Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Final Report Peace Education For Younger Generation March 2016
Final Report Peace Education For Younger Generation March 2016
Final Report Peace Education For Younger Generation March 2016
Organized by
Supported by
Henry Martyn Institute,
Hyderabad
Gujarat
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROJECT SUMMARY .PAGE 5
PEACE EDUCATORS DIALOGUE: SHARING PEACE
BUILDING MODULES AND OUR REFLECTIONS.PAGE 8
&
SUPPORTED BY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Yuvak Vikas Trust has a long standing relationship with Vishwa Yuvak Kendra.(VYK) We
acknowledge with thanks for the support given by Mr.Uday Shankar Singh and Mr.Ajit
Singh of Vishwa Yuvak Kendra for conducting series of Peace Education Workshops in
Gujarat during February-March 2016.
We also want to thank Dr.Jayprakash and Dr.Sheetal of Shikhan Mahavidyalaya (IASE),
Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedeabad who warmly welcomed the proposal for having workshop
for B.ed College students and provided all support for the programme. We also want to
thank Mr.Niranjan Shah, who volunteered to support the process by interpreting and
assisting the workshop
Yuvak Vikas Trust was able to organize progamme in Rajkot with the support from
Mr.Mansukh Joshi, Trustee, Yuvak Vikas Trust; Mr. Yashwant Janani (Gujarat State Youth
Council) and Mr.Saiyed Buhari took keen interest in making Bal Bhavan venue available for
the programme. Mr. Maheshbhai and Rajesh Bhatelia helped us in organizing programme
smoothly. We thank all of them.
We also take note of initiative by Mr.Hakim Ansari, regional representative of Henry Martyn
Institute,(HMI) Hyderabad, to garner financial support from HMI for the programme. We
sincerely thank HMI and also Mr.Hakim him for being with us for all the three workshops
and conducting interesting Peace games..
Lastly, want to thank the dedicated team from Gandhi Peace Foundation led by
Dr.Kullandaisamy for sparing their valuable time to conduct workshops in Gujarat.
Vijay Bharatiya
Programme coordinator
Yuvak Vikas Trust
Opp Navjivan Press
Ahmedabad 380014
Email yuvakvikastrust@gmail.com
OUR CRITERIA
Participants
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16
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62
137
The Presentations
S.Kulandaisamy He has been associated with Gandhi Peace Foundation, Chennai
and has laid the foundation of the Peace Education programme based on Gandhian
ideology in India. He shared how the Gandhian values can be the holistic parameters
for establishing sustainable peace and harmony in the society.
Peace in the society cannot be established without an effort taken at the individual
level. Transformation of the individuals based on the eternal values only will pave
way for a permanent change in our life as a whole.
The following Gandhian values are important and that needs to be pondered upon.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
He discussed about the great meaning in itself. He shared his challenges in teaching Peace
Education.causes of violence and the various ways by which it can be resolved. He said that
children are innocent. Parents pollute their childrens minds. Children are original thinkers in fact. He
also discussed some tools for peace building. Advice never brings peace. These words had a
To bring any changes in society we need to bring changes in ourselves first. Parents and teachers
have a direct effect in the upbringing and nurturing of a child. So parents should always be very
sensitive and careful in the way they bring up their children.
Getting our mind into exploring alternatives and thinking outside the box is a big challenge. He also
shared how he could evolve the 51 lesson modules out of his experience of nearly 50 years of trying
to spread Gandhian thought among the younger generation and how those modules were
publicized by the daily newspaper The Hindu Young World- and then the book Gandhian Way to
Peace was published. His sharing of his journey in the path of promoting peace revealed that one
has to swim across the current lifestyle with a hard pledge to swim across. Though it would seem
difficult, -according to him, this is life.
T. Thayaparan He is a regional Trainer for South Asia Peace Alliance in Sri Lanka.
He was earlier associated with the Liberation movement. But he felt a disconnection
between his head and heart. The Quakers in Britain (QPSW) helped him to come out
of those critical times and directed him towards nonviolence. He said Forgiveness
should come from heart. He emphasized on trust and cultivating listening habits. He
said when he went through the transformational process it was very painful to him. He
added, When pain crosses the limits your liberation starts. When you surrender yourself to nature
the transformation begins. You are reborn.
