The Hindu : National : Gandhian Studies Centre links up with South Africa

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Thursday, Oct 11, 2007
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Gandhian Studies Centre links up with South Africa

Kolkata: The Gandhian Studies Centre at Calcutta University will be linking up with South Africa, the country that witnessed the germination of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas and actions.

“The idea is to see non-violence in the context of people’s struggles, especially its effectiveness in South Africa,” said Suparna Gooptu, the Centre’s Director.

There will also be broader comparisons with people’s movements in China and Zimbabwe, in a year in which the United Nations has decided to celebrate Gandhi’s birthday on October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence.

The Centre has already decided to revive a visiting Professorship, instituted in the memory of Abinash Dutta, a close associate of Gandhi in Bengal. Jeremy Cronin, a Member of Parliament belonging to the South African Communist Party and also a renowned performance poet, is expected to speak on the impact of Gandhi on the South African liberation struggle.

The African National Congress-led liberation movement in South Africa had two aspects: the armed guerrilla struggle and the non-violent one.

“While various socio-economic reasons contributed to the success of the armed struggle, Cronin is likely to stress the fact that the non-violent movement, such as boycott of educational institutions and public spaces, and the anti-racist defiance campaigns of the 1940s, were equally effective, inspired by Gandhi’s early activities in South Africa,” Dr. Gooptu said.

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