse women with consultative status at the United Nations ECOSOC. For almost 50 years, VOW has tirelessly advocated for a world without war. VOW is one of the non-governmental organizations (NGO) cited by UNESCO’s standing committee in the working group report entitled “The Contribution of Women to the Culture of Peace”. An accredited NGO to the United Nations, affiliated to the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), VOW was the Canadian lead group for peace at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. VOW is a non-partisan, non-religious organization that values women in all their diversities. Our Mission: To provide a means for women to exercise responsibility for the promotion of world peace and justice, through education of themselves and others to take an equal part in the democratic process of decision making; and to cooperate with women throughout the world to create the mutual respect and understanding necessary for the peaceful resolution of international conflict. We welcome new members and donations. NATIONAL VOW OFFICE Sandra Ruch, National Coordinator 579 Kingston Road, Suite 101 Toronto, ON M4E 1R3 Telephone 416-603-7915 email: [email protected]

Hamilton Mundialization

The Hamilton Mundialization Committee is a council mandated advisory committee which responsibility is to facilitate and support peace initiatives and the twinning relationships between Hamilton and its ten twin-cities around the world. Its purpose is to assist City Council in implementing its Mundialization resolution.

The main functions are:

• To promote Hamilton as “A World (Mundialized) City” dedicated to global awareness, international co-

operation and world law.

• To further the work of the United Nations through publicity and education and to have the United Nations flag

flown with the Canadian flag from City Hall at all times.

• To undertake twinning programs in international cooperation with like-minded municipalities in this and other

countries to foster an understanding of the increasing interdependence of the municipalities, peoples and

countries of the world.

• To involve Hamilton citizens of different cultures, especially those from the countries of our sister

communities, to share in our multicultural programs.

• To include representatives from City Council in the Committee for implementing the above programs.

• The Hamilton Mundialization Committee welcomes any individual or organization to join its membership and,

to participate in any of the mundialization programs and special events throughout the year.

Inquiries may be forwarded to: The Hamilton Mundialization Committee, c/o Customer Service, Access and Equity 71 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y5 Tel: 905-546-2489 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.mundialization.ca



Ontario Public Interest Research Group - McMaster

OPIRG McMaster exists to empower students and community in exchanging ideas and taking action on diverse social justice and environmental issues by connecting individuals, groups, organizations, and resources. OPIRG McMaster values Anti-Oppression, Empowerment, Creativity and Innovation, Equity and Inclusivity, Consensus, and Environmental Responsibility. Subscribe to our e-mail events list to stay informed about our many public events, including: Passion to Power in the Public Interest: Skills Training Series (Fall and Winter semesters) Making Connections: OPIRG’s Social Justice and Environment Week (last week in September) Fair Trade Fest (first Wednesday in November) Film Nights Guest Speakers and much more. Start your own or get involved with one of our many action Working Groups, such as Eco-Friendly Mac, Fossil Free McMaster, Global Citizenship Collective, McMaster Indigenous Students Community Alliance, Turtles of Cootes and United in Colour. OPIRG Contact Info: Twitter.com/OPIRGMcMaster, Facebook.com/OPIRG.McMaster

Web page: www.opirgmcmaster.org E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 905-525-9140 Ext. 27289 or 26026, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 229

Amnesty International

Group 1 (Hamilton)

Amnesty International is a worldwide voluntary movement that works to prevent some of the gravest violations by governments and non-state actors of people’s fundamental human rights. The main focus of its campaigning is to free all prisoners of conscience - those who have been detained because of their beliefs, ethnic origin, sex, colour, or language, and have not used or advocated violence. Amnesty International also works to ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners, to end extrajudicial executions and disappearances, and to abolish the death penalty, torture, and other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment or punishment. The organization has received the Nobel Peace Prize. Amnesty has always been very happy to co-sponsor the Peace Festival Amnesty Canada Website: www.amnesty.ca To get involved, please contact: E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: twitter.com/amnestyhamilton Meetings: First Monday of the month 1570 Main St. West, Hamilton at 7 p.m.

