INDIA - Prospects in Central Europe

INDIA - Prospects in Central Europe

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  • Michael Rajiv Shah
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    [EN/DE] 100 years SATYAGRAHA
    NEW DELHI: Essential to Mahatma Gandhi's passive resistance movement, 'Satyagraha' was economic growth that would lead to the 'rise of all', Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Monday, emphasising that inequality was 'very visible' despite India's spectacular gains.

    Inaugurating a two-day international conference to commemorate 100 years of Satyagraha, Gandhi said, "The relevance of Mahatma Gandhi is not the real issue. Our preparedness for him is."

    While making Mahatma Gandhi an icon would be easy, it would more infinitely be more exacting to make him the beacon, she said.

    In a hard-hitting speech, the United Progressive Alliance chairperson said economic growth could be sustainable only if it was all-inclusive and in harmony with nature and the earth's long-term future.

    In what is seen as a strong message to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, which often gets criticised for its free-market economic policies, she said, "Our own country, for instance, has made spectacular gains over the past decades and is being rapidly transformed.

    But destitution, poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy are still widespread. Inequality is very visible. We live in an age of incredible scientific achievement and awesome technological advance. But are not the fruits of this achievement and advance still inequitably distributed?"

    Gandhi asked a crowd including world leaders like former presidents Lech Walesa of Poland and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Nobel laureates like Bangladesh's Mohammed Yunus.

    "Is it not the case that a few enjoy the gains, whole many bear the pains?"

    She said economic growth must be accelerated, but we should be mindful of possible adverse consequences of that progress and take steps to deal with them. "Can we not satisfy material wants and aspirations without threatening ecological security and planetary survival?"

    "To be equitable, economic growth has to be sustainable. To be sustainable, economic growth has in turn to be all-inclusive. All-inclusive is no longer the greatest good of the greatest number. It is actually 'Sarvodaya' or the 'rise of all'. This Mahatma Gandhi saw as essential to Satyagraha itself," Gandhi added.

    Pointing out that India had stood for comprehensive universal nuclear disarmament, Gandhi said, "Yes, India has nuclear weapons. This became a strategic compulsion for us, born out of the failure to persuade the world to abolish nuclear weapons."

    She, however, added that India's commitment to nuclear disarmament remained.

    Leaders of the Left Front, including Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat, were at the function. The Left Front backs the Congress-led government but has been critical of its economic policies.

    External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, Kaunda, Yunus, former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al Kidwa and Lech Walesa also addressed the inaugural session.

    Why was the opposition absent?

    The absence of opposition leaders, including those of the BJP, at the international meet saw Congress being faced with uncomfortable questions.

    "This is a Congress event, not a town hall meeting," senior party leader Devendra Dwivedi, who is one of the spokespersons for the two-day meet, said responding to a volley of questions from reporters on the issue.

    Admitting that the Mahatma did not belong to any particular organisation, he said it was an international event for which certain criteria were used for issuing invitations.

    "We invited those associated with the Gandhian philosophy and thoughts," he said adding the party did not want any controversy on the conference as it was a 'solemn occasion'.

    The party also dismissed suggestions that former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda's criticism of US and UK will affect New Delhi's bilateral relations with those countries. He dubbed them as personal remarks.

    http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1076775
    This post was modified on 25 Jan 2008 at 08:16 am.
    • 25 Jan 2008, 08:09 am
  • Michael Rajiv Shah
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    [DE] SATYAGRAHA
    Satyagraha ist eine von Mahatma Gandhi entworfene Strategie, die im Kern darauf beruht, die Vernunft und das Gewissen des Gegners anzusprechen durch

    * die eigene Gewaltlosigkeit (non-violence, Ahimsa) und
    * die Bereitschaft, Schmerz und Leiden auf sich zu nehmen (soul force).

    Hintergedanke ist, den Gegner „umzudrehen“, ihn als Verbündeten und Freund für die eigene Sache zu gewinnen. Diese Strategie gründet sich auf die Idee, dass der Appell an Herz und Gewissen des Gegners effektiver ist als ein Appell, der sich auf Drohungen oder Gewalt stützt. Gewalt führt nach Gandhi – ggf. mit zeitlicher Verzögerung – nur zu weiterer Gewalt. Gewaltlosigkeit dagegen unterbricht die Gewaltspirale und ist in der Lage, den Gegner auf die eigene Seite zu ziehen (Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), S. iii Editor's Note).

