Report: Int. Non-violence day Jacksonville FL.

The dedication of statue of Mahatma Gandhi at University of North Florida (UNF) prompted the University to host a week long ( September 30- October 6, 2007) event under the banner of “Peace Awareness Week” this year to spread and inculcate the spirit of Peace among all.

The week long activities included interactive art exhibits, theatrical performances, a festival, lectures, panel discussions, dialogue circles, a symposium on conflict transformation. The whole idea of all these activities is to bring the effective action from study to society proactively for the overall good.

Besides UNF and Gandhi Memorial Society many more local Town based voluntary organizations actively participated in this “Peace Awareness Week”.

Whether it was through visual arts, an inspiring musical, provocative theatre, stimulating lectures, thoughtful dialogues or community action and whether the issue was conflict within or conflict without, this week was addressing the challenge of Peace development and conflict transformation in our personal lives, our local community, our nation and around the World. The whole prompting of this program was to think Peace, do Peace, construct a culture of Peace and consequently live in Peace.

Out of this week long program Gandhi Memorial society was allocated the October 2 event, the noble way of non-violence, the birth day of Mahatma Gandhi, the International non-violence day and the first anniversary of dedication of statue of Mahatma Gandhi at UNF.

Gandhi Memorial Society had invited Padma Shri Dr. Ravindra Kumar (Former Vice- chancellor of CCS University Meerut ,India), a Gandhian scholar, religious thinker and social scientist to take part in this “ Peace Awareness Week” by lecturing, speaking and sharing his experiences with the respective audiences.

On the forenoon of October 2, Gandhi memorial Society took Dr. Ravindra Kumar to Rudolph Philips Academy for a pre-arranged interactive session with the select group of students of the school. The topic of interaction was “Students and their duties” in the modern day. The session lasted for more than an hour and all those students who participated in this interactive session joined later on in the evening proceedings at UNF.

At UNF the event commenced at 5.30 p.m. with garlanding of the Statue at the Monument site.

Balance all the other items of the day’s event that were to be conducted at monument site were shifted to the indoor theatre, because of the inclement weather.

The spell bound violin and flute recital by the artists was heart rendering. The theme of these musicals was “Oh peace Why? You are evading us”.

The Peace dance with the theme of religious harmony and tranquil living moved everybody present in the theatre.
The delicious light refreshment kept the audience alert.

The 2007 Gandhi Essay Competition awards were distributed among the recipients on the stage itself. In the College category the first prize was won by Mejgan Zia, Second prize by Michelle Metcalf and third prize (tie) by Sheliah Brown and Tanya Paul. In the School category first prize was won by Daena Castillo, second prize by Nathan Georgette and third prize (tie) by hope Elise Morris and Jay Parikh. The First prize winner was given a chance to read her/his award winning essay on the stage.

Dr. Ravindra Kumar delivered his much awaited lecture on Satyagraha, conflict transformation and sustainable culture of Peace, whereby he emphasized the importance of non-violent methods of conflict resolution.

The Event of the day was closed with a pledge that all of us may try to work towards adopting human values in our day today lives in order to be Peaceful with ourselves first and then with around..

On October 5, morning Dr. Ravindra Kumar read his paper in the Conflict Transformation Symposium at UNF. And in the evening Dr. Ravindra Kumar gave an insight to Sardar Patel, the integrator of free India, at Hindu Temple Hall, Jacksonville.

The whole week’s program was closed on October 6 with the theme “walking the talk”. Gandhi an way of community walk of healing was undertaken from Friendship Fountain to JAX Library auditorium in the downtown area of the Town , where in Dr. Ravindra Kumar said the walk is a vibrant message; that Peace is possible, when we all come together , work together and reach together at the destination. The Peaceful living makes purposeful living.

-By Ashok K Bazaz, President, Gandhi Memorial Society, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

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