Gandhi Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Gandhi Foundation is a United Kingdom
-based voluntary organisation which seeks to further the work of Mahatma Gandhi through a variety of educational events and activities.
’s movie Gandhi
, which attracted large audiences around the world, due in part to the sensitive portrayal of Gandhi by Ben Kingsley
.
The Multifaith Service is usually held in London on 30 January, the anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination. The Service brings together people of different faiths such as Buddhist, Baha’i, Christian
, Hindu
, Jain, Jewish, Muslim
, Sikh
in remembrance of Gandhi and to share elements from their different traditions.
The Summer School is held in July. Around 40 people of all ages and nationalities live together for a week in the countryside, sharing the necessary tasks of cleaning, cooking, and washing-up as well as attending daily workshops which take up different aspects of the chosen theme for the year. A variety of crafts are taught, and conventional lifestyles and attitudes are challenged. The Summer School has a loyal following with many participants returning year after year.
In 2008 the Gandhi Foundation helped to organise The Festival of Non-violence. As part of the festival the British Library
unveiled a new traveling exhibition "The Life of Gandhi", with six 'panels' focusing on the following aspects of Gandhi's life and work: Non-violence and the influence of Jainism
, Gandhi's work in South Africa, Gandhi's Philosophy, the Non-Cooperation and Quit India movements, and the independence of India.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based voluntary organisation which seeks to further the work of Mahatma Gandhi through a variety of educational events and activities.
History
The Gandhi Foundation was inaugurated on 10 October 1983 at a launch in Friends House, London. The catalyst for the creation of the foundation was Richard AttenboroughRichard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
’s movie Gandhi
Gandhi (film)
Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both...
, which attracted large audiences around the world, due in part to the sensitive portrayal of Gandhi by Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
.
Founders
The principal founders were:- Richard AttenboroughRichard AttenboroughRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
, President. - Surur HodaSurur HodaSurur Hoda: was a socialist politician and trade unionist who believed in the ideals promoted by Mahatma Gandhi and became involved in various international organisations.-Life:...
, General Secretary. Surur Hoda was an Indian working for the International Transport Workers' FederationInternational Transport Workers' FederationThe International Transport Workers' Federation is a global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2009 the ITF had 654 member organizations in 148 countries, representing a combined membership of 4.5 million workers....
in Britain. - David Ennals, Chair. David Ennals was a life peer and former cabinet minister in a LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Government. - Cecil Evans, Adviser. Cecil Evans was Assistant General Secretary of Quaker Peace and Service.
Aims and activities
The principal activities of the foundation are a quarterly newsletter and three annual events: a Multifaith Service, a Summer School, and an Annual Lecture. The newsletter is entitled "The Gandhi Way".The Multifaith Service is usually held in London on 30 January, the anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination. The Service brings together people of different faiths such as Buddhist, Baha’i, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, Jain, Jewish, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
in remembrance of Gandhi and to share elements from their different traditions.
The Summer School is held in July. Around 40 people of all ages and nationalities live together for a week in the countryside, sharing the necessary tasks of cleaning, cooking, and washing-up as well as attending daily workshops which take up different aspects of the chosen theme for the year. A variety of crafts are taught, and conventional lifestyles and attitudes are challenged. The Summer School has a loyal following with many participants returning year after year.
In 2008 the Gandhi Foundation helped to organise The Festival of Non-violence. As part of the festival the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
unveiled a new traveling exhibition "The Life of Gandhi", with six 'panels' focusing on the following aspects of Gandhi's life and work: Non-violence and the influence of Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, Gandhi's work in South Africa, Gandhi's Philosophy, the Non-Cooperation and Quit India movements, and the independence of India.
Annual Lecture
The Annual Lecture is usually held on or near Gandhi’s birthday, the 2nd October. The chronological list of lecturers together with the titles of their lectures is as follows:- 1985 Prof. Johann Galtung, Founder, International Peace Research Institute, Oslo. "Gandhi Today"
- 1986 Jonathon PorrittJonathon PorrittJonathon Espie Porritt, CBE, is an English environmentalist and writer. Porritt appears frequently in the media, writing in magazines, newspapers and books, and appearing on radio and television regularly.-Early life and family background:...
, Director, Friends of the EarthFriends of the EarthFriends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
. "Gandhi and the Green Movement" - 1987 Martin EnnalsMartin EnnalsMartin Ennals was a British human rights activist.Ennals served as the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, between 1968 and 1980....