He shared his training module and gave presentation on understanding the Cycle of Violence. He
explained how events or incidents in life trigger a feeling that leads to asking ourselves whos
responsible and then make a judgment about that person and punish him or her. And his
presentation moved on how to break this cycle. One of his wonderful statements was I take
ownership for judgement.
10
Shakeel: He is young and deeply involved with communal harmony and peace activity
in Gujarat. He was a member of the Hiren Gandhi Theatre group and has performed
on various social issues. He has also led the Heritage walk. He shared his experience
working on peace issues.
Feedback
In the evaluation, participants expressed that it was an enriching experience listening to the
presentation and discussion that they had. It was almost first time that people working on Peace
Education came together on one platform. They were of the opinion that such a platform is
necessary and suggested that a forum of peace educators be formed. Secondly, they felt that we
should focus on building new leadership. Most of them agreed to support the peace education
programme in Gujarat.
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12
Teachers should teach holistic views to students in every subject apart from regular syllabus.
Forgiving and accepting ones own mistakes becomes the basic prerequisite of conflict resolution.
And finally he stressed that if you want to bring peace you need to develop peace with yourself first
and you need to take the First step towards it.
Kulandaisamy introduced the Module and the also talked about the values that a peace educator
must internalize:
I.
When one person speaks, the other person should listen carefully and holistically.
II.
If you speak, raise your hand, get permission and speak assertively.
III.
Never complain about the second person to the third person. Resolve yourself directly.
IV.
V.
Do not gossip.
VI.
Thereafter based on module there were two demonstrations in the form of skits presented bythe
Chennai team led by Dr.Shenbagavalli. At the end of the day, each participant was asked to
prepare one lesson and present it the next day.
2nd Day
We had a review of the first day and then participants presented their lesson plan. Each lesson plan
presented resulted in a long discussion on the various points of teaching the values. Exploring the
alternatives and looking beyond was stressed.Again in the next round, Kulandaisamy tried to
deepen the understanding focused on how I is important in the process of bringing change. He
called upon participants to explore.
Explore answers for questions that can be answered only from within:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Can a child go beyond the system and also be with the system?
(Ex: Examination and certificates-creating disparity based on judgement, comparison and
competition.)
8.
What kind of education does a child need for peace and harmony?
(List out)
9.
What kind of training do I need for it? How do I inculcate these in my students?
10.
What are my individual initiatives, being a teacher, for growing in a culture of peace?
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This dialogue went for long but opened up the minds. Then ORACLE OF LIFE was introduced.
ORACLE of Life. The peace education values of our life and how it has impact on our life.
O Observation Holistically
R Restraint Self
A Accept Oneself
C Celebration of Ones goodness
L Love of Labour
E Evolve Micro actions for Macro Peace
Each of the above values was presented and discussion held one.. Holistic observation includes
keen listening and even going beyond ones thought. It is not possible without restraining oneself.
The art of accepting oneself is the root of self reliance. With self reliance one can celebrate ones
innate goodness. Unless one does manual work and accepts labour a part of life and love it, the
above four values cannot be practised. Such a person would take care of the present and would
automatically undertake micro actions for macro peace and evolve peace in every moment of life.
All participants had gained better understanding about this type of peace education. This workshop
was in English. We also had a discussion on the next workshop in Gujarati at Gujarati Vidyapith and
how it could be effectively done.
It was good that lesser the number of the participants, greaterwas the depth of discussion and
understanding between them and some of them could turn to be our volunteers for the forthcoming
workshops.
