CAL POLY POMONA AHIMSA CENTER NONVIOLENCE IN THOUGHT AND ACTION 2013 www.csupomona.edu/ahimsacenter NEWSLETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR This newsletter brings you glimpses of Center’s Ahimsa Center Hosts accomplishments over the past two years and Prem and Sandhya Jain Greetings to seekers and supporters of ahimsa! previews some of its upcoming programs. Contributions and stories in this newsletter testify Conference on Nonviolence In this issue of the Newsletter, I want to draw your to the difference such programs are making in the attention to the serious business of life, liberty, and November 2-4, 2012 lives of students, teachers and citizens alike. On the pursuit of happiness. behalf of the Center, I wish to thank our sponsors Ahimsa and Sustainable Happiness was the for their kind and continued support which makes theme of this conference, which featured scholars Ahimsa or nonviolence is first and foremost about such programs possible; speakers for sharing their from a wide variety of disciplines and fields of LIFE, that is, reverence for all life, which enjoins us to ideas and insights; and, the guest editor for helping expertise. The conference was aimed at advancing celebrate life in its fullest, to nurture it, to enrich it. to put the newsletter together. I invite our readers scholarship, enriching education, and facilitating True ahimsa finds expression in compassion, caring for their continued engagement with the Center’s practical applications based on new insights and love; in gratitude, generosity and forgiveness. programs. pertaining to the relationship between nonviolence Ahimsa, thus understood is the foundation of GOOD and sustainable happiness. LIFE. Tara Sethia is Professor in the History Department at Cal Poly Pomona, and Director of the Ahimsa The Center is grateful to Prem and Sandhya Jain for LIBERTY or freedom ensues from the practice of Center. their continued support. ahimsa. At individual level, ahimsa is a vital form of freedom, that is, freedom from animosity, anger, hate, and divisiveness. In social and political arenas, ahimsa is the only viable strategy for pursuing freedom as demonstrated by the pioneers and exemplars of nonviolent social change. HAPPINESS is not simply about the absence of pain or discomfort. Nor is it about fleeting pleasures or ephemeral positive sensations. Rather, happiness that endures represents a solidly grounded sense of wellbeing, of flourishing, and of having found meaning and purpose in life. There is deep reciprocity and symbiosis between ahimsa and happiness, and freedom and happiness. If we embrace ahimsa, we cultivate happiness—in ourselves and in others. And if we begin seeking enduring happiness, we will be walking on the path paved with the values of ahimsa. Similarly, a good part of happiness is based on freedom from greed and University honors Prem and Sandhya Jain (center), Ahimsa Sponsors, with their son, daughter-in-law and grandson. envy. Being happy is, for example, to be free of Dean Sharon Hilles, Vice President Douglas Freer (R) and Center Director Tara Sethia (L) worry about “keeping up with the Joneses.” AHIMSA CENTER SPONSORS TABLE OF CONTENTS Ahimsa Patrons Hamilton and Denise Brewart From the Director 1 University Honors Ahimsa Sponsors 1 Ahimsa Sponsors International Conference on Sustainable Happiness 1 Prem and Sandhya Jain Jasvant and Meera Modi Ahimsa Center Sponsors 2 Pravin and Sudha Mody Jagdish and Madhu Sheth Public Lectures and Dialogues 2010-2012 3 Charter Sponsors Ahimsa Fellows 2011 3 Navindra and Madhu Jain Bipin and Rekha Shah Ahimsa and Higher Education 4 JAINA Gandhi’s Talisman: A Guide for Living by Andrew Moss 4 Discovering The Benefits of Combining Sustainability with 4 Founding Sponsors Happiness by Catherine O’Brien Ratan and Madhu Baid The Yoga of Sustainable Happiness by Adrián Villaseñor-Galarza 5 Gems International (Harish and Sunil Ahimsa and National Trust by Kaltrina Kusari 5 Daga) Practicing Ahimsa in Support of Women by Christian J. Murillo 6 Manilal and Savita Mehta Using Ahimsa to Cultivate Happiness by Rupa Parikh 6 Tulsi and Gita Savani A Step Towards Change and Peace by Megan Hans 7 Nitin and Hiten Shah Radical Empathy: A Nonviolent Path to Happiness and Wellbeing 7 Jayesh and Ramila Shah by Randall Amster Jeff Smith Ravi and Vandana Tilak Featured Speakers 2010-2012 8-9 Romesh and Kathleen Wadhwani Major Sponsors Ahimsa and K-12 Education 10 Pradeep and Meenakshi Iyer Ahimsa as a Counterbalance to Violent Thought by Teresa Burke 10 Sanjay and Harshada Kucheria The Transformative Optimism of America’s Teachers 10 Suresh and Vimala Lodha by Christian Bracho Lunar Design Living Large: Expanded Consciousness through Non-Violence 11 Vasan and Neerja Raman by Vikas Srivastava Teaching Nonviolence and Sustainable Happiness by Andrew Duden 11 S p o n s o r s A Drink from the Well by Travis Sevilla 12 Naren and Kusum Bakshi Humanization of Violent Children through Nonviolent Resistance 13 Vikram and Upma Budhraja by Saskia Van Goelst Meijer The Dalai Lama Foundation