http://www.opirgmcmaster.org/



The India-Canada Society of Hamilton and Region

India Canada Society of Hamilton congratulates all the people who worked relentlessly to reach this milestone to celebrate the Twenty-Third Year of Gandhi Peace Festival in Hamilton India Canada Society of Hamilton feels proud to have started modest Gandhi festivities 23 years ago which, with the help of other partners and the Hamilton community has blossomed into this amazing event. Many Hamiltonians look forward to attend this. India-Canada Society started the Annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival in 1993, a year before Gandhi’s 125th birth anniversary. It is now a co-sponsor of the Festival with the Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University. It saddens to see that PEACE is still elusive in many parts of the world today, but there is always HOPE. Even the birth country of Gandhi is frequently marred by violent incidents. The most pressing issues in many parts of the world today are Climate change, Wars, Terrorism, and Violence Against Women to name a few. India Canada Society supports activities of Gandhi Peace Festival committee in these matters and provides a forum to discuss these issues. Founded in November 1973, the India-Canada Society is a secular not-for-profit organization devoted to upholding the rich social and cultural heritage of Indians of South Asian origin, contribute to the enrichment of Canadian life and culture and championing the social and cultural interests of the Indo-Canadian community. With an explicit intention to contribute to the variety of Canadian life and experience, the Society has actively sought to facilitate mainstream dialogue around the rich Indian philosophy and culture. Society is always in active communications with other organizations in the city such as - Hindu Samaj, HCCI and Seniors Seva Mandal to name a few, and is always prepared to lend a helping hand. In short, India Canada Society is “ Helping to build an engaged community” For more information, please check our web site: www.indiacanadasociety.org Raj Jadon, President

Hindu Samaj Women’s Outreach Group

You are invited to: Canada 150 and Diwali at Hamilton City Hall on October 7th 1pm to 4pm 71 Main West, Hamilton ON

The theme for 2017 is “Integration of Diverse Cultures to celebrate Canada 150” This event will feature settlement stories (e.g. photographic exhibits, storytelling, and presentations) of Indian Canadians living in Hamilton since 1960’s and will capture our imagination on how life was for immigrants in the pre-globalization era. Photo Booth, entertainment and Refreshments provided. Free Admission Our HSWOG team members will be very happy if you could join us on joyous occasion. For more information: Email: [email protected], Facebook/HSWOG

A secular non-profit organization devoted to upholding the rich social and culture heritage of India, contribute to the enrichment of Canadian life and culture, and championing the social and cultural interests of the Indo-Canadian community

http://www.indiacanadasociety.org/

mailbox://C:/Users/Khursheed/AppData/Roaming/Thunderbird/Profiles/5dma4hfv.default/Mail/univmail.mcmaster.ca/Inbox?number=24172319


Seniors Seva Mandal of Hamilton and Region congratulates the organizers of Gandhi Peace Festival

on the 25th year of celebration

Senior Seva Mandal of Hamilton and Region is a an interfaith, Intercultural, Multi-linguistic non profit association of

Canadian of South Asian Indian origin

Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network (HNHB LHIN) is supporting “aging at home” for

senior’s initiative started by LHIN

Some members of our Indian community felt that our seniors may not be getting the services suited to their ethno-

cultural needs.

In order to facilitate the modifications in the services for our seniors and to identify their unique needs, the seniors Seva

Mandal of Hamilton region was formed with volunteer participation of concerned community members.

In collaboration with VON of Hamilton and a grant from LHIN, Seniors Seva Mandal had started a Congregate Dinning

program for South Asian Seniors, in 2009.

Currently, the weekly program runs at Hindu Samaj Temple on Wednesdays from 10:15 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. Program

starts with yoga, tai-che, and smart exercises. Healthy lunch is provided followed by seminars by different medical,

legal and social organizations.

With the help of a generous grant from the Federal and Provincial Governments, Seniors Seva Mandal is able to help

alleviate some isolation of our seniors by taking them for day outings, which have been very appreciated by seniors.