, Secretary General, Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. "The International Concept of Human RightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
" - 1988 Prof. Paul Blau, Austrian Green PartyAustrian Green PartyThe Greens – The Green Alternative is a political party in the Austrian parliament.The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs The...
. "The Beginning of an Epoch: Time for the Great Peace Treaty" - 1989 A discussion programme was broadcast on Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
instead of a lecture - 1990 David (Lord) Ennals, Chair of the Gandhi Foundation, former Cabinet Minister. "Non-violence in International RelationsInternational relationsInternational relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
" - 1991 Dr L. M. SinghviL. M. SinghviL. M. Singhvi लक्ष्मीमल सिंघवी was a, Indian jurist, parliamentarian, constitutional expert, scholar, distinguished diplomat...
, Indian High Commissioner. "Gandhi Today" - 1993 The Dalai LamaDalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
(Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
1984). "Compassion: The Basis of Nonviolence" - 1996 Lord Donald SoperDonald SoperDonald Oliver Soper, Baron Soper was a prominent Methodist minister, socialist and pacifist.Soper was born at 36 Knoll Road, Wandsworth, London, the first son and first child of the three children of Ernest Frankham Soper , an average adjuster in marine insurance, the son of a tailor, and his...
. "Total Repudiation of Mass Violence the Only Way to Peace" - 1997 Prof. Madhu DandavateMadhu DandavateMadhu Dandavate was an Indian politician.He was born in a Deshastha family. He was popularly known as an Economist....
, Delhi. "Gandhi's Human Touch" - 1998 Mairead Maguire, Peace People, Northern Ireland (Nobel Peace Prize 1976). "Building a Culture of Nonviolence"
- 1999 Bruce KentBruce KentBruce Kent is a British political activist and a former Roman Catholic priest. Active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament , he was the organisation's general secretary from 1980 to 1985 and its chair from 1987 to 1990...
, former Chair CND, former President, International Peace BureauInternational Peace BureauInternational Peace Bureau is the world's oldest international peace federation. It was founded in 1891, and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910....
. "Time to Abolish War" - 2000 Prof. Adam CurleAdam CurleAdam Curle was a British academic and Quaker peace activist. His full name was Charles Thomas William Curle; he was known as "Adam" after the town where he was born, L'Isle-Adam, north of Paris.-Background:...
, Founder, Department of Peace Studies, Bradford University. "Mahatma Gandhi: the Master of Truth" - 2001 Dr. Scilla ElworthyScilla ElworthyScilla Elworthy is the founder of the Oxford Research Group, a non-governmental organisation which seeks to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics...
, Founder, the Oxford Research GroupOxford Research GroupOxford Research Group is an independent non-governmental organisation and UK registered charity, which works together with others to promote a more sustainable approach to security for the UK and the world. In April 2005, ORG was named one of the top 20 think tanks in the UK by The Independent...
. "Gandhi's Legacy: the Vibrancy of Nonviolent Conflict ResolutionConflict resolutionConflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
in the 21st Century" - 2002 John HumeJohn HumeJohn Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
MP & MEP (joint Nobel Peace Prize 1998). "An Eye for an Eye" - 2003 Simon HughesSimon HughesSimon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
MP, Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
candidate for Mayor of London. "India and Gandhi: Their Legacy to London" - 2004 Helen Steven, founder of The Scottish Centre for Nonviolence, on "Our World at the Crossroads: Nonviolence or Nonexistence".
- 2005 Sir Mark TullyMark TullySir William "Mark" Tully, OBE is the former Chief of Bureau, BBC, New Delhi. He worked for BBC for a period of 30 years before resigning in July 1994. He held the position of Chief of Bureau, BBC, Delhi for 20 years. Since 1994 he has been working as a freelance journalist and broadcaster based in...
, former BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
South Asia correspondent, on "Was the Mahatma too Great a Soul? Pulling Gandhi off his Pedestal" - 2006 Kamalesh SharmaKamalesh SharmaH.E Kamalesh Sharma is the current Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2008, having previously served as the High Commissioner for India in London....
, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, on "Encounters with Gandhi" - 2007 Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Centennial Professor, Centre for the Study of Global Governance, LSELondon School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and Patron of the Gandhi Foundation - 2008 Rev. Harold Good, independent witness to the disarmament conducted under General John de ChastelainJohn de ChastelainAlfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain is a retired Canadian soldier and diplomat.De Chastelain was born in Romania and educated in England and in Scotland before his family immigrated to Canada in 1954...