Navin and Pratima Doshi Michael Tobias Presents New Film: Yasuni, A Meditation on Life 13 Vikram and Anjana Kamdar Steve McCauley Ahimsa and Community 14 Sankar and Malathi Narayan Meditation and Happiness by Dr. Sunil Sharma 14 Pramod and Roshni Patel Ahimsa and Combat Trauma Recovery: Positive Psychology 14 S u p p o r t e r s in Action by Lisa Cypers Kamen Subramaniam and Ulhas Bala Love in Action: The Occupy Los Angeles Movement 15 Akabar and Nisreen Firdosy Chetan and Nita Sanghvi About the Center 16 Sharad and Shakuntala Saraf Announcement: 2013 Institute for K-12 Educators 16 Follow the Center on facebook: www.facebook/AhimsaCenter Executive Editor: Tara Sethia Guest Editor: Christian Bracho 2 FEATURED PUBLIC LECTURES AND DIALOGUES 2010 - 2012 Joseph Orosco was featured in an Ahimsa Ocean Robbins gave the Ratan and Madhu Baid Center dialogue, “Cesar Chavez: Immigration and Public Lecture in May 2011, entitled “The Power of a Culture of Peace,” in July 2011. An Associate Partnership: Building Healing Bridges Across His- Professor of Philosophy and Director of Peace toric Divides,” addressing how people can work Studies Program at Oregon State University in collaboratively in an increasingly interconnected Corvallis, Orosco is the author of Cesar Chavez: world. Robbins organized a peace rally in his elemen- The Commonsense of Nonviolence. His course tary school at age 7, and at age 16 he co-founded, offerings include political philosophy with an em- and directed for 20 years YES!, a nonprofit that phasis on democratic theory and Latin American connects, inspires and collaborates with young thought, the history of Chicano/a Civil Rights change-makers in building thriving, just and sustain- Movement, and a seminar on the philosophical able ways of life for all. The author of Choices for Our Future and The Power of foundations for conflict resolution, social justice, and peace. Partnership, Ocean has served as a board member for Friends of the Earth, Earth- Save International, and other organizations. He is a founding member of The Turn- ing Tide Coalition, co-founder of the Leveraging Privilege for Social Change pro- Vandana Shiva presented a lecture, “Hunger gram, and founding co-convener of Leverage Alliance. Utne Reader recognized him in the Age of Plenty: Sustainable Solutions as one of 30 “Young Visionaries” under 30, and he received the Freedom’s Flame Through Nonviolence,” at the Ahimsa Center in Award in 2008 and the National Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service. October 2011. She addressed the question, “Why do millions starve, and even die of hunger, in an Vinay Lal presented a lecture in April 2012, age of food surplus?” An internationally ac- entitled “Gandhi and the Politics of Visual Repre- claimed author, scientist, eco-feminist, and activ- sentation,” an examination of Gandhi’s representa- ist, Shiva is hailed as an environmental hero by tion in various media, such as cartoons, public Time Magazine and as one of the five most pow- statues, paintings, and nationalist prints. Lal erful communicators by the Asia Week. Dr. Shiva earned his Ph.D. with Distinction from the Univer- is the author of many books, including Biopiracy, sity of Chicago in 1992 after undergraduate and Stolen Harvest, Water Wars, Earth Democracy, and Soil Not Oil. For her numerous masters degrees in literature and philosophy from contributions in the areas of sustainability, social justice, and peace, she has re- Johns Hopkins University. He has taught history ceived several honors and awards including the Right Livelihood Award, the Order at UCLA since 1993 and most recently was Professor of History at University of of the Golden Ark, Global 500 Award of the UN, Earth Day International Award , Delhi (2010-11). His books include Deewaar: The Footpath, the City, and the An- and the Sydney Peace Prize. She serves on the boards of many international or- gry Young Man (HarperCollins, 2011); Political Hinduism: The Religious Imagination ganizations, including the World Future Council, the International Forum on Global- in Public Spheres (ed., Oxford, 2009, and Of Cricket, Guinness and Gandhi: Essays ization and Slow Food International. She is the founder of Navdanya, an organiza- on Indian History and Culture (Penguin, 2005. His work has been translated into tion aimed at the conservation and integrity of seeds and preservation of biologi- many languages. He was also profiled at some length in David Horowitz’s cal and cultural diversity. book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America (2007). AHIMSA FELLOWS: 2011Summer Institute Jami Arnst, Sylvan Rodrigues Elementary School, TX Nancy Johnson, Hoover High School, CA Kiera Asay, Open Meadow Middle School, OR Serenity Krieger, Natomas High School, CA Louise Bauso, Long Island University, NY Stephanie Lee, Equitas Academy, CA Nan Campbell, Crystal River Elementary School, CO Sandra Luettgen, Cascade Middle School, WA Shara Carder, Collins Elementary School, CA Rachel Moo, Neighborhood House Charter School, MA Mary Cartier, James C.