Page 6 - ICWA NewsletterOctober- December 2020

INDIAN COUNCIL
OF WORLD AFFAIRS SAPRU HOUSE

ICWA International Webinar on 'Gandhi and the World’

1-2 October 2020

The Indian Council of World Affairs held a was chaired by Dr. Makarand
Atwo day International Webinar on “Gandhi Paranjape, Professor and
and the World” on October 1-2, 2020 to mark the Director, Indian Institute of
culmination of the two-year celebration of 150th Advanced Study, (IIAS), Shimla and the panellists
birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 25 scholars were: Mr. Pulatov Sherdor Nematjonovich, Tashkent
from 14 countries and India participated in the State Institute of Oriental Studies, Faculty of
webinar. The Webinar had multiple components: History and Philosophy, lecturer of the Department
a conversation; a book discussion; a Gandhi Katha, of Oriental Philosophy and Culture, Tashkent,
panel discussions on three themes viz., ‘Gandhi and Uzbekistan, who spoke on "The influence of the
his contemporaries’, socio-philosophical views of Mahatma Gandhi on
‘Gandhi and the Central Asia, in particular Uzbekistan"; Dr. Rajesh
World: Different Rai, Professor and Head, South Asia Studies Program,
Geographies’ and National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore,
‘Studying Gandhi who spoke on “Gandhi, Southeast Asia and the
in a Globalized Indian Diaspora”; Mr. Eric Itzkin, Head, Immovable
World’ and a Heritage, City of Johannesburg, South Africa, who
separate session on Voices from Latin America. The presented about "The Trials of Gandhi Square,
Valedictory Address was delivered by Hon’ble Vice going into the historic significance of thät site,
President of India and President, ICWA, Shri M. and recent struggles around this important public
Venkaiah Naidu on October 2, 2020. space in Johannesburg”; and Dr. Houchang Hassan-
Yari, Head of Political Sciences Section, College of
Welcome remarks were given by Dr. T.C.A. Raghavan Economics and Political Sciences, Sultan Qaboos
in the Inaugural Session which was followed by a University, Muscat, Oman, who made an interesting
conversation between Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, presentation on “From one crisis to another: the
Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi Middle East misses Gandhi”. Panel IIPart One was
and Dr. Makarand Paranjape, Professor and Director, followed by a Book Presentation cum Discussion-
Indian Institute of Advanced Study, (IIAS), Shimla “Gandhi: The Soul Force Warrior: Revolutionized
on ‘Mahatma Gandhi in the 21st Century: A New Revolution and Spiritualized it” written by Amb.
Wave’. The first panel was titled ‘Gandhi and his Pascal Alan Nazareth. The session was moderated
Contemporaries’. It was chaired by Dr. Arvind Gupta, by Dr. T.C.A. Raghavan, Director General, ICWA and
Director, Vivekananda International Foundation, had Mr. Ashok Malik, Policy Advisor, MEA, GOI as a
New Delhi and the panelists were: Dr. V. Ragupathy, discussant.
Professor and Head, Department of Political Science The next panel had participants from Latin America
and Development Administration, Gandhigram and was titled “Voices from Latin America”. The
Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu, who session was chaired by Ambassador R. Viswanathan,
spoke on “Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.”; Former Indian Ambassador in Argentina, Uruguay,
Dr. Makarand Paranjape, Professor and Director, Paraguay and Venezuela and was Consul General
Indian Institute of Advanced Study, (IIAS), Shimla, in Sao Paulo, Brazil and the panellists were: Dr. Lia
who spoke on “Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda”; Diskin, Writer and Founder of Associação Palas
and Dr. Imraan Coovadia, Professor, University of Athena, Brazil on “Gandhi and the Ethics for the
Cape Town, South Africa, who spoke on “Gandhi, Coexistence”; Dr. Óscar Álvarez Araya, Former Costa
Mandela, Tolstoy: The Radical Tradition in the Rican Diplomat, Costa Rica on “Gandhi and Latin
Twentieth Century”. America”; Dr. Lía Rodriguez de la Vega, Working
Panel two titled ‘Gandhi and the World: Different Group on India and South Asia, Asian Affairs
Geographies’ was divided in two parts. The first part Committee, Argentina Council for International

ISSUE : 23 | OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020 6