Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Wardha

  Dr. Alessandro Paolo’s visit  to the Ashram in search of understanding Gandhian heritage Dr. Alessandro Paolo, a young researcher in political philosophy and intercultural pedagogy from Italy visited Sevagram Ashram on March 26, 2024.  He dedicated the last five years studying about non-violence as an all-embracing alternative paradigm, especially through a Ph. D. dissertation about Lanza del Vasto, direct disciple of Gandhi   who met  him  in January 1937 and  spent three months at Sevagram Ashram.  Gandhi had given the name Shanti Das to Lanza . The title of Ph. D. for his thesis  of Alessandro Paolo   at the  Department of   Humanities, education and Social  Sciences ,   University of Molise , Campobasso CB, Italy   was   “Non-violence According to Lanza del Vasto and The Ark - Philosophical, socio-political and juridical implications for possible paths of intercultural pedagogy. Purpose of this first trip to India  was   to visit ashrams founded by the Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba and

സേവാഗ്രാം സ്കെച്ചുകൾ Sevagram Sketches  Recited by Poet Madhavan Puracheri  Shri Madhavan Puracheri  noted Malayalam poet presented the poem Sevagram Sketches (  സേവാഗ്രാം സ്കെച്ചുകൾ  )   in a Poets Meet held on February 14,2024 as a part of  Thunchan Festival organized by Thunchan Memorial Trust & Research Centre Thunchan Parambu, Tirur , Malappuram, Kerala. Thunchan Parampu is the birth place of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language. Madhavan Puracheri got the inspiration to write this poem after his visit to Sevagram Ashram as a  participant of an Orientation Programme viz.Understanding Gandhi organised by Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan Wardha in association with Gandhian Collective Kerala in July 2023. Here is the YouTube link of his presentation. https://youtu.be/_7w-MRpNAA4?si=zMiKyUk5UpPhiTLh Madhavan Puracheri at Sevagram Ashram  The first scene in the poem is evening prayer  of the ashram. The second one is  the message conveyed by three monkeys presented to

 Holi for Communal Harmony  Holi will be celebrated tomorrow. If we wish to celebrate it in a religious spirit, we must meet and greet each and every Muslim in the true spirit. With our overflowing love we should reassure the Muslims that the Hindus are their brothers and that there can be no difference between us. M.K.Gandhi (From the speech made by Mahatma Gandhi on 6th March, 1947, a day prior to Holi, in Patna. This was his last Holi as he  was assassinated before the next Holi.) From The Vegetarian (London), April 25, 1891: Some Hindu Festivals Next in importance to the Divali holidays are the Holi holidays, which were alluded to in the Vegetarian on the 28th March. Holi holidays, as will be remembered correspond to Easter in point of time. Holi takes place on the full moon day of the fifth month Falgun, of the Hindu year. This is just the spring-time. Trees are budding forth. Warm clothes are put off. Light clothes are the fashion.That the spring has come is even more manifestwhe

How Two Artist See Mahatma Gandhi                                   Courtesy :Susheel Kumar Gotla,  Hyderabad    Above a  portrait  of  Mahatma Gandhi by the artist, VR  Rao unveiled at the YMCA, London by Lord Stansgate ( formerly Mr. Wedgwood Benn)in the presence of Mr. Devdas Gandhi, seen on the right. Mr. D. P. Roy Chowdhury , the well known madras sculptor modelled this bust in clay of Gandhiji (left) to the  commission of  the Madras Government  Weekly Mail, June 20, 1948

  Participation in a Webinar    Remembering Prof. Johan Galtung Dr. Siby K. Joseph, Director, Library and Research Centre, SevagramAshram Pratisthan participated in a Webinar on   Celebrating a Life of Peace in a Challenging World Remembering Prof. Johan Galtung organized by International Centre of Nonviolence, Durban University of Technology, South Africa and Faculty of interdisciplinary Studies, MGM University,  Aurangabad , on  March  19, 2024 .Prof. Dorcas Ettang, ICON/DUT  made a presentation  on a Galtungian Perspective on the Ukraine Conflict and Prof. Shiv  Kadam, Head, Department of Film MGMU on    Media perception of war in  Ukraine. Dr. Siby K. Joseph participated in the discussion and stated that present media is following war journalism and not the notion of peace journalism enunciated by Prof. Johan Galtung. Peace journalism helps to identify the root causes of conflict. We have to focus on peace journalism.  Prof. John Chelladurai , Dean, Faculty of interdisciplinary S

