I am honored to be at this pulpit to address my fellow humanists about Mahatma Gandhi whose life, and message deeply affected me personally, and you might say, under duress.

The noted German philosopher, Karl Jaspers, identified four paradigmatic human personalities who critically impacted human history, thinking and philosophy. They are: Jesus, Socrates, Confucius and Buddha. Except through literature and prolonged scholarly pursuit., I cannot begin to fathom these individuals. Therefore, I have chosen Mahatma Gandhi because his life and message were within my reach in India, he belonged to the common people. More about this point would be clarified later as I proceed with my presentation. Suffice it to say now, the "blank check" of alliance and approval Gandhi received only later in his life, was not predictable from his unspectacular upbringing often incomprehensible to the West.

The ancient Greek sophist, Protagoras , proclaimed a human being to be the measure of all things. Plato, on the other hand, invoked some Universal Essence or archetype of human nature. Aristotle pictured the ideal model of an ethically good man- the proper measure of all genuine human good.

You may wonder which of the above models in Gandhi - In my opinion, he does not fit any! Instead, over a period of time ("My experiments with Truth" as he called his life's journey), a transcendental Self emerged with a well-grounded "practical Idealism". With malice toward none and transparent simplicity and compassion, he formulated a glorious strategy of protest against evil.

Born to a middle-class family in the state of Gujrat (West coast of India) on October 2, 1869, Gandhi fell to the assassin's bullet of his own countryman on January 30, 1948. In between, were nearly 80 years of a unique human life — a life full of ideas and action. By the time the curtain fell on this long drama, a Universal Man emerged that transcended all geographical boundaries, all known political acumen, as well as religious certitudes.

The next most logical question: Where did Gandhi find resources for inner strength and fortitude? In other words, what events, which people and struggle(s) constituted his "experiments with truth" as he evolved from an ordinary beginning to the "final products" of satyagraha and non-violent activism?

Kindly allow me to be bit personal and tell how my upbringing curiously dovetailed with Gandhi's life and message, both in India and now in my `home away from home' in the U.S.A.:

I grew up in a remote village of Bengal under the British Raj — frustrated and angry, not exactly nonviolent! My `conversion' took place in my college days in Calcutta when I resided in the home of my married sister and commuted daily to my classes. My brother-in-law, a lawyer, was a kind-hearted adherent to the principles of Gandhi.

Not unlike the Vietnam War protest in the United States, my contemporary student population was highly politicized, readily rising in protests and demonstration against the brutal surrogates of the British government. It was the early 1940s when one clear, warm morning, the entire student body of Calcutta University struck classes for one such demonstration. Well over 50,000 students `peacefully' walked downtown to protest the detention of political prisoners being held without charge or trial. Anyway, we were promptly stopped by the revengeful police force. We sat en masse on the main thoroughfare with our youthful daring. It was late morning; the mass transports, and the stores and businesses were closed down in anticipation of some `trouble'. By dusk, it was apparent the unrelenting police force, now reinforced by mounted police, were ready to charge. First blanks, then loaded guns, were fired as the sea of demonstrators started to scatter, some cried with pain. My classmate and i bid in an ally behind a public bathroom. To make a long story short, getting my political feet wet was abruptly stopped as my friend was shot through the chest and died in my arms. A non-violent beginning ended with violence and fatality. It was 1 a.m. Confused, afraid and tired, i walked home. My brother-in law was waiting for me to talk about the futility of violence. The event symbolized the bridging of the generation gap and opened a new chapter in my life.

Who would have thought then that nearly twenty-five years later, during the "poor people's campaign" in Washington (June, 1968), identified as neither black nor white — just exotic— I found myself addressing a heterogeneous assembly of young black, disillusioned people. Subject: Gandhi and the Futility of Violence. The leftists ignored the topic as naive; the rightists found it irrelevant but pleasantly stalling, others found it only interesting.

Highlights of the life and message of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

1. He was a supreme, quintessential and `revolutionary' leader of 20th century.

2. "Many people marvel that such a human being could ever walk the surface of this earth" (Einstein);

"He was a living truth—not just a quotation from a book" (Nobel-laureate poet, Tagore )

However, not everyone thought highly of Gandhi ..... For instance, Winston Churchill, at different times, described him as "half-naked fakir", a "fraud" and a "scoundrel"!

3. Life story (early years)

> Middle-class Hindu family with a humble beginning,

> Unsettled childhood—like most children everywhere (peer pressure, fibs, petty theft, smoking, clandestine reading of forbidden books, being a husband at 19, etc.)

> Extreme devotion to mother, loving stories, myths and epics read to him

> Ardent hero-worshipper

> Strict vegetarian in dietary habit

4. > To England to study law, leaving wife and a small child in India.

> Overwhelming self-pity for having to `play husband/father at 19'.

> In England, he "grew up" in a hurry! Began to see India through the eyes of others (as I find myself doing even to this day!).

> Over the years, Gandhi's religion became intensely practical and simple.— a quest through service and sacrifice. (Action is the salvation)

5. Therefore, although born in India, Gandhi really grew up in England; later, he matured in south Africa where he practiced law and was confronted with wanton racial discrimination and blatant injustice. Eventually, upon his return to India, he found fulfillment in the nation's struggle for political independence. (The partition of India saddened him deeply, however)

6. Still, it is in south Africa where Gandhi's life and message began to assume a universal dimension, approaching the status of a mahatma (great soul)—a title bestowed by poet Tagore.

