Event: What Would Gandhi Say Today?

“What would Gandhi say today?”
The Centre for Religion, Human Values, and International Relations
commemorates Gandhi’s death anniversary on 30 th January 2025- at the
Martyr’s Day event organized by Pedals-Ireland with Malayalam/Kerala
Cultural Association, Dublin.
The workshop on World Peace and Sustainable Development contemplates the
current world situation of conflicts, climate crisis, and inequality and the need to
be reminded of pacifist approaches of past leaders.

Philip McDonagh speaks on “What would Gandhi say today?” in global
politics that is increasing its productive and destructive capacities. Prof
McDonagh proposes a Gandhian non-violent strategy for change that makes
room for the personal (therefore faith, worldview, or sense of the sacred) and a
perspective on politics that focuses on the needs of the most marginalized.
Ireland and India can become partners and pathfinders in a new culture of
encounters and new forms of public diplomacy. Read lecture notes here

Bobby McCormack (Development Perspectives) emphasizes the need for
development education to tackle poverty and conflict that is transformational to
societies and not ‘the individualization of education. In the context of current
global challenges, Bobby iterates on Gandhi’s leadership of ‘walking the walk’
and that ‘the right thing to do is still the right thing to do’.
The conversations reflect the need to respond with understanding and empathy,
creating spaces for dialogue, and cultivating conversations that support peace.
The search for ‘true peace’ through kindness, understanding, and compassion on
a personal level and working in parallel with others by recognizing our
interconnectedness and interdependence. Keeping in line with the core
principles of the SDGs, a global active citizen should share responsibility, take
collective action, and demand ‘global solutions’ from our leaders.