Words of Eternal Wisdom Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. other living beings, we are still savages. -Mahatma Gandhi -Thomas A. Edison At the center of non-violence stands the principle Violence sometimes may have cleared away of love. …The nonviolent approach does not obstructions quickly, but it never has proved itself immediately change the heart of the oppressor. creative. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new -Albert Einstein self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had. Finally it reaches the opponent and so stirs his conscience that reconciliation becomes a What is magnificent about humans is when they reality.” decide to turn and stand. If they respond with non- violence on principle and hold their ground, they -Martin Luther King, Jr are really magnificent. -James Cromwell Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak … Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the If the Gandhian moment is to be realized, then it patience to win. … There is no such thing as defeat must encompass both concerns with the violence of in nonviolence…The first principle of non-violent weapons and the violence of inequitable structures action is that of non-cooperation with everything of domination and exploitation. Perhaps, humiliating. unwittingly, the visibility of this violence due to the globalization of media coverage, especially TV, will -Cesar Chavez hasten the process by which the peoples of the world sick from violence and the suffering entailed, will hasten the awakening of conscience and One individual can begin a movement that turns commitment needed to carry forward the struggle the tide of history. Martin Luther King in the civil for a nonviolent world order. This is as much as we rights movement, Mohandas Gandhi in India, can hope for at present, but such a hope will Nelson Mandela in South Africa are examples of certainly prove vain if we do not also act to the people standing up with courage and non-violence fullness of our individual and collective capacities to bring about needed changes. to rid the world of war and violence.. -Jack Canfield -Richard Falk 2 | Bhavan Australia | September-October 2014 Illumination Occurs Where There is Surrender There is a general tendency to look helplessly, if not Where there should be hope, there will only be with utter resignation, at the prevailing social anguish and a sense of helplessness. malediction of rampant corruption, scam after scam, unabashed hunger for power, authority and an There is, however, a small section of messianic insatiable lust to amass wealth by any means with people, who have faith in God and have faith in total disregard to the consequences. themselves. This combination fills their hearts with optimism and hope. People remain petrified and suppress their reactions because of fear of reprisals that are sure to be For them, no matter how dark it may be now at unleashed ruthlessly at the slightest hint of protest night, the illuminating rays of the sun are only a by such forces against which they have no defence. matter of hours away at dawn. Their numbers may Their stoical reticence is understandable because be small but with missionary zeal they do their work there is a necessity to remain within the society of applying balm to the lacerated minds of the which in turn entails compromise and the resultant confused mass of people and do so quietly and sacrifice of cherished values. unobtrusively. They are there amidst us all the time. When we look for them they are not easily found. Otherwise they will have to remain not only However, when our defences are down, when we feel defenceless but also deprived. Right from the helpless, when we cry out in pain and pray, giving beginning of civilisation mankind had realised the up our vanity and ego, these invisible angels are value and need for civilised code of conduct and its instantly at our side to pull us out of the depth social relevance. Down the millenniums right upto created by our tormentors. Prayers are always the present-day, however, there has been flow and answered, when they are made with absolute faith ebb of enlightenment and adherence to values and the surrender is total. Let us pray then that followed by suppression of those self-same values these incarnates in flesh will and ethics. someday lead us to a spiritual regeneration and From time to time serenity, tranquillity and peace of righteousness—hope and societies have been rudely disturbed, shaken and salvation. mutilated by forces of the darkest kind who have imposed their will and their way of life on people by keeping them under subjugation through their -Surendralal G Mehta brutal strength. Such forces have also been President, Bharatiya vanquished and their influence reversed in a cyclical Vidya Bhavan Worldwide order to make way for the return of the moral law and righteousness; till that happens, the common people will continue to suffer the ignominy of a ruthless subjugation by the evil powers that be. September-October 2014 | Bhavan Australia | 3 Contents 08 14 32 My Non-Violence ...................................................... 5 International Day of Peace ...................................... 22 Launch of Nonviolence Month ............................... 8 Non-violent Strides towards Freedom .................. 24 Ahimsa in Deed ........................................................ 10 Medellín: From Fear to Hope .................................. 26 International Day of Non-Violence ......................... 12 Learning the Power of Non-violence the Martin Luther King Way .......................................... 28 Learning to resolve Conflicts through Nonviolent Means: A Dalai Lama Approach ......... 14 Hindi Diwas (Day) .................................................... 30 Developing a Culture of Nonviolence and Developing Our Personality ................................... 32 Peace: Daisaku Ikeda Ways .................................... 15 Lal Bahadur Shastri ................................................. 36 Nine Eleven and Mahatma Gandhi, The Real Silent Killer—Your Own Mind ................ 40 Swami Vivekananda ................................................. 16 Annie Besant ............................................................. 44 The Youth Promotion towards a Culture of Non-Violence and Peace .......................................... 18 Indian Composite Culture - Religions .................... 46 Educating for Non-Violence .................................... 19 Who is Responsible for the Decay of Varna Dharma ........................................................... 50 Mahatma Gandhi’s List of Seven Deadly Sins ....... 20 G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G Publisher & General Editor: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BHARATIYA Gambhir Watts OAM VIDYA BHAVAN AUSTRALIA [email protected] Office Bearers: Editorial Committee: President Surendralal Mehta (President Bharatiya Shabana Begum, Sayantan Chakravarty, Parveen Dahiya, Jessica Flores Sasse Vidya Bhavan Worldwide) [email protected] Executive Secretary Homi Navroji Dastur (Executive Secretary and Director General Bharatiya Vidya Designed and Printed at: Bhavan Worldwide) India Empire, New Delhi, India Chairman Shanker Dhar Ph: +91.9899117477 Secretary Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi Advertising: Other Directors: [email protected] Palladam Narayana Santhanagopal, Kalpana Shriram, Jagannathan Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Veeraraghavan, Moksha Watts, Krishan Kumar Gupta, Srinivasan Suite 100 / 515 Kent Street, Venkataraman. Sydney NSW 2000 President: Gambhir Watts OAM The views of contributors to Bhavan Australia are not necessarily the views of Bhavan Patrons: Her Excellency Mrs Sujatha Singh (Former High Australia or the Editor. Bhavan Australia Commissioner of India in Australia), His Excellency Prahat Shukla reserves the right to edit any contributed articles (Former High Commissioner of India in Australia), His Excellency and letters submitted for publication. Copyright: Rajendra Singh Rathore (Former High Commissioner of India all advertisements and original editorial material appearing remain the property of in Australia) Bhavan Australia and may not be reproduced Honorary Life Patron: His Excellency M. Ganapathi (Former Consul except with the written consent of the owner of General of India in Australia and a Founder of Bharatiya Vidya the copyright. Bhavan Australia) Bhavan Australia: - ISSN 1449 – 3551 4 | Bhavan Australia | September-October 2014 To tell the truth, non-violence today has become a My Non-Violence more pressing cry of the entire humanity than in any particular phase of the human history. The tremendous advent in the sphere of physical science has created such lethal weapons, before which the extinction of the human civilization, nay, even the species itself is a matter of a few seconds. In the ancient times when science and technology were in their infant stage, men could afford to be violent. But in the mid-twentieth century, when the world has been divided into two warring camps, armed to teeth with the latest models of armaments of total annihilation, the very urge of self-preservation