Youth gathering at the Muriel across Gandhi Statue. Pic by Subash Razdan

From l to r: Viren Mayani, Mohsin Bharmal, Chair Subash Razdan, Mayor Shirley Franklin and late Giriraj Rao, Co-Founder/Exe Dir GFUSA with Supporters. Picture by Bharat Kotecha of the Fundraiser organized by GFUSA in 2007.

“The interest in the Gandhi-King legacy will mirror and emphasize in the proposed endeavor for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) collaboratively between the Gandhi-King Center/Gandhigram Trust of Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI) and the GFUSA”, said Mr. Oza, who also is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Tamil Nadu cadre. Dr. Crawford received the visiting Delegates with great enthusiasm and even had brief discussions on possibilities of exchange programs between the Gandhi King Center of GRI, GFUSA, and the King Collection at the Morehouse library.

The visiting delegates accompanied by GFUSA officials then met and networked with Dr. L. E. Carter, Dean of Religion and Founder, Gandhi King Ikeda Institute of Global Ethics at the MLK Jr. International Chapel. Rev. Carter explained the ongoing activities of the MLK Chapel at Morehouse.

The next meeting of the day was with Dr. Gregory Hall, Professor and Chair, Department of political science Morehouse College. Prof. Hall suggested that a draft proposal for collaborative programs could be explored and developed. He reiterated the need to develop studies on the nonviolent strategies of Gandhi and King at the Morehouse College.

Networking Dinner:
In the evening the visitors got together again at a working dinner at the residence of hosts Subash and Raj Razdan (of GFUSA) graced by many VIPs, dignitaries, diplomats and leaders of diverse groups, including Dr. King’s nephew, Hon. Isaac Farris, National Park Service Superintendent Judy Forte, Hon. Greg Pridgeon, former Council Member and Chief of Staff of the City of Atlanta, Hon. R. Srinivasan, Acting Consul General of India at the Consulate General of India (CGI), Atlanta, Ms. Ray Ann Kremer and Mr. George Shapiro of AJC (Ms. Kremer supported and attended the dedication of the Gandhi Statue in 1997 on behalf of the American Jewish Community), Mr. Mohsin (Treasurer of GFUSA) and many other community leaders from the Subcontinent of India. Mr. Oza spoke and made a power point presentation on the mission of Gandhi-King Center of GRI and the purpose of their visit. Dr. V. Ragupathy also explained the significance of taking forward the message of Gandhi and King to future generations. Hon. Srinivasan of the CGI appreciated the joint efforts of the GFUSA and GRI in propagating their mission and assured of encouragement and support for such humanitarian activities by the CGI.


From l-r: Subash Razdan (Chair), Isaac Farris (nephew of Dr. M.L. King), D.K. Oza (Vice Chancellor), R. Srinivasan (Acting Consul General), V. Ragupathy (Professor), Antony Thaliath (Exe. Dir) and Mohsin Bharmal (Treasurer, GFUSA). Picture taken by Mahadev Desai of GFUSA.


Gandhigram University, India:
Gandhigram in India is now a well-known hub of Gandhian activities founded with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi by two of his close disciples in 1947, Dr. G. Ramachandran and Dr. S. Soundaram. Gandhigram is now regarded as a national center for implementing the ideals of Gandhi in to action. Dr. Ramachandran had spent many years of his life at Shantiniketan and in the early thirties; he joined Mahatma Gandhi at Wardha. Dr. Soundaram was a child widow and also joined the Gandhi Ashram around the same time as Dr. Ramachandran. They later married in early forties for which Gandhiji served as the priest.

Gandhigram consists of three sister institutions but integrated entities namely Gandhigram Trust, Gandhigram Rural University (GRU) and Gandhigram Institute of Rural Health and Family Welfare.
       
In 1959, (Feb 9- Mar 9), Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King had even visited Gandhigram to study the Gandhian strategies of nonviolent social transformation as part of their month-long tour of India. It was during that tour of India, Dr. King had remarked in Delhi (on Feb. 10) in a press conference, “ To other countries I may be a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim”.

GFUSA-Gandhigram connection:
More than 50 years after Dr. King’s visit to Gandhigram, subsequently, Subash Razdan, Chairman of GFUSA visited Gandhigram in 2014 as a Guest Speaker for a seminar on “Lincoln, Gandhi and King”. It was during his visit an idea to commemorate King's visit to Gandhigram through a permanent program in the name of Gandhi-King was discussed. On the initiative of Mr. D. K. Oza and Prof. V. Ragupathy (who was a guest of GFUSA earlier at the Ekatva concert by GFUSA joint-venture at Rialto auditorium in Atlanta on Jun 16, 2012 to benefit the needy children with their education in Gujarat) encouraged by Razdan and supported by Sri Sivakumar, the Gandhigram Trust came forward to start Gandhi-King Center in Gandhigram. Consequently, the Gandhi King Center for Peace and Justice was born and inaugurated by the Gandhigram Trust on July 11, 2014. An Advisory committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Natarajan, current Vice Chancellor Gandhigram Rural University, was also set up and is guiding the working of the Center. The Center is also in the process of initiating a large number of programs to spread the message of Gandhi and King among the younger generation.
 
