By Petra Chesner Schlatter | The Peace Center
Arun Gandhi stands in front of a poster of his grandfather.
Credit: Submitted
Arun Gandhi, 82, grandson of India’s legendary leader Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi, will be the guest speaker at a luncheon in Newtown and a dinner in Doylestown on Sunday, June 12.
The event will be hosted by The Peace Center in Bucks County as part of its ‘Speak Up For Peace’ campaign during the center’s 35th anniversary celebration.
Gandhi, a teacher of nonviolence, an author and a journalist, is an honorary board member and consultant for The Peace Center. He has spoken at other events hosted by the center. since 1995.
‘Total Nonviolence’ is the focus of Gandhi’s numerous speaking engagements and his Washington Post blog. In 2015, he addressed the U.N. conference on ‘Building a Culture of Peace.’ He has made presentations in Europe, South America, India and Africa, as well as all over the U.S.
When Gandhi was 14, his grandfather was assassinated. The elder Gandhi was the most prominent leader of the independence movement in India, and his nonviolence movement influenced Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as the U.S. civil rights movement.
Arun Gandhi lived with his grandfather from age 12 to 14 and learned from his teachings on nonviolence, anger, discipline and spirituality.
Of his visit to Bucks County, he said, “It’s very important that we do this work and try to bring peace in the society.”
His topic will be “Peace and Nonviolence – What Does It Mean?
“Total nonviolence is about not only using conflict resolution but personal transformation,” Gandhi explained, “Unless we use it completely to transform our attitude and relationship then we are just using part of the philosophy not all of the philosophy.”
The Peace Center is a non-profit organization serving the community since 1982. It educates, empowers, and supports individuals, family, schools and organizations with efforts to prevent violence, promote peaceful resolution of conflict, and foster inclusive, equitable and safe communities.
The luncheon with Gandhi will take place at Guru’s Indian Cuisine on Sunday, June 12 at 1 p.m., 12 Cambridge Lane in Newtown.
A dinner is also scheduled at Cross Culture Indian Restaurant on Sunday, June 12 at 6 p.m., 64 W. State St., Doylestown.
The cost of the lunch is $75, and the dinner is $100. Both events are fund-raisers for The Peace Center.
To register, please visit www.thepeacecenter.org or call 215-750-7220.
For more information about Arun Gandhi, visit arun@totalnonviolence.org