THAYAPARAN DEMONTRATING THE TANGLE GAME
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SECOND WORKSHOP
Peace Education for the Younger Generation
22nd 23rd Feb, ShikshanMahavidyalay, Gujarat Vidyapith
YuvakVikasTrust Ahmedabad and VishwaYuvak Kendra, New Delhi, with support from Henry Martin
Institute organized the second workshop on Peace education for 45 B.Ed students of Shikhan
Mahavidyalaya, Gujarat Vidyapith on 22nd and 23rd Feb, 2016, since one of the important values that
Gujarat Vidyapith has been promoting is Peace.
Faculty and students were interested in the theme and wanted to know how they could help in
inculcating values of peace in the children. They were eager to practice it when they go to the field.
One of the mandates for organizing the workshop was the follow up and the workshop would build
the capacity of the B.Ed students in this regard.
Mr.Kulandaisamy was excited to be at Gujarat Vidyapith to conduct the workshop and said that he
felt honoured at having been invited by an institution started by
Mahatma Gandhi. Every day from 11 am to 11.45, students have their
spinning work and then a speaker is invited. On Feb 22, taking the
opportunity Mr.Kulandaisamy offered to start the workshop with his talk
My Journey: In quest of Peace Education for Younger generation.
A dialogue was initiated What You Would Do? The ten triggering
questions were given by forming different groups.
THE TEN TRIGGERING QUESTIONS FOR DIALOGUE
WHAT WOULD YOU DO??
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2.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT ALWAYS INTERUPTS IN YOUR
CLASS?
3.
WHAT WOUD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT COMPLAINS ABOUT THE
OTHER STUDENTS?
4.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT ALWAYS MAKES FUN OF
OTHERS PHYSICAL APPEARANCES?
5.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT GOSSSIPS ABOUT YOU?
6.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT IS ARRANGING A BIG PARTY
FOR GETTING FIRST RANK?
7.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT IS VERY DEPRESSED FOR HIS
LOW MARK?
8.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT IS SO GOOD AT HEART BUT
FEELS VERY INFERIOR AND FEARFUL?
9.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN YOUR STUDENT HATES MANUAL LABOUR
BASED JOBS AND HE ILL TREATES LABOURERS?
10.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHEN WHILE YOUR STUDENT HIMSELF CAN DO A
SMALL ACT TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM BUT PLANS A BIG PROJECT FOR THE
SAME?
After the discussion the participants shared their views on the above questions and then there was
good interaction with Mr.Kulandaisamy. He had responded by saying that teachers punish students
without listening to them. They are not concerned about the impact of punishment. Teachers
should learn and find out alternative ways to divert anger in a productive direction.
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Teachers should adapt to holistic teaching methods for every subject apart from regular methods.
Teachers should teach holistic views to students in every subject apart from regular syllabus.
Forgiving and accepting ones own mistakes becomes the basic prerequisite of conflict resolution.
And finally he stressed that if you want to bring peace you need to develop peace with yourself first
and you need to take First step towards it.
Kulandaisamy introduced the Module and the also talked about the values that a peace educator
must help internalize:
I.
When one person speaks, the other person should listen carefully and holistically.
II. If you speak, raise your hand, get permission and speak assertively.
III. Never complain about the second person to the third person. Resolve yourself directly.
IV. Do not blame that which you cannot change.
V. Do not gossip.
VI. Accept your mistakes voluntarily.
Thereafter there were two demonstrations based on the module. One was by the Chennai team led
by Dr.Shenbegenvalli. The other was by Ms. Sanjukta from the Arts section of Gujarat Vidyapith and
Ms.DhartiVora, a volunteer from Young Experimenters Group.
Towards the end of day,
participants were given 50
Peace Education Statements for
pondering and making one
minute presentation, the next
day during the Prayer and
Spinning time. Lastly, Mr.Hakim
Ansari from Henry Martyn
Institute conducted a game:
Passing under the stick. It was a
group game. The aim is to create
Figure 1Mr.Hakim Ansari conducting Peace Game
an environment of harmony
among the younger generation by playing. It helps to understand the perception of winning and
losing and how one can deal with it.
2nd Day.
