E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

4Gandhi and ContemporaryNon-violent StrugglesJohn S. MoolakkattuI am thankful to the Director and Dean of Studies of theInstitute of Gandhian Studies for inviting me to deliver the fifthRavindra Varma memorial lecture today, on the deathanniversary of Varmaji, as he was endearingly called byeveryone. My association with him was intermittent and brief,but had an intensity of a rare kind, which could be attributed tothe special affection that Shri. Ravindra Varma had for me. Iwas persuaded by him in 2006 to take up the editorship ofGandhi Marg, the Quarterly Journal of the Gandhi PeaceFoundation. But he did not survive the year, leaving me withthe sole responsibility of editing the journal, with several issuesbehind schedule and with not enough good quality papers athand to fill the columns. Many had seriously thought that theepitaph of the journal was about to be written. I was able tokeep the journal afloat thanks to the inspiration that I derivedfrom Ravindra Varma.I am therefore highly honoured to deliver this lectureinstituted in the name of the Founder, particularly at a timewhen the Institute is celebrating its Silver Jubilee year. In thelast years of his life, Shri. Ravindra Varma had expressed thedesire to develop the Institute as an International Centre forResearch and Training in Nonviolence, possibly with somekind of affiliation to the United Nations. He did not live to seethe UN declaring Gandhi’s birth anniversary as theinternational day for nonviolence in the following year, nor the