The International Relations Committee in partnership with Wellesley College, USA, invites you to panel discussion on “Is Gandhi Relevant Today?” 

As we approach the end of the second decade of the third millennium, when many parts of the world are experiencing the impact of political and ideological polarization, it is time to critically examine the thought and legacy of M. K. Gandhi who emerged as an important figure in India and on the world scene in the last century of the second millennium. With this view, a team of three faculty at Wellesley College taught the first half of a course titled “Gandhi in His Indian Contexts” during the fall semester at Wellesley, in which they critically examined Gandhi’s work, thought and responses to other leaders as well as scholars on him. The focus on India in this course is meant to help  explore in what ways Gandhi’s legacy is being engaged in his home country. The second half of the course is designed as a wintersession. A group of 16 students and 3 faculty members from Wellesley will spend one week at FLAME exploring engagement with Gandhi, as inspiration or critique, in the city where he spent important years of Quit India movement in prison and also engaged in intense debates with other leaders, especially Dr. Ambedkar.

As part of the wintersession, a panel discussion with 4 Pune-based thinkers, activists, and academics – Mr. Milind Bokil, the eminent writer; Mr. Ramesh Awasthi, from the NGO MASOOM; Prof. Shruti Joshi from the Karve Institution; and Prof. Divya Balan of FLAME University – is organized at FLAME University on “Is Gandhi Relevant Today?” to which the panelists will respond from their own perspective drawing on their work and experience. The purpose of this discussion is to expose students to diverse perspectives – both appreciative and sharply critical - and form their own.