On the second day, participants one by one excitedly shared their opinion on the Education
Statement given to them during the Spinning time.. After listening to all the participants Mr.Niranjan
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a close associate of YuvakVikas Trust gave a brief talk about Chintan (What pondering over a
thought means.) Thinking deeply is important to bring clarity. The clearer you are about your
thoughts the better is your ability to act on it
Thereafter,
all
participants
were
given different stories
and they had to
present it in some
creative way like
story telling in form of
drama, dance, acting
etc.
Each group
was given 5 minutes
to
make
their
presentation
after
which
Mr.Kulandaisamy
gave his feedback.
Mr.Kulandaisamy
said that students
capabilities
should
not be judged on the
basis of only marks scored .E.g.: Worlds best players
also lose at times. So students should not be
discouraged by low marks. A teacher should motivate
students on their overall development.
Celebration, Recognition
From the faculty, Dr. Sheetal N Rawat, Assistant Professor, Shikshan Mahavidyalaya
(IASE) helped in interpretation and provided support in coordination of the
programme. She said she was satisfied with the learning and ensured commitment to
the programme. Another faculty Dr.Ashok Parmar said, I had seen the process for
some time and heard students saying that they liked the workshop. You might have
liked many things in the workshop, but as a teacher it is important to note what we
have learned from it
Other faculty, Dr.Shenbagavalli from GPF, Chennai said she was happy to see active participation
of youth in the workshop. Mr. Hakimbhai from HMI, who had become popular among the youth
through his games said, I am making efforts because I see hope in youth. I believe that the change
would come only through youth.
Mr.Niranjan who did the interpretation said that his passion is reading, writing and
propagating thinking among youth. He asked them to question their motives and
intention of doing anything by asking WHY? Why are you doing it?? If you understand
WHY then, HOW will follow. You will find the way. Why we are talking of values? Why
I am doing? What gives me happiness? Living joyfully and doing things sincerely
should be our aim
From the organizers, Mr.Mayank Upadhya, Director Yuvak Vikas Trust said that we
have seen the enthusiasm and spirit of Kulandaisamy in engaging with the youth. He
has given 50 lessons thus giving 50 tips for change. He explained that the
Harishchandra story has been performed many times and many have read it but it
catches the imagination of few. But when Gandhi heard it, it caught his imagination
and it transformed his life. Truth guided him to live a different life. If even one thing in
a story catches the imagination of a person, his life changes. Similarly, each story of
Mr.Kulandaisamy has a lesson, a value. When we will reach out to children with these stories it can
have an impact and help children to understand peace and live life with values.
Ms.Mandaben Parikh, Yuvak VIkas Trust and the person who was the motivational
force behind organizing the workshop, reflected how impressed she had been when
she had seen this module for the first time. She felt happy that the workshop
happened in Gujarat Vidyapith and this workshop has a value as we have
experienced Gandhi here .Peace is not the absence of war. Or lack of hardships and
struggle. Peace is a constructive thing. For this we need to make an effort.
She added, Peace is needed in society, in family, school-lt is needed everywhere. We need to begin
when one is young. As teachers we have special responsibility. We need to engage with one self
and society if we are to spread the culture of peace. Spreading the culture of peace is what people
expect from us when we move out of the Vidyapith. Human existence is in danger today and so we
need to spread the culture of peace. We need to think of the small role we can play as peace
educators. She called upon the youth to build its capacity not only for teaching peace education but
also conduct similar workshops. She would be eager to hear their experiences when they return
from field and finally she wished them good luck.
Dr.Jayprakash head of the Shikshan Mahavidyalay, Gujarat Vidyapith said this college taught theory
but when he saw the module. It was all activity. I had known that we were going to gain from the
workshop. I was hearing to the feedback from the participants and now I am convinced about it.
When our students go to the schools for four months they have with them a different activity to
demonstrate. We are made to think and explore. All our students are ready to move forward and
Gujarat Vidyapith is committed to it.They will provide necessary back up support to implement the
peace education modules.
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This Peace Education Workshop for Younger Generation in Rajkot was the third in the series of
workshops.