These programs are just a beginning and Seniors Seva Mandal will be looking into many more avenues to help our seniors. Seniors Seva Mandal was nominated for SAGE award ( Service Award for Geriatric Excellence) for 2010. For participation and further information, please contact: Narendar Passi at 905-383-9199 Find us on Facebook under: Seniors Seva Mandal of Hamilton and Region

Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) and Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC) have partnered with Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) to launch #HamiltonForAll, a public awareness campaign that celebrates diversity and promotes Hamilton's vision to be a Hamilton For All. #HamiltonForAll is a public education campaign that aims at stimulating dialogue and opening minds by encouraging Hamiltonians to stand up against prejudice, exclusion and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, religion, country of origin, disability, sexual orientation or other differences. Join us and support Hamilton’s vision to be a #HamiltonForAll. www.hamiltonforall.ca Tel: 905-297-4694 Web: www.hcci.ca E-Mail: [email protected]

https://www.hamiltonforall.ca/

https://www.hamiltonforall.ca/

http://www.hcci.ca/



The Malhar Group Present | Promote | Preserve | Indian Classical Music

The sole mission of The Malhar Group is to present and to promote Indian Classical Music and Musicians in

Canada. The Malhar Group is a not-for-profit arts organization incorporated in the province of Ontario since

February 2006. It has been operating informally since April 2001. The Malhar Group holds frequent musical

events of excellent standards. Since 2001, The Malhar Group has been trying to meet its objectives mainly by

the following programs of activities:

Springfest in Hamilton: Our signature event is the annual festival of Indian classical music held in the month of

May to coincide with South Asian Heritage Month. This event is now 12 years in existence. We promote both

visiting artists and artists from Canada. We need patrons, sponsors, advertisers and other supporters to make

this happen every year.

Arohi Music Festival: We initiated this from Fall 2013 to give platform especially to aspiring local musicians and

music students.

Lecture-Demonstrations and screening of documentaries on Indian Classical Music in McMaster University.

Listening Sessions: These are very small (15-20) number of music lovers gathering to listen to serious recorded

music organized by a specific theme such as a Raga. So far, we have held 30 such sessions!

In-school Music Demonstrations: We have been to 45 different schools in six different cities and have so far

reached over 11,500 students of Ontario schools.

Upcoming Event:

13th ANNUAL SPRINGFEST | 26 May 2018 | 6:30 PM FirstOntario Concert Hall | The Studio

Santoor:

TTaarruunn BBhhaattttaacchhaarryyaa

Tabla:

Hindole Majumdar

Vocal:

MMiilliinndd CChhiittttaall

Tabla:

Yashodhan Navathe

Harmonium:

Sanatan Goswami

Tickets: $30 General Seating, $20 Balcony

Web: themalhargroup.org | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 905-627-7496


McMaster Welcome Group What is the McMaster Welcome Group (MMWG)? We are caring community members dedicated to helping Syrian refugees.

Comprised of students, professors and concerned parents, we aim to help Syrian refugees in the Westdale area with their transition into the Hamilton community.

What are we doing? Helping refugees gain self-identity and independence as they become Canadian citizens.

Translating for refugees so that they can access and navigate government services.

Pooling resources in order to provide families with the basic necessities.

Providing an ever-important sense of community and support.

Future Directions To provide and expand upon community support networks for our Syrian friends.

Through collaboration, with government and private organizations, as well as individuals in the community, we hope to help refugees live fruitful lives.

Please contact us if you would like to share in our vision.

Adam Christopher <[email protected]>

Emily MacIntrye <[email protected]>

Dr. Karin Humphreys <[email protected]>


Proud to serve delicious Indian Vegetarian food at Gandhi Peace Festival


Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival Sponsors

The India Canada Society, Hamilton

Co-Sponsors

Amnesty International, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Children’s International Learning Centre, Council of Canadians, Culture of Peace Hamilton, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), Hamilton Interfaith Peace Group, Hamilton Public Library, Interfaith Development Education Association, Interfaith Council for Human Rights and Refugees, Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), Physicians for Global Survival (Hamilton Chapter), SACHA - Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area, The Immigrant Culture and Art Association, The Malhar Group Music Group of Ontario, The Mundialization Committee of City of Hamilton, UNICEF, United Nations Association Canada, YMCA Hamilton/Burlington, YWCA of Hamilton/Burlington

Financial Supporters

The City of Hamilton McMaster University

The India-Canada Society, Hamilton Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton

Culture of Peace Hamilton Hamilton Malayalee Samajam

McMaster Ontario Public Interest Research Group United Nations Association in Canada - Hamilton Branch

and a number of individual supporters listed near the end of this publication.

