Two speakers will focus on Indian social issues and the value of non-violent protest next week, including the legacy of leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, will speak about non-violence at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Gaylord Auditorium, said Zoe Sherinian, a musicology professor affiliated with the Center for Social Justice.
Rev. Jacqulin Jothi, a minister from the Church of South India, will speak about the similarities between the Women’s Movement and the Dalit Movement in India at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Pitman Recital Hall in Catlett Music Center, Sherinian said.
Both events are free to the public, Sherinian said.
The events are sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Center for Social Justice, among other groups, Sherinian said. These groups have set aside funds for speakers such as the ones visiting next week.
Arun Gandhi grew up in apartheid-era South Africa, according to a biography from Victor Spence, a representative of Arun Gandhi.
He often speaks about the lessons of nonviolence he learned from his grandfather and about ethical leadership, according to the biography.
Mahatma Gandhi used non-violence in India’s independence movement against Britain.
However, some Dalits, a group that is discriminated against in India’s system of social organization, believe that the elder Gandhi did not do enough to help the lower class, said Adam Hall, a graduate student studying ethnomusicology.
Mahatma Gandhi faces more criticism within India than outside of the country, Sherinian said.
Sherinian said she hopes the speeches will give students perspective on Gandhi’s political legacy within India, especially among the Dalits.
“I think the fact that both of these speakers are speaking the same week is fantastic because students will be able to see two different perspectives on Indian history,” Sherinian said.