The two day workshop was inaugurated by the key organizers of the workshop -Mr.Mansukh Joshi,
Trustee, Yuvak Vikas Trust, Yashwant Janani(Gujarat State Youth Council) and Mr.Saiyed Buhari.
These key organizers are close associates of YuvakVikas Trust and for this workshop they
supported and mobilized 63 school teachers, B.Ed students and other people interested in Peace
Education. Mr.Mayank Upadhyay, Director, Yuvak Vikas Trust had specially come from Ahmedabad
to give a boost to the participants. He highlighted the need for peace education for the younger
generation. He also gave a brief account of the legacy and the role of YVT in promoting youth
development.
Dr.Kulandaisamy initiated the opening of the 2 day process through a dialogue on the following
He suggested that if we want to change the society, teachers should come forward. So who are
these teachers was the question raised amongst the audience. It is all of us; each and every
individual will have to come forward. With these core ideas in the backdrop, Kulandhaisamy showed
a few movie clippings on peace. He then raised a point What is Peace? and asked his audience to
base their answers on the images they had just seen. Thereafter he helped participants to
differentiate between Education for Peace and Peace Education.
The discussion concluded that nature functions in peace with itself. The laws of nature are just and
thus peaceful. There is no injustice and inequality practiced in nature. But our society happens to
violate some of these core values and laws of nature. Hence we do not observe peace around us.
Zabardast Skit Highlighting the casual behavior of an individual in their everyday functions
of life.
Peace will prevail only when there is justice within the society. Also then who should be that one
person to promote peace? It was an open ended question raised in front of all the participants. Out
of many answers we finally heard a girl suggesting Me or I. Thus it was realized that it is very
important to change ones attitude and behavior to seek peace. The transformation process starts
with oneself through small acts of kindness. Start with Micro actions that obviously would gather
courage and facilitate team work. At the end of the discussion Kulandaisamy introduced
Mr.Rathinam as a Peace Educator.
Can a Teacher evolve as a Peace Educator?
Rathinam, Teacher Trainer from Tamil Nadu gave a ppt presentation on the difference between a
Teacher and a Peace Educator. In this presentations some of the very key questions were raised
which would make one think about the normal course of conduct of a teacher.
What are the challenges that a teacher faces? What are the methods adopted to address these
challenges? Does one succeed? Thus it was brought forward that we need Innovation, Exploration
and Creativity to tackle some of the day to day situations.
The combination of Inner Peace, Social Peace and Peace with nature will only create Peace in
totality. The participants were encouraged to seek ways which would empower the teacher with I-EC mechanisms. It made the participants look back and think about their own behavior while dealing
with such situations in classrooms or society at large.
After these exercises it was time to loosen up a bit and to engage them more creatively with Peace
games. Hakeem Bhai took forward the game session after the afternoon tea break.
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Peace Games
In the post tea session, Mr.Hakim Ansari from Henry Martin Institute, Hyderabad invited the
participants to play a simple game designed to highlight the spirit of teamwork, co-ordination and
trust. In this game they were divided into teams of four and made to form a chain. They had to pass
beneath a rope whose height would reduce after successful completion of each round.
The participants successfully completed the three rounds bypassing beneath the rope. But in the
fourth round the height of the rope was barely 2 feet above the ground and one of the team couldnt
make it. After this engagement a reflection exercise
was carried out to learn from the participants more
about the game and their feelings while playing the
same.
Day Two
The day started with reflections on the sessions of the
previous day. All the participants shared their
reflections and sought clarifications. There was
adequate clarity of ideas.
This was the right time to introduce a module which
justifies the I-E-C concepts and how further a peace
educator can build more tools. Mr.Kulandaisamy then
introduced his book The Gandhian Way to PeaceLesson Modules.
The methodology and the idea of character Gicha was
discussed between the audiences. It was highlighted
that how every one of us can and be like Gicha to
bring the needed transformation. Some of the chapters
were presented to make them see the design and
framework which the module adopts to pass on the
message. Once the clarity was built around it some
stories from the module were shared amongst the
The Resource Persons Mr.Hakim & Mr.Kulandaisamy
participants.