   Mulching and Preparation of Compost Bed  and Trench  The participants of Orientation Programme for Social Activists  organized by  Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan in association with Gandhian Collective, Kerala from 21-24 February 2024  through Shramdaan activity  collected large number of dry leaves during the cleanliness drive on the both sides of the ashram road and it was dumped in the library and research centre premises of the ashram.  Those dry leaves are now converted into a compost pit using a compost making bed and  another one in the trench. Another initiative began during the programme was mulching of tender plants. Dry leaves are being  used for mulching. It reduces the unwanted weeds and keeps the moisture of the soil and reduces the quantity of water required for watering the plants.  It was started in one place   and now it is  gradually extended  to  other places to protect the plants from the scorching heat of the summer.  

  Newsletter - March 2024       This passage was written by Mr.  Louis Campana, President of Gandhi International France and recipient  of  Jamnalal Bajaj International Award  after participating in a colloquium in January 2024 by Sevagram Ashram Ashram Pratishthan . It is culled out from Gandhi International Newsletter, March 2024. We now head to Sevagram, the Gandhi ashram since 1936 (where Lanza del Vasto will meet him in 1937, origin of the communities of the Ark), where we are invited to speak to open the «Colloquium on new emerging challenges and expected Peace solutions!» Joseph Siby, the director of this think tank, has been a friend since my first visit in 1999 to the Institut d'Études Gandhiennes in Wardha. I developed my  «Elements of reflections on the contemporary world»  that were the subject of the January 2024 newsletter (short version, but the long one is on the website, «newsletters»). Three days during which university professors and their students, from differen

    Visit  of Shri Unmesh Wagh IRS  Shri Unmesh Wagh IRS, Deputy Chairman, currently in charge Chairman of   Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority , near Mumbai which comes under the Ministry of Transport , Shipping and Waterways   visited   Sevagram Ashram on   March 14, 2024.     He was given a guided visit to the Ashram. Smt. Sangita Chavhan guided him  during  the Ashram visit. He wrote his impression in the visitors book of the Ashram. The  District Collector of Wardha   and  Naib Tahasidhar came to  the Ashram during his visit.

Tributes to  Johan  Galtung    Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan Wardha, MS, India  in association with Gandhi International,  France,Academic University College for Non-violence and Human Rights- AUNOHR, Lebanon,MGM University, Chh. Sambhajinagar,Aurangabad, MS, India  under the International Online Fellowship Program on Nonviolence & Peace -II (IFPNP-II)  organized a  Special Meeting  in memory of Johan Galtung    on  March 11, 2024  Dr. Sanjeev Kumar ,Professor of Political Science , Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi and convener of Gandhi Study circle  paid rich tributes   Prof.Johan Galtung     father of peace studies, who passed away on February 17, 2024.  Prof. Prem Anand Mishra, Prof. John Chelladurai, Dr. Siby K. Joseph facilitators of IFPNP shared their recollections about him. Prof.  Prof. Michael W. Sonnleitner  USA, Dr. Boit Jousha , Kenya, Mr. Benjamin Majur, Nigeria and others spoke on the occasion. It was followed by a meeting with IFPNP fellows and the Dir

  International Women's Day - March 8, 2024 International Women's Day is celebrated every year on 8 th  March. The United Nations  began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975, which  was  proclaimed  as the  International Women’s Year. The theme of International Women's Day of 2024 is “ Invest in women: Accelerate progress.”  On the occasion of  International Women's Day , World Health Organization  Regional Director for South-East Asia, Saima Wazed said "Investing in the health and wellbeing of women and girls first requires adequate investment in  health overall”  Despite the achievements we have made , it is matter of regret that gender inequality has increased in many ways and  even  today  health and wellbeing of women are not given adequate importance. Women's health is still given secondary place in Indian society. Women very often  ignore their health and well being  by giving priority to their family. It was in this context that Sevagram As