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Hind Swaraj Centenary Event at Sarnath: 2nd and 11th April, 2009

Here are excerpts from the invitation mail by the organizers... Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath   and Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad As part of the Centenary celebrations the Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi and the Gujarat Vidyapeeth have planned a ten day camp (Shivir) at Sarnath during 2 nd and 11 th April, 2009 . Gandhiji had firmly held his conviction on the world view he had presented in the Hind Swaraj and also on the foundations he specified for the social reconstruction. Unfortunately, during his times and also soon after Independence, the leaders hardly paid any attention to work for the Hind Swaraj. Interestingly, after hundred years the situation world over is such that the fundamentals of Gandhian thought are being referred to and revisited. The threats from the nature and the threats from fellow men are intensifying and a search for sustainable solution has begun. The broad objective of the proposed shibir is to discuss, share a
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Hind Swaraj as Grantha today - Ven. Samdhong Rinpoche, 2004

  Speech by Samdhong Rinpoche, Sevagram, 10th October 2004   The following is the content of the speech made by Rev. Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan Prime Minister in exile on the 10th October 2004 in front of Bapu Kuti at Sevagram. 10th October happened to be the birthday of Gandhiji according to the Indian calendar and the gathering for evening prayer consisted of delegates from all parts of the country who were there to attend a conference on education based on the Nai Taleem. After the evening prayers were over, Rev. Rinpoche was requested to give a speech on his thoughts on that day.   For more than 2 years now this thought has been in my mind. I have been thinking that I should write a letter regarding the Hind Swaraj and the need to initiate serious debate in the society based on this book. However, some how this could not happen. Finally, this year on the 1st of October I managed to force myself to sit and write this letter and finish it by the 2nd of October. But even then I co
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Hind Swaraj in presenting Venezuela

I doubt whether any of our national dailies will carry escapes from Euro-centricism as necessary step to relieve our education system of its bias. However, it was interesting to read that the HINDU can use Gandhi to present Chavez to us!! Interesting!! The attempts to purge colonial influences from education policy have been evidenced in many former colonies in Asia and Africa. In India, for example, the movement to liberate education policy dates back to pre-independence days. Rabindranath Tagore did not like the system of education promoted by the English rulers, as it only suited their purpose of getting educated clerks to serve the Empire at a low cost. Gandhi, as early as 1909, in his response to Macaulay’s  Minutes of Education  (1835) observed “The foundation that Macaulay laid of education has enslaved us. (…) Is it not a sad commentary that we should have to speak of Home Rule in a foreign tongue?” (Translation of  Hind Swaraj , published in the Gujarat columns of  Indian
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