Themes of Gandhi Peace Festivals

2017 The Hamilton Gandhi Peace Festival: 25 Years of Moving Towards a Culture of Peace, Nonviolence and Social Justice

2016 Refugees and Sarvodaya - Opening Our Hearts and Homes

2015 Learning from Gandhi in the Age of Climate Change

2014 Nelson Mandela's Life & Legacy 2013 STOP Violence Against Women 2012 The Gandhian Path to Peace: Truth,

Nonviolence, Service 2011 No to Fear – Yes to Peace 2010 The Power of Nonviolence 2009 Swadeshi: Gandhi's Economics of Self

Reliance 2008 Living Gandhi and King Today 2007 Building Sustainable Communities 2006 First Nations Peacemakers: Building

Inclusive Communities 2005 Breaking the Cycle of Violence: An Eye for

An Eye Makes the Whole World Blind 2004 Creating True Security: Freedom from Fear 2003 Power to the People: The Agenda of the

Peace Movement 2002 Peace and Human Security 2001 The Problem of Racism 1993-2000 Towards A Culture of Peace,

Nonviolence and Social Justice

PDF version of this publication and previous Gandhi Festival publications can be downloaded from:

http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi/festival/booklets.html

http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi/festival/booklets.html


Friends of the Festival – Thank you! The Gandhi Peace Festival Committee has launched a drive to establish an endowment fund in support of Gandhi Peace Festival at McMaster University. The Gandhi Peace Festival was started in 1993, a year before the 125

th anniversary of

Gandhi’s birthday, and has been held annually in the City of Hamilton. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Gandhi Peace Festival of its kind and we would like to do everything possible to make it a permanent part of Canadian cultural heritage. We encourage individuals as well as organizations to support it. Donations to Gandhi Peace Festival are tax-deductible. Cheques should be made out to: “McMaster University (Memo: Gandhi Peace Festival)” and mailed to:

The Centre for Peace Studies For information, please contact: McMaster University, TSH-723 Dr. Anne Pearson, Chair- Gandhi Peace Festival 1280 Main Street West, E-mail: [email protected] Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M2. Dr. Chandrima Chakraborty , 905-525-9140 x 23777 www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi E-mail: [email protected]

As a token of our appreciation, the names of all donors to Gandhi Peace Festival Fund, with their consent, will be listed in this publication to serve as an encouragement to others.

WE THANK THE FOLLOWING FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL FOR THEIR DONATIONS Anand Bose Anne Pearson Anthony and Philo Vayalumkal Anupam Bagchi Arun and Sashi Sharma Arun Taploo Arvinda and Ratna Bobba Ashok and Nirmala Dalvi Balbir Singh Sahni (Montreal) Basanti Majumdar Bhagwat Verma Bhagwati and Bairavi Gupta Bhawani and Rama Pathak Binoy and Reeta Prasad Bipasha Chiu Canadian Indo-Carobbean Assoc. Cathy and Paul Younger Comondore and Shanti Ravindran Cordoba House Culture of Peace Hamilton Dee Maharaj Dinesh and Usha Singh Douglas and Sheila Davies Douglas Scott East Plains United Church Gary and Joy Warner George and Leonor Sorger Geri and Max Jackson Girija and V S Ananthanarayanan Hamilton Health Sciences Hamilton Malayali Samajam Hara and Sumitra Padhi Harish and Connie Jain Hemant and Abha Gosain Hindu Samaj of Hamilton & Region Hirsch and Indra Rastogi

Immigrant Culture and Art Assoc. Jo-Ann fox-Threlkeld Janie Lauer Jay and Surekha Parekh Jayaram Nair Jose and Anita Kudiyate June Baxter K. Malhotra Legal Association Kanwal Shankardass Karn and Dolly Malhotra Karun and Nomita Singh Khursheed and Maroussia Ahmed Kiran and Rupa Jani Lakshman and Saraswati Das Mahendra and Jyoti Joshi Mahendra Deonarine Mala Singh Mani and Sujatha Subramanian Manish Verma Mark Patel Mark Vorobej Mohan and Veena Juneja Mohan and Veena Juneja Monica Chopra Monolina and Saurav Ray Narendar and Chitra Passi Naresh and Meena Sinha Naresh and Munmuni Singh Naresh and Saroj Agarwal Nawal and Veena Chopra Nidhi and Mukesh Jain Nikhil and Bharati Adhya Nithy and Lalitha Anand Om and Anjana Modi Om Prakash Bhargava OPIRG (McMaster)