    Gandhi sieht Satyagraha nicht als eine Waffe der Schwachen, sondern als eine Waffe der geistig Stärksten.

    Quelle:
    http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyagraha
    • 01 Feb 2008, 8:23 pm
  • Michael Rajiv Shah
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    SATYAGRAHA Conference Declaration
    SATYAGRAHA Conference Declaration

    Declaration adopted at the International Conference on "Peace, Nonviolence and Empowerment - Gandhian Pilosophy in the 21st Century" 29.-30 January, 2007, New Delhi

    Source: Indian Embassy Vienna
    http://www.indianembassy.at/content/events/documents/Declara...

    Declaration adopted at the International Conference on

    We, the representatives from 90 countries and 122 organisations, participating in the
    “International Conference on Peace, Nonviolence and Empowerment –
    Gandhian Philosophy in the 21st Century”, convened by the Indian National
    Congress at New Delhi on January 29-30, 2007, dedicated to the commemoration of
    the Centenary of the Satyagraha Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in South
    Africa, acknowledging the historical contribution made by him, and deeply cherishing
    the ideals of nonviolence and peace, which guided him in his struggle against
    injustice,

    Having affirmed,

    - That the values espoused by him are of enduring relevance, which continue
    to influence movements against oppression and discrimination across the
    world;

    - That only just means can lead to just ends and bring an end to the escalating
    spiral of violence and bloodshed that the world is witnessing today;

    - That ‘Satyagraha’ or the ‘Force of Truth’ can arrest the descent of humankind
    into fratricidal conflicts and lead to the path of peace and understanding;

    - That the revival of eternal principles of love, compassion and fellow-feeling is
    indispensable for re-establishing trust and harmony in the world;

    - That civil society has an important role in creating public awareness on
    issues concerning good governance;

    - That violence and conflict are often engendered by widening socio-economic
    disparities;

    - That despite tremendous economic advancement across the world, large
    sections of the humankind continue to suffer in poverty, illiteracy, disease and
    hunger;

    - That developmental activities must take adequate care to protect the
    environment and humanize the social order;

    - That in spite of globalisation which has brought the world closer, regressive
    prejudices pertaining to race, religion and gender continue to prevail, leading
    to intolerance and fanaticism;

    - That there is a strong reservoir of universal goodwill and common human
    values cutting across societies, religions and cultures through which
    humankind can address critical issues and instill confidence in the basic
    virtues that have brought human civilization forward; and,

    Therefore agree,

    - That the basic concept of Satyagraha can carry forward the message of
    mutual understanding by reiterating its emphasis on:
    - tolerance and mutual respect for diverse cultures;
    - abhorrence of violence in thought, expression, belief and action;
    - the pursuit of Truth and promotion of ethical values and moral
    principles in public life,
    - the dignity of all human being.

    - That the way shown by Mahatma Gandhi a hundred years ago in his fight
    against injustice through his Satyagraha embodies the best principles drawn
    from all religions and beliefs; and,

    - That his immortal precept that “violence cannot be dispelled by violence just
    like darkness cannot be dispelled by darkness” is as relevant today as ever
    before, And urge people throughout the world,

    - To re-dedicate themselves to the principles of Nonviolence to resolve their
    differences through peaceful means;

    - To ensure human freedom and equality;

    - To mobilize public opinion against all forms of injustice;

    - To promote the spirit of tolerance and mutual understanding;

    - To act in concert in fighting the scourge of terrorism, which today afflicts all
    parts of the world;

    - To empower the weak, the underprivileged and the oppressed to help them
    find their voice and become aware of their rights;

    - To invoke the latent moral force of humanity by exposing the futility of
    adopting violent and coercive means to resolve conflicts;

    - To help disseminate true knowledge for self-realisation and inter-cultural
    harmony;

    - To dispel ignorance and misunderstanding through dialogue among cultures
    and civilizations;

    - To ensure universal access to education and healthcare;

    - To promote an equitable strategy to effectively deal with the phenomenon of
    global warming, which threatens the survival of humankind;

    - To promote a democratic and multilateral world order, where consensusbuilding
    rather than unilateralism is the guiding principle;

    - To strengthen the UN system as the principle mechanism for conflict
    resolution and the pacific settlement of disputes;

    - To work for reforming the various organs of the United Nations in order to
    reflect the changes that have taken place since its inception;

    - To appeal to the UN to declare Mahatma Gandhi’s date of birth, October 2, as
    the International Nonviolence Day,