“GFUSA is giving its constant support to the Gandhi King Center there. Razdan’s second visit to Gandhigram in February 2015 to give a special lecture at the Gandhi-King Center and the resultant networking further boosted the endeavor of promotion of the legacy of Dr. King and Gandhi jointly. The congratulatory and supportive message from the CEO of King Center, Bernice King for our Gandhi-King Center was timely and also very appreciated in India. It now behooves on us in India to reciprocate and create a befitting Memorial for Dr. King in India ”, remarked Prof. Ragupathy. “Razdan’s meetings with Mr. V.K. Sivakumar, secretary of Gandhigram Trust and Dr. Natarajan, Vice Chancellor of GRU also served as a catalyst to pave the path for our current visit to Atlanta. We are here primarily to explore the possibilities of developing collaborative activities in taking forward the message of Gandhi and King to and fro and across the continents. The possibility of commencing short courses, seminars and workshops in the near future, at the Gandhigram on ‘The Life and Work of Rev Martin Luther King as inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’ may soon be a reality. This visit by the two of us from Gandhigram, India is expected to put on a firm footing the planned collaboration of socio-welfare education between Gandhigram, GFUSA and allied partners such as Morehouse College, Emory University and even Ivy League colleges in USA”, added jubilant Oza.

The Gandhi Foundation of USA:
The Gandhi Foundation of USA (GFUSA) was founded on October 26, 1997 as a non-profit, tax-exempt foundation under section 501-c-3 of US laws to create and promote educational and awareness programs to inform the general public on the non-violent philosophies and practices of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. GFUSA assists the King Center in improvements pertaining to the Gandhi Room (at Freedom Hall). Likewise, assist National Park Service (NPS) for the Gandhi Statue at the MLK Historic Site in Atlanta. GFUSA provides a myriad of socio-cultural activities in order to communicate and disseminate the non-violent philosophy of Gandhi and King, including annual observance of the Gandhi and Dr. King birth anniversaries respectively.

Commemorating the Life and Legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King at Freedom Hall, April 27:
The King Center honored the visiting delegates, Oza and Dr. Ragupathy with a VIP invitation to 88th Birth Anniversary celebrations on Monday, April 27, of Mrs. Coretta Scott King in the historic Freedom Hall, King Center. During the commemorative celebrations, the visiting delegates had the rare opportunity of interacting with the renowned daughters of the civil right leaders Ms. Donzaleigh Abernathy (d/o Rev. Ralph and Juanita Abernathy), Ms. Cheryl Lowery (d/o Rev. Joseph and Evelyn Lowery), Ms. Andrea Young (d/o Amb. Andrew and Jean Childs Young), Ms. Santita Jackson (d/o Rev. Jessie and Jacqueline Jackson), Mrs. Elisabeth Omillami (d/o Rev. Hosea and Juanita Williams), and Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center (d/o Dr. Martin Luther Jr. and Coretta Scott King).


From l-r: Andrea Young, Donzaleigh Abernathy, Elisabeth Omillami, TV hostess Brenda Woods, Santita Jackson, Cheryl Lowery and Dr. Bernice King. Picture by John Naugle of GFUSA.

The Visitors also had a meaningful exchange with Dr. Martin Luther King III, the elder son of Dr. M.L. King Jr. who, like father Dr. King Jr., also has been a visitor to India.

From l to r: Martin Luther King III, D.K. Oza and V.Ragupathy. Picture at the Birth Anniversary at Freedom Hall by Antony Thaliath.

The Visitors were recognized during the celebrations at the packed auditorium of the hallowed Freedom Hall sanctuary with a standing ovation. Razdan in his brief remarks at the Freedom Hall acknowledged the friendship, compassion and the hospitality that Mrs. Coretta Scott King has always had for the Indian American community and for her inspiration to refurbish the Gandhi Room in 1987 in the Freedom Hall, the Gandhi Room at the Indian American Religious and Cultural Center (ICRC) in Smyrna in 1995, and for her unflinching support for the dedication of the Gandhi Statue in 1998 at the historic MLK site. “ Our deep admiration for the King and the Farris families thus is natural. Late Mrs. Coretta Scott King is a huge inspiration to many worldwide”, added Razdan.

