A course on Gandhian non-violence has been launched by Gujarat Vidyapith to cater to international participants who have been trying to understand his philosophy and looking towards institutes in India to get a formal training in Gandhian non-violence. According to the vice-chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith Dr Sudarshan Iyengar, a course of this kind has been launched after a gap of 13 years; the last batch was in 1998. “Gandhian non-violence has always influenced people across the globe. This course is one step forward in spreading it more systematically,” he added. The course will focus specifically on the non-violence aspect rather than covering general aspects of Gandhian philosophy, which was taught in earlier batches. According to the registrar of Vidyapith, Rajendra Khimani, this four-month course is meant only for international students and it will commence on September 15, 2011. “Vidyapith won't charge any tuition fees from them. They have to just bear the travel costs to India and back. “Local hospitality and internal travel costs will be taken care of by Vidyapith” he said. Course modules will include subjects like defining features of Gandhian non-violence, correlation between truth and non-violence, meaning of non-violence, non-violence as soul force, non-violence as 'the law of our being', non-violence – the moral equivalent of the law of gravitation, principled and strategic non-violence, and more. For better understanding of the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence, participants will be taught theory for two months and then will be taken to Gandhian institutions and ashrams. According to officials of Vidyapith, the first two months of the programme will be held in Gujarat Vidyapith and Kochrab Ashram. Then, they will be taken out to stay in Gandhian institutions like Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya at Vedchi, Gujarat, Sewagram Ashram at Wardha, Maharashtra, Institute of Gandhian Studies, Gopuri, Wardha , Lok Bharati Gramvidyapith, Sanosara, Bhavnagar, and others. “Apart from that, participants will visit one naturopathy centre and one organic farming place for 10-15 days” said Iyengar. He also said while the current intake capacity for the course is 15, it may be increased after scrutinising the applications. There will be no end-semester examination. Instead, there will be an open house with a select group of teachers and activists for further clarification.