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of the forefingers of two persons. Holding it the two persons had to walk. Once they get steady, they
would have more partners on their sides connected with more sets of chalks.
Thus they would from a circle stretching
out both hands, holding the tip of the
chalk in the tip of their forefingers.It was a
unique game which needed a lot of
attention, concentration and co-ordination.
Obviously one had to follow the six rules.
And finally after the game it was time for
the participants to taste the flavor of the
lesson modules and select one of the
chapters and design a strategy of how can
they introduce this technique amongst
their students.
6 groups were made and they decided
to enact skits based on the stories
found in the module. It was a very
inclusive exercise in which all of them
had to participate and explore. They
presented the stories in the most
insightful way. They all were very
excited to come across this module
which will further help and catalyze
their individual processes with the
students.
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Need to platform for peace educators and also there is need for creating support group.
Gujarati Version of the module needs to be introduced as soon as possible.
Important to build the capacity of Trainers. During the workshops we were able to identify
people who can be trainers. There is felt need to build capacity building of these people
both teachers / Peace Educators.
The concept of spreading Peace Education is very relevant and important today in our
society. But the method seems boring in parts. If the method can be improvised through
more of Action.
Bring innovation -How to make it more interesting and motivate the spirit of attendees.
Presentation / Short Movie Clippings / Games / Skit by Chennai team / Presentation or skits
by trainees. Designing Flash Card Game
There is need for workshop focusing on exploring different ways of presenting Value
Lesson innovatively. A training programme is being proposed inviting key resource
persons from in the areas of Art & Craft, Theatre, Story telling, Comics, Games, Poetry, etc.
Designing newsletter for Peace Educators containing news and happenings and lessons
learnt from the process.
A story a week or fortnight. One story exploring different ways of presentation and
empowering educators.
Whenever the workshop is conducted the exhibition can be placed
Facebook page containing live stories of change.
Ideas at Micro level : Peace Club / Quiz / Soft Board Posting / Peace Boys / Skits
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ANNEXURE -1
WHO
IS
PEACE
EDUCATOR:
RAISING
TO
PEACE
EDUCATION
:PEACE
THE
BOOK
GANDHIAN
FOLLOWED BY DISCUSSION
26
WAY
TO
PEACE
27
28
29
ANNEXURE - 2
Slide 1
PEACE EDUCATION
BASED ON GANDHIAN
VALUES
Micro Movement by Gandhi Peace
Foundation, Madras for empowering the
youth for Macro Peace
Slide 2
30
Slide 3
Slide 4
31
Slide 5
Slide 6
32
Slide 7
Continued
Slide 8
33
Slide 9
Slide 10
7.
Fearlessness - should connote absence of all kinds of fearfear of death, fear of bodily injury, fear of hunger, fear of
insults, fear of public disapprobation, fear of ghosts and
evil spirits, fear of any ones anger.
8.
34
Slide 11
Slide 12
2. Removal of
untouchability
5. Village industries
8. Education in
Health and Hygiene
11. Adult education
3. Prohibition
6. Economic equality
9. Lepers
14. Women
12. Provincial
languages
15. Farmers
17. Tribal
18. Students.
35
Slide 13
2. Pleasure without
conscience
3. Knowledge without
character
4. Commerce (Business)
without Morality
(Ethics)
5. Science without
humanity
6. Religion without
sacrifice
7. Politics without
principles
Slide 14
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Slide 15
Slide 16
The Talisman
Recall the face of the poorest and the most helpless man
whom you may have seen and ask yourself, if the step you
contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will it restore
him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words,
will it lead to Swaraj or self-rule for the hungry and also
spiritually starved millions of your country men? Then you
will find your doubts and your self melting away.
- Mahatma Gandhi
37
Slide 17
Slide 18
38
Slide 19
Slide 20
Presented by:
Dr. S. Kulandaisamy
Secretary,
Gandhi Peace Foundation, Madras
332, Ambujammal Street, Chennai-600 018.
Email:kulandhaisamy.gpf@gmail.com
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Annexure 3
40
41
42
43
44