As Congressman John Lewis and a fellow Civil Rights leader of Dr. King, Jr. proclaimed just one day after her death on Jan 31, 2006 at the Service attended by the global leaders and three former US presidents (Carter, Bush Sr., and Clinton), “Coretta Scott King institutionalized Martin’s memory for generations to come-and so its not just memory, but also his method and message. She must be remembered, in my estimation, as one of the founding mothers…”

Memorial Service for Mayor Eva Galambos of Sandy Springs:
Earlier (on April 22), during the visit, Mr. Oza also attended the Funeral/Memorial service of the late Mrs. Eva Galambos, Mayor of the City of the Sandy Springs of Georgia. Mayor Galambos, a genuine friend of the Indian American community, worked tirelessly and successfully along with India’s former Ambassador to USA, Ronen Sen and Atlanta’s Subash Razdan to ensure that the new and the first Consulate General of India (CGI) would be in her city of Sandy Springs.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyspringsga/3590018912/in/photostream/

It is history that India’s first CGI is situated in Sandy Springs.

Tributes/Homage at the hallowed grounds of King Historic Site:
The following day, on April 23, the Visitors paid homage to Gandhiji by garlanding the Gandhi Statue, a national memorial in USA in the King Historic Site.


Garlanding the Gandhi Statue. Picture by Antony Thaliath.

The Superintendent of the National Park Service (NPS), Judy Forte along with her staff, welcomed the visitors and had discussions with regards to continuous cooperation between the agents of positive change in India and in the USA.


With NPS Officers. Picture taken by Antony Thaliath.

The Delegates then ‘Peace Walked’ from the Gandhi Statue through the Visitor Center Museum, through the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (Heritage Sanctuary), laid wreaths (bouquets) at the Crypts (remains) of Dr. King and his wife Mrs. Coretta Scott King across the Memorial of the Eternal Flame symbolizing Dr. King’s commitment to eternal hope and truth.


From l to r: Antony Thaliath, V. Ragupathy, D.K. Oza and Subash Razdan.

The Peace Walk continued to the Gandhi Room in the Freedom Hall, which was refurbished by the Indian American Cultural Association in 1987 with the help of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the Embassy of India and financial support from the medical doctors, Sood, Radhakrishan Vanapalli and Naidu and other community members.


Gandhi Room Freedom Hall. Picture taken by Antony Thaliath.

The Peace Walk ended at Dr. King’s Birth Home on Auburn Ave where he was born on Jan 15, 1929.

“The federal district of the King Historic Site is at the hub of a 23acre National Historic Site, which brings over one million visitors each year and the first monument the tourists see is the beautiful life size bronze Statue of Gandhiji gifted by the Government of India”, recalled Razdan. “The attractions of the Historic Park include the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, birth home of Dr. King, the crypt of Dr. and Mrs. King, Ebenezer Church, exhibits at Freedom Hall, gift shop/information facility, the Gandhi Room, and the reflecting pool”, added Antony Thaliath of GFUSA. “ Such has been the impact of the Gandhi Statue, that there is hardly any VIP visitor returning to India from Atlanta without paying his/her homage to the hallowed federal Park”, exclaimed Mohsin Bharmal also of GFUSA.
                             
On being asked about their visit to Atlanta, Prof. Ragupathy and Vice Chancellor Oza jointly thanked the GFUSA saying, “The hosts Gandhi Foundation (GFUSA) took extraordinary efforts for the success of the mission of the Delegates by creatively arranging all the groundwork for the meetings, visits and hospitality and for their support to continue to work with Gandhi - King Center in Gandhigram, India and elsewhere in the spirit to propel success for future joint ventures”.

“Gandhi’s life and his achievements inspired Dr. King to say, ‘Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable…we may ignore him at our own risk’. On the other hand, Dr. King’s engagement in civil disobedience and the protest movements for civil rights and human rights are historic. Dr. King’s leadership, unquestionably, reshaped the racial landscape in the entire continents of North and South America. The message and methods of Gandhi and King must reach the masses, especially the youths of the globe. They must understand in highly pluralistic societies like India, USA and elsewhere, only nonviolence negotiations and mutuality can help with conflict resolution. The Gandhi King Center at Gandhigram shall strive to become a pioneering ‘Peace and Justice’ non-profit organization (NGO) in India”, reiterated the officials of GFUSA and Gandhigram in a joint statement.

CONTACT: For further information, please Contact either Mahadev Desai mmdesai@comcast.net or GFUSA Chairman Subash Razdan at 770-365-6516 c or email at Subashrazdan@yahoo.com

NOTE: This article is reported with input from Mr. Subash Razdan, Chairman, GFUSA. Media is welcome to reproduce all or portions of this article with or without any acknowledgment to the reporter or to GFUSA. The writer Mahadev Desai and/or the Gandhi Foundation of USA (GFUSA) indemnify its reproduction (in part or in entirety) from any copyright claims by the author(s) as long as the reproduction is without any malicious distortions.

About the author: Mahadev Desai.
Mahadev Desai is a senior freelance journalist based in Atlanta. Prior to moving to Florida, he was a Community News Correspondent with India Tribune for several years. He is an Associate Member of the Gandhi Foundation of USA and contributes his writings to local (Georgia) media, India Abroad, etc., etc.