    And resolve
    4

    - To work towards:
    - A world free from hatred and violence
    - A world united in mutual trust, harmony and friendship;
    - A world with more equitable access to global resources;
    - A world united in its struggle against poverty, illiteracy, disease,
    injustice and hunger;
    - A world free from nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction;
    - A world where territorial boundaries become irrelevant, where cultural
    frontiers are in an inclusive and ever-expanding mode, and where local
    values merge in the ocean of universal humanitarianism.
    As representatives of the humankind, we take a solemn vow to nurture the values
    espoused by Mahatma Gandhi, to pursue Truth, to privilege peace and reject
    violence in all our activities, to respect diverse viewpoints, and to practice the
    philosophy of Nonviolence to win over the forces of violence and injustice through
    tolerance, empathy and love.

    Source: Indian Embassy Vienna
    http://www.indianembassy.at/content/events/documents/Declara...
    • 24 Feb 2008, 6:28 pm
  • Michael Rajiv Shah
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    78 Jahre Salz-Satyagraha
    Gandhis Salzmarsch

    Heute vor 78 Jahren, am 5. Mai 1930, wurde Mahatma Gandhi, der Führer der indischen Unabhängigkeitsbewegung, verhaftet. Anlass war der berühmte "Salzmarsch", eine beispielhafte Aktion zivilen Ungehorsams gegen die britische Kolonialregierung, in deren Folge das Salzmonopol fiel. Eine Schilderung aus dem Buch "Wir werden nicht weichen. Erfahrungen mit Gewaltfreiheit" von Günther Gugel:

    Im Jahre 1930 begann Gandhi eine neue Kampagne, die Salz-Satyagraha. Gandhi und seine Anhänger machten sich vom Ashram Ahmedabad auf den Weg zum über 200 Meilen entfernten Arabischen Meer, wo er einige Salzkörner aus dem Ozean auflesen wollte. Diese Aktion war der symbolische Brennpunkt einer Kampagne bürgerlichen Ungehorsams, bei der zunächst das staatliche Salzmonopol übertreten wurde. Am Abend des 11. März 1930 hielt Gandhi seine letzte Gebetsversammlung vor dem Marsch ab. "Nach allem, was ich während der letzten zwei Wochen erlebt habe, bin ich geneigt zu glauben, dass der Strom derer, die bürgerlichen Widerstand leisten wollen, nicht abreißen wird. Doch lasst auch nicht den geringsten Anschein entstehen, als wolltet ihr den Frieden brechen, selbst dann nicht, nachdem wir alle verhaftet worden sind. Wir haben beschlossen, alle Reserven für die Verfolgung eines ausschließlich gewaltlosen Kampfes einzusetzen. Lasst nicht zu, dass jemand im Zorn unüberlegt Handlungen begeht."

    Der Bericht des englischen Journalisten Webb Miller ist zur klassischen Schilderung von Satyagraha geworden. 2500 Freiwillige marschierten auf die Salzwerke von Dhrasana zu:

    "In vollkommenem Schweigen rückten Gandhis Männer vor und machten etwa hundert Meter vor den Absperrungen halt. Eine ausgewählte Kolonne löste sich aus der Menge, durchwatete die Wassergräben und näherte sich den Stacheldrahtverhauen (...). Auf ein Kommandowort stürzte sich plötzlich eine große Meute einheimischer Polizisten auf die vorrückenden Marschierer, und ein Hagel von Schlägen, ausgeteilt mit stahlbeschlagenen Lathis (Schlagstöcken), ging auf ihre Köpfe nieder. Nicht ein einziger Marschierer erhob auch nur einen Arm, um die Schläge abzuwehren. Wie umgestürzte Kegel fielen sie zu Boden. Von dort aus, wo ich stand, konnte ich das übelkeiterregende Aufkrachen der Knüppel auf ungeschützte Schädeldecken hören. Die wartende Menge stöhnte und sog bei jedem Schlag in nachempfundenem Schmerz scharf die Luft ein. Diejenigen, die niedergeschlagen wurden, fielen gleich zu Boden, bewusstlos oder sich windend, mit gebrochenen Schädeldecken oder Schultergelenken (...). Die bisher verschont Gebliebenen marschierten, ohne aus ihren Reihen auszubrechen, still und verbissen vorwärts, bis auch sie niedergemacht wurden. Sie schritten gleichmäßig voran, mit erhobenen Köpfen, ohne die Aufmunterung durch Musik oder anfeuernde Rufe und ohne dass ihnen die Möglichkeit gelassen wurde, schweren Verletzungen oder dem Tod zu entgehen. Die Polizei machte weitere Ausfälle und schlug auch die zweite Marschkolonne nieder. Es gab keinen Kampf, keine Handgreiflichkeiten; die Marschierer schritten einfach weiter vorwärts, bis auch sie niedergeschlagen wurden (...).