- 2009 Aftab Alam, Justice of the Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of IndiaThe Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
. "The Role of the Indian Supreme Court in Upholding Secularism in India" - 2010 Panel discussion, including Denis HallidayDenis HallidayDenis J. Halliday was the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq from September 1, 1997, until 1998. He is Irish and holds an M.A. in Economics, Geography and Public Administration from Trinity College, Dublin....
who was on the Gaza flotilla, representatives of the Parents Circle-Families ForumThe Parents Circle-Families ForumThe Parents Circle-Families Forum is a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict...
, Huw Irranca-DaviesHuw Irranca-DaviesIfor Huw Irranca-Davies , born Ifor Huw Davies, is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Ogmore since 2002...
and Professoe Lord Bhikhu Parekh.
Gandhi International Peace Award
In 1998 the prestigious Gandhi International Peace Award was inaugurated. Recipients have included:- 1998 Michael HarbottleMichael HarbottleBrigadier Michael Neale Harbottle, OBE was a senior British Army officer who was Chief of Staff of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus from 1966 to 1968 and a peace campaigner....
, founder of Generals for Peace - 1999 Nicholas Gillett, a life-long peace educator
- 2000 Adam CurleAdam CurleAdam Curle was a British academic and Quaker peace activist. His full name was Charles Thomas William Curle; he was known as "Adam" after the town where he was born, L'Isle-Adam, north of Paris.-Background:...
, first Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University - 2001 Jubilee 2000Jubilee 2000Jubilee 2000 was an international coalition movement in over 40 countries that called for cancellation of third world debt by the year 2000. This movement coincided with the Great Jubilee, the celebration of the year 2000 in the Catholic Church...
founders Martin Dent and Bill Peters - 2003 Denis HallidayDenis HallidayDenis J. Halliday was the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq from September 1, 1997, until 1998. He is Irish and holds an M.A. in Economics, Geography and Public Administration from Trinity College, Dublin....
(2003), former UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Iraq. In his acceptance speech he described Gandhi as one of his formative influences. - 2004 Helen Steven and Ellen Moxley, for their work in campaigning against weapons of mass destruction and the arms industry over the past 30 years.
- 2005 Clive Stafford SmithClive Stafford SmithClive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America....
, human rights lawyer, for his work representing Guantanamo detainees and campaigning against extraordinary renditionExtraordinary renditionExtraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
. - 2006 Shabana AzmiShabana AzmiShabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
, Indian film actress, social activist and United Nations Population FundUnited Nations Population FundThe United Nations Population Fund is a UN organization. The work of the UNFPA involves promotion of the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. This is done through major national and demographic surveys and with population censuses...
Goodwill Ambassador. The award was for Ms. Azmi's tireless work over many decades helping the slum dwellers of MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
through the organisation Nivara Haak, her activism in championing women's rightsWomen's rightsWomen's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
and her passionate opposition to religious fundamentalism. - 2007 Media Lens founders David EdwardsDavid Edwards (journalist)David Edwards is a British political writer who specializes in the analysis of corporate media. He is co-editor of the Media Lens website....
and David CromwellDavid CromwellDavid Cromwell is a Scottish oceanographer, writer and activist. He is the author of Private Planet and of numerous articles published in several newspapers and magazines. Cromwell is currently a monthly ZNet commentator and co-editor of Media Lens.Cromwell spent most of his formative years in...
. Media Lens is a British online media analysis website, set up in 2001, providing detailed and documented criticism of bias and omissions in the British media. In his acceptance speech David Cromwell cited Gandhi's maxim that "non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind". - 2008 Rev. Harold Good OBE & Father Alec ReidAlec ReidFather Alec Reid, C.Ss.R. is an Irish priest noted for his facilitator role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Born and raised in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Reid was professed as a Redemptorist in 1950, and ordained a priest seven years later...
CSSR, for their work in Northern Ireland as independent witnesses to the disarmament conducted under General John de ChastelainJohn de ChastelainAlfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain is a retired Canadian soldier and diplomat.De Chastelain was born in Romania and educated in England and in Scotland before his family immigrated to Canada in 1954...
. - 2009 Children's Legal CentreChildren's Legal CentreThe Children's Legal Centre is an UK charity founded in 1981 that works to promote children's rights both in the UK and abroad. The CLC is funded by grants from central government, UNICEF, and charitable trusts, and donations.- Awards :...
(CLC) - 2010 The Parents Circle-Families ForumThe Parents Circle-Families ForumThe Parents Circle-Families Forum is a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict...
(PC-FF)