Book Title: Jainism The Cosmic Vision
Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: UK Mahavir Foundation London

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 192
________________ A Journey of Ahimsa time, too, violence was visible everywhere as a result of industrialisation. It was at that time that he strongly advocated practice of non-violence in every field of human activity - economic, political and social. He proved that non-violent struggle can lead to victory. The war-weary world, steeped in violence and afflicated with terrorism, looks up to Gandhi for inspiration and guidance. How to fight injustice ? By nonviolent struggle or satyagraha, said Gandhi. It is his atom bomb to meet the challenge posed by destructive atom bombs. In 1949 winter on a Sunday an African American student, in Philadelphia, had come to listen about Mahatma Gandhi. He knew that Gandhi had fought a long non-violent struggle for India's independence. His weapon was satyagraha. The young man, Martin Luther King Jr., was favourably impressed by Gandhi's non-violent movement. Six years later, he raised his voice against apartheid. He led peace rally. He was attacked, but he stuck to the path of non-violence. Both he and Gandhi did not deviate from the chosen path and violence claimed them both Gandhiji's autobiography had a great impact on Adolfo P'erez Esquirel, who won the Nobel Prize in 1980, and who put into practice Gandhi's concept of village self-sufficiency. Gandhi's autobiography also influenced Aung San Sun Kyi of Burma - Myanmar - who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Suu Kyi has studied in a private school in Delhi in 1960. She, at that time, examined Gandhi's method of fighting against all evils by the non-violent way. 25 years later, she adopted the same method and fought for restoration of democracy in Burma. 175 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276