The importance of Gandhian legacy for our situation today

The Gandhi Mandela King International conference in Pietermaritzburg from 6-9 June 2023, is being held at a time when the world is going through turmoil. Millions of people are facing uncertain political situations. Violence and war is a daily reality for millions. Millions are forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in foreign countries because of violence and oppression in their own countries. Many countries are faced with the crisis of unemployment, poverty, homelessness and lack of basic amenities. In addition, the world is facing a dwindling economic and environmental climate.

All these issues were concerns facing Gandhi, Mandela and

King. The manner in which they addressed these issues is of importance for us today and we will hear in this conference many leading historians, academics and activists giving us insight into the thoughts and ideas of these icons, how that still has relevance for us today and how we can emulate some of the key ideas and principles as we try to find solutions to all the problems we encounter today.

I write today as the grand-daughter of Mahatma Gandhi. At a very early age I learnt about my grandfather, his ideas and his story through the lips of my parents. My parents extolled the virtue of love as the key to nonviolent action. They spoke of love even for those who harm us, and to remember that what they do is due to their own ignorance and when they see the truth they will change their ways.

This is a profound lesson for the times we live in where hatred, exploitation, selfishness and violence abound. Love overpowers all these base instincts and therefore it becomes the most powerful weapon that the masses can wield.

Gandhiji taught all those who participated in his movement the following key principles:

-Abide by truth under all circumstance; never utter a harsh word; perfect courtesy must be shown at all times to all people, even those who may be considered as enemies; all the rules essential for leading a religious life must be observed; we are opposing unharnessed power and not regulations which help to organise our lives therefore we should help to uphold good regulations while opposing the oppressive ones; win over people with opposing views rather than fight with them; always be frank and truthful; be sensitive to the feelings and needs of all; do not demand services from others; choose simplest forms of transportation and eat simple healthy meals; observe the economic and educational conditions of the people and where possible help to raise their economic position through education and skills training; try to create opportunities for the training of village children; provide health education and improve sanitary conditions in the villages; help to resolve disputes in the community peacefully; public reading of literature of importance to the cause of Satyagraha must be encouraged; Satyagraha means fighting oppression through voluntary suffering therefore use of arms is forbidden; every volunteer must understand and commit themselves totally to the principles of Satyagraha and then transmit this learning to others.

Non-violence when seen from this perspective is not just the absence of violence but it is a force driven by profound love of humanity as a whole, of the universe and all that is in it. Love drives us to protect, to conserve to cherish and to value every atom of the universe and that was the non-violence that Gandhiji preached.

The importance of this conference is therefore the revival of this spirit in the world so that once more we can all begin to see the need to conserve our resources, take care of our earth and the environment, take care of all our people and animals on this earth and begin to cherish each other. Our minds and thoughts need to change to create this new world order which each of us is longing to see yet we seldom see that the change has to begin with us, and the key to it is love.