Montgomery College Presents Arun Gandhi

Arun Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi
Photo | Montgomery College

Montgomery College’s Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia presents Arun Gandhi Gandhian Nonviolence: A Pathway for Resolving Modern Day Conflict Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at Globe Hall, Germantown Campus. The fall 2013 Speaker Series includes timely, stimulating topics delivered by today’s leading experts in international affairs, the arts, politics and economics. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, author and sociopolitical activist, will discuss lessons about nonviolence learned from his grandfather and analyze how these lessons apply to the resolution of conflict in the 21st century.

Arun Gandhi was born in South Africa in1934. Europeans demeaned him for not being white. Africans ostracized him for not being black.

From 1946 to 1948, Arun lived in India with his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi. During these two years, Arun experienced firsthand the tumultuous period in India’s history to free itself from British rule. After the assassination of his grandfather, Arun dedicated his life to ending violence.

In 1956, Arun returned to India to spread his father’s ashes on the River Ganges; while in India, he married. The apartheid government denied his wife entry, so the couple remained in India. He became a journalist for The Times of India.

In 1987, Arun and his wife moved to the US to work at the University of Mississippi. Afterward, they founded the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, now located at the University of Rochester.

Schedule of remaining speakers:
Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.: Exit 12 Dance Co founded by Roman Baca, former Marine
From Ballet to Bullets and Back Roman Baca, a former Marine, and his Exit 12 Dance Company will voice through their performance the conflicted courage of young men and women engaged in war, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan, and the lasting effects of violence on families and individuals.

Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.: Dr. Maria M. Dakake, Chair of Religious Studies, George Mason University
Women in Islam Muslim women are often the topic of controversy, particularly in the Western world. In this lecture, George Mason University professor, Dr. Maria Dakake, will discuss many of these issues, including the choice of wearing a hijab, what the Qur’an says about women, women’s rights, and the role of women in society. This program is hosted with the MC Germantown Library, as part of the Bridging Cultures Muslim Journeys grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.: William Chang: Classical Pianist and MC Music Professor
Classical Piano Concert William Chang, Montgomery College Germantown music professor, will present a music recital featuring four classical piano compositions: Invitation to the Dance, op. 65 by Carl Maria von Weber; Rondo a capriccio, op. 129 (Rage over Lost Penny) by Ludwig van Beethoven; Scherzo, op. 31 by Frederic Chopin; and Carnaval, op. 9 by Robert Schumann.

About Staff Writer

View all posts by Staff Writer