    Quelle: Die Welt
    http://www.welt.de/welt_print/article1965087/Gandhis_Salzmar...
    • 09 May 2008, 4:09 pm
  • Michael Rajiv Shah
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    Satyagraha by Philip Glass
    http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=66c011198faac8d87ee1bb...
    • 11 Jul 2008, 7:14 pm
  • Michael Rajiv Shah
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    Satyagraha and Barack Obama
    On 9/11, 1906, Mohandas K. Gandhi launched his experiments in 'passive resistance' against the Natal government in South Africa. As a young and idealistic lawyer, Gandhi was trying to gain rights for the indentured servants against an oppressive system. Very few people could predict that his experiments would become a powerful instrument for civil disobedience. Fifty years ago during his trip to India, MLK adopted Gandhi's experiments as the mantra of the American civil rights movement.

    Over the past 100 years, the instrument of civil disobedience has influenced many quietrevolutions around the world and generated just as many theatrical interpretations, movies and plays. The most recent adaptation by Phillip Glass, called the Satyagraha (literally translated, 'truth force'), just appeared on Broadway.

    In the current election season, the democratic nominee, Barack Obama claims to be inspired by Gandhi and wants to lead the moral majority against the Iraq war. However, he is quick to point out that he is not a pacifist and not against all wars: "What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."

    Obama's satyagraha was enunciated in an anti-war speech on Iraq delivered in 2002, which has been instrumental in winning him the Democratic nomination. When he made the speech, he was an upcoming local politician in Illinois, who had not yet decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He certainly did not anticipate that his speech would become the cornerstone of his candidacy during the long and drawn-out democratic primaries or the platform on which to fight the Republican opposition for the presidency.

    Like the characters in a good novel, great figures in history mature with the passage of time and are lifted up by seemingly unforeseen events. Gandhi did not become a Mahatma overnight. He was a cold and calculating lawyer and politician, who later evolved into a spiritual leader. The "fast Eddie Obama", as David Brooks calls him, is a Chicago style politician, who may be more Machiavellian than Republicans are willing to believe.

    Obama has not been shy about his aspirations to be a transformational figure. This is the key to his rhetorical persona and mass appeal. His critics claim that the Obama charisma is vapid, without any core beliefs or substance, given his shifting positions and thin resume. As Maureen Dowd has commented, "for some of Obama's critics, it's a breathtaking bit of fungible principles, as though Gandhi suddenly donned a Dolce & Gabbana, or Dolce & Mahatma, loincloth."

    Nevertheless, his followers willing to wait for hours on end to hear him speak have been crowding out huge concert halls and sports arenas to get a glimpse of their new progressive avatar and drive long distances to obtain the Obama darshan or to simply be in his presence. One can just imagine what the peace and flower-power concerts in the 60's might have been like. Many even see in Obama a messiah-like figure, a great soul, and some affectionately call him Mahatma Obama. Clearly, people are hungry for a change and want an inspirational leader who can serve up some hearty 'chicken soup for the soul'.

    As a political descendant of the civil rights movement and MLK, Obama seems to have swallowed up the Mahatma in whole. Obama like the Mahatma believes in:

    · Power of the people to transform society at the grassroots level;

    · Social equality and economic empowerment for the poor;

    · Unity among different races, creeds and religions;

    · Use of non-violence or soft-power to break bread even with your enemies.

    Finally, both the Mahatma and Obama found their ultimate calling in Africa. Mahatma, whom Mandella called the "sacred warrior," found his identity in South Africa when as a young barrister he was thrown out of a train cabin reserved for the White South Africans: "I recall particularly one experience that changed the course of my life. Seven days after I had arrived in South Africa the client who had taken me there asked me to go to Pretoria from Durban. It was not an easy journey. On the train I had a first-class ticket, but not a bed ticket. At Maritzburg, when the beds were issued, the guard came and turned me out. The train steamed away leaving me shivering in cold. Now the creative experience comes there. I was afraid for my very life. I entered the dark waiting room. There was a white man in the room. I was afraid of him. What was my duty; I asked my self. Should I go back to India, or should I go forward, with God as my helper and face whatever was in store for me? I decided to stay and suffer. My active non-violence began from that day."