His experiments with truth began in earnest in south Africa.

As you can appreciate, people and events ordinarily do not change all at once; they evolve incrementally. But change they must—after all, nothing is more permanent than change. There is, however, such a thing as growth of a critical mass of passion and rationale over a period of time, at the end of which a total unfolding takes place. Gandhi was no exception.

The trials and tensions he had encountered in his childhood and, later, in England, came to a head in South Africa where he was invited as a lawyer to represent merchants and laborers from India.

Soon after he arrived in south Africa, he became aware of the ruthless discriminations against the non-Europeans. Reminiscent of the hateful term, "nigger", the white minority in South Africa referred to indian sugar plantation workers as samis or coolies.. Gandhi himself was literally kicked out of a firstclass train compartment, although he was carrying with him a proper ticket at the time.

An intense love for Truth and Faith in the potential goodness of man, kept Gandhi from seeking retaliation against or apology from the offenders. Instead, he sought inner strength, self-discipline and the oft-quoted "truth force."

He did not have to wait long for his "experiment with truth" to begin: General Smuts, the then all-powerful, wanton ruler of South Africa, was preparing to enforce a law—the black act—designed to severely restrict the movements of non-Europeans and essentially disenfranchise them.

Gandhi meticulously gathered facts and, with complete candor, let smuts know that he would resist the enforcement of this law with his life. In a historic meeting, his followers took a solemn oath that they would be non-violent in their protest and suffer all the consequences including death. The so-called critical mass was reached and the satyagraha movement was born. Soon it assumed a magnificent dimension.

General smuts called Gandhi in and cordially assured him that the law would be suspended if he (Gandhi) would persuade his people to register and carry a permit. Gandhi agreed but one solitary follower felt betrayed and swung a cudgel at Gandhi's head and severely hurt him. Gandhi prevailed, however, and even argued in favor of the government's reasonable right to control immigration. Everyone registered and carried a permit.

Smuts did not keep his promise and the Black Act remained in force! The second phase of satyagraha began in earnest. Gandhi announced that if the government did not repeal the act by a certain time, he and his people would burn their permits. At 4:00 pm on August 16, 1908, the ultimatum ended. The stage was set! A pile of permits, a huge cauldron and a tin of paraffin! Guess who came running through the crowd, begging to have his permit burned with the rest? It was Gandhi's grateful assailant who felt betrayed earlier and gave Gandhi the "Wound of Love."

Gandhi was jailed as were one- fourth of the Transvaal Indians. Satyagraha had just begun. The moral impact of it molded favorable opinions among the thinking, sensitive people in England, India and even in South Africa. By 1914, the main demands of indian immigrants were met.

Now that you have some inkling of what satayagraha is, let us summarize:

Satyagraha: What is it?

It awakens through love and sacrifice a sense of justice in the hearts of both the oppressed and the oppressor.

It is a movement born out of the realization of the utter wrongness of a situation, and sustained by disarming candor and transparency of action.

Background for understanding satyagraha

The insight of non-violence is a learned behavior—not a natural instinct. Not unlike many creative efforts of mankind—such as music and art—non-violence can also be learned and practiced until it becomes a personal attribute. It is an "experiment with truth" fraught with failures, sacrifices and joys.

Victory in a satyagraha movement is not construed as defeat of the adversary, but an emergence of a new harmony with the wrong cancelled out. A true "satyagrahi" (the one who engages in it) is so utterly wedded to the concept of truth that he will be innocent of any design to hurt or humble an enemy— there is no room for stultifying hatred or rancor.

Satyagraha and law:

The rule of law is accepted and respected.

You must accept the penalty for breaking the law that you consider evil (e.g., Gandhi's arrest with a charge of sedition in Judge Broomfield's court):

Judge B: How do you plead about your charge for sedition?

Gandhi: Your honor, I have no desire to conceal from the court the fact that to preach disaffection towards the existing government has become almost a passion with me. I ran the risk, and if I am set free, I would still do the same. I want here, therefore, to submit to the highest penalty . . . for a deliberate crime (according to law) but what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen.

Judge (bowing): You are a great patriot and a great leader. Even those who differ from you in politics look upon you as a man of high ideals and of noble . . . life . . . But you have made it impossible for me to leave you in liberty.

After sentencing Gandhi to six years' imprisonment the judge added that no one would be more pleased than he if the (future) government saw fit to reduce his sentence.

Purity of action:

No 'good' thing can be achieved in anger and hatred.

"Fasting", .. "Self-examination", "meditation:, "self-control", "cleansing" (e.g., the salt march to walk to the seashore to boll sea water to make salt, forbidden by the British government)

A person becomes "free" first, to make political and social freedom imminent and natural ... (To paraphrase Gandhi, in this commitment one should not lose the sense of humor; if you do you will be boycotting life and humanity!)

Products of the Gandhi Movement:

women's liberation

the fight against the social evil of "untouchability" in the social ladder

Gandhi's relevance today? Staying power in the midst of the holocaust, Rwanda, Cambodia's "killing fields", War in Iraq and Universal Human Rights.

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Ten years before Gandhi's death (1948), Tagore, India's Nobel-laureate poet, said, "Perhaps, Gandhi would fail like Buddha failed, as Christ failed, to wean men from their inequities, but he will always be remembered as one who made life a lesson for all ages to come."