P.L. Kannappan Paul Dekar Prabha Singh Prakash and Sunita Abad Pramila Jha Prem and Nisha Lal Radhey and Rajni Gupta Raj and Sudesh Sood Rajat and Manju Bhaduri Rajkumar Jadon Rama and Rekha Singh Ramesh and Darshana Kumar Ramnarine Sahadeo Ray Cunnington Richard Morton Rupa and Kiran Jani Salim and Waheeda Yusuf Sanatan Mandir (Toronto) Saroj Ram Satendra and Rita Varma Seema Nundy Sheryl Wickens-Perrie Shiva Kumar Shobha and Ravi Wahi Sri Gopal and Shanti Mohanty Srinath and Pushpa Singh Subhash and Jayashree Dighe Sushil and Shashi Sharma T. Biswas Tapas Mondal Tilak and Krishna Mehan Uma and Davinder Sud United Nations Assoc. Canada V.K. Sehgal Veena Chopra Vishal and Shivani Sud



2017 Gandhi Peace Festival Committees and Volunteers

Organizing Committee:

Anne M Pearson (Chair) Rama Singh (Past Chair) Jay Parekh (Treasurer) Khursheed Ahmed (Editor) Gail Rappolt (Secretary) Anjali Sergeant (Coordinator)

Binoy Prasad Chandrima Chakraborty

(Liaison - McMaster University) Gary Warner Janice Lukas Joy Warner

Margaret Harris Raj Jadon (India Canada Society) Raj Sood Sri Gopal Mohanty

Advisory Committee:

Ashok Dalvi Hemant Gosain Mahendra Joshi - Hindu Samaj Temple Mani Subramanian - Hindu Samaj Temple Mark Vorobej

Naresh Agrawal Raj Jadon - India-Canada Society Sri Gopal Mohanty – India-Canada Society Subhash Dighe

Publicity:

The Hamilton Spectator Hamilton Cable 14 McMaster Student Union (MSU) Radio CFMU 93.3 Hamilton Radio 900 CHML, Y95.3 FM Bhajanawali Webcast (www.bhajanawali.com) CJMR 1320 CHML Radio - Hamilton Eye on Asia (TV)

Sound System:

Jordan Abraham, Professional Audio Services (Phone: 905-522-7322)

Food: Food Supplied by: India Village Restaurant,

Dundas/Ancaster 905-304-1314

Multimedia: Media Liaison: Janice Lukas Photography: Khursheed Ahmed Facilities Arrangements: Hamilton City Hall staff members Rose McGowan Special Help: City of Hamilton: Rose MacGowan McMaster University: Lorraine Bell, Iwona Rozko Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion: Yolanda Otite Banners: Russ (Eye Catcher Signs)

Volunteers:

India-Canada Society: Daljeet Juneja, Arvind Sahay, Joseph Sabu, Om Sadhana. Tea by Hindu Samaj Women’s Outreach Group: Surekha Parekh, Virbala Kumar, Roma Juneja and Nishi Tripathi. Children’s Table: Nomita Kumar, Sunanada Jadon, Swati Saran

..... and many more. Thanks to them all.


(Photos by Khursheed Ahmed, Subhash Dighe and Others)

Gandhi Peace Festival memories over the years


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The 25th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival

Hamilton City Hall, 71 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada

2017 Theme: 25 Years of Moving Towards a Culture of Peace,

Nonviolence and Social Justice

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Programme

1:30 pm: Welcome – Gail Rappolt (Member, Festival Organizing Committee) 1:35 Colombian Dance Group 2:00 Welcome - Dr. Anne Pearson (Chair, Festival Organizing Committee)

Female Hand Drum Group - Melissa Button - Aboriginal Youth Advisor Greetings by Mayor Fred Eisenberger Introduction of Consul General Dinesh Bhatia by Raj Jadon (President India-Canada Society) Community Service Awards Presentations 3:00 Keynote speakers - Don McLean - Founding Board Member, Environment Hamilton. Tom Cooper - Director, The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction Dance performance - Sampradaya Dance Creations Keynote speaker - Leo Johnson, Executive Director, Empowerment Squared Raging Grannies 4:15 Garlanding of Gandhi statue & Peace Walk 4:40-5:00+ Meal and mingling

Colombian Dance Group of Hamilton Sampradaya Dance Creations Female Hand Drum Group


suggested living gandhi today - mcmaster university...gandhi peace festival is grateful to...

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