    Barack Obama found his identity in a Luo village in Kisumu, Kenya, when he finally confronted the legacy of his Kenyan father and grandfather, sitting amidst the graves of his ancestors: "For a long time I sat between the two graves and wept. When my tears were finally spent, I felt a calmness wash over me. I felt the circle finally close. I realized who I was, what I cared about, was no longer just a matter of intellect or obligation, no longer a construct of words. I saw my life in America-the black life, the white life, the sense of abandonment I'd felt as a boy, the frustration and hope I'd witnessed in Chicago--all of it was connected with this small plot of earth an ocean away, connected by more than the accident of a name or the color of my skin. The pain I felt was my father's pain. My questions were my brother's questions. Their struggle, my birthright."

    Why is any of this important now? Like the Mahatma, Obama is becoming a global symbol of the 'hopes and dreams' of millions around the world. Those who look up to the American ideals, consume American media, and dream American dreams are tuned into this historic election. While Gandhi marked the end of the colonial era, Obama with his multicultural background and upbringing represents the age of globalization. Obama is in an unprecedented historical position to not only be the first African American president, but the first 'global president' of America. Obama's images on T-shirts, magazine covers, and TV screens around the world may be a harbinger of the next American century, if the American people are willing and able to lead it.

    Source:
    http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Satyagraha--Or--Di-...
    • 11 Jul 2008, 7:21 pm
  • Michael Rajiv Shah
    Michael Rajiv Shah    Premium Member   Group moderator
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    Satyagraha in South Africa
    Thank you for giving us Mahatma Gandhi

    The suburb of Newtown Johannesburg, once home to hundreds of South African Indians who were forcibly resettled under draconian apartheid laws, was awash with orange as India's Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni joined many local dignitaries in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's historic march.

    Gandhi, then a lawyer fighting discrimination of Indian immigrants in South Africa, had spearheaded a peaceful protest against a law making it mandatory for Asiatics to carry registration certificates with them. After participating in a march led by him, hundreds had publicly burnt such documents at the Hamidia Mosque here to mark their resistance to the oppressive law.

    Soni, wearing over her sari the same specially prepared orange commemorative T-shirt as all the other marchers, chatted with many young scholars who had joined the march after they watched films on the life and times of the Mahatma.

    "I have come on this pilgrimage for two days to say thank you for giving India its leader who led us to freedom," Soni told the large crowd gathered at the mosque before she, her South African counterpart Pallo Jordan, and African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe led hundreds of people in symbolically burning copies of original registration certificates in a bonfire.

    "Thank you for giving us Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - not the lawyer, advocate and barrister who came to South Africa to fight the cases of the Indian community; but thank you for giving us Mahatma Gandhi."

    Waving her copy of the registration paper, she said: "This little paper was enough to trigger off the movement which went on in India until 1947 and which went on in South Africa till 1994, when you had your elections and you had a popularly elected government of the majority community.

    "I am going to take a paper like this back for my seven-year-old granddaughter, and I'm going to tell her what this little paper, which made human beings feel like criminals, is all about."

    Motlanthe said: "The history of the peoples of India and South Africa is but one interwoven fabric of shared suffering and struggle and Mahatma Gandhi was in the forefront in the forward trenches of those struggles.

    Quoting first Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Motlanthe called on the audience to resolve to follow the Mahatma's ideals: "Gandhi was not merely fighting for the oppressed to free themselves from white domination, but also fighting for the banishment of war, poverty, ignorance and division among all of our people."

    Confirming Motlanthe's call, Indian High Commissioner Rajiv Bhatia said: "The conviction with which I will return from this celebration of the 100th anniversary of 'the 1908 Bonfire Gandhi walk' is that Gandhiji's ideas and ideals have a universal and lasting value; that they remain as relevant today as they were a hundred years ago; and that the only question is whether we have the moral fibre to follow them for the larger good of our people and the world."

    The march was one of a series of events jointly organised by the Gandhi Centenary Committee, headed by Gandhi's great-granddaughter Kirti Menon, the Indian High Commission in South Africa and a number of cultural and academic institutions in Johannesburg.

    Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?secti...

    more:
    http://news.google.de/news?hl=en&lr=lang_de&ie=UTF-8...
    • 15 Sep 2008, 12:35 am