2003 News letter 
(covering activities up to February 2005)

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At Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Chapter's 2003 Gandhi Jayanti celebration had as its centerpiece, 'The Leopard' a moving play on ostracism and violence, based on an Inuit fable called the 'Ice Wolf' and adapted to a north east Indian setting by Joanna Halpert Kraus. It was performed by dancers of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts and directed by Betty Bernhard and Kailash Pandya. An interschool painting competition for children of Std. V -IX on the topic of 'Stop the violence' was held on the morning of October 2nd. A few weeks earlier, the Gujarat Chapter also undertook a sprucing up of the historic Dandi Chowk in Ahamedabad, in which the Mayor of Ammedabad Hon. Mrs. Aneesa Begum Mirza also participated.

Hon'ble Mayor of Ahmedabad &  SIT Trustee Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai  at Dandi Chowk sprucing up.

The New Delhi Chapter celebrated Gandhi Jayanti 2003 with 'A festival of Harmony and Peace' on the lawns of India International Centre. The choirs of 14 reputed schools participated in this celebration. Justice A.S. Anand, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, was Chief Guest. 
On January 30th, 2004 peace and communal harmony marches were held in Bangalore and Hyderabad in collaboration with Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Inter Religious Harmony Movement and other like-minded organizations.  

'A festival of Harmony and Peace'  at IISc., New Delhi

In Mumbai, a soulful concert of Sufi music and Kabir Nirgun Bhajans was organized by the Maharashtra Chapter at the National Center for the Performing Arts. In Cheney the Tamilnadu chapter organized a well-attended seminar at the Vishnu College for Women in "The importance of Sarvodaya in the present national situation in which the distinguished Nawab of Arcot Mr. Mohammad Abdul Ali, delivered the keynote address and a galaxy of eminent speakers including the Auxiliary Archbishop of Chennai and the Vice Chancellor of Kolkota University participated.

During the period under review SIT made the following grants : Rs 10,000 to Maharogi Seva Samithi, Warora, Madhya Pradesh; Rs. 10,000 to Manav Sadhana, Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad; Rs. 10,000 to the Kasturba Utthan Mahila Mandal (Lakshmi Ashram), Kasauni, Rs. 5,000 to Gandhi Peace Foundation (Karnataka); Rs. 5000 to the Inter Religious Harmony Movement, Bangalore.

High Commissioner Malay Mishra presenting SIT's books to H.E. Patrick Nanty Seychelles Secretary (Culture)

Gandhian book sets were presented to the following institutions: National Library of Seychelles, Mahe; Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmedabad; Mahatma Gandhi International school, Ahmedabad; AVAS, Bangalore; Al Ameen Womens Wing, Bangalore; Rural Institute for Development Education, Kancheepuram; Ateneo University, Manila. 

During this period Managing Trustee accepted invitations to deliver lectures on Gandhiji's satyagraha and non violence strategy for political, economic and social change, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya, Port Blair (April 21, 2003); 'Gandhi and Contemporary Policy' Forum at Brussels (December 2nd, 2003); Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmedabad, (December 19, 2003), Ateneo and Phillipine Universities and Asian Institute of Management/Asia Society, Manila (February 4th, 5th and 6th, 2004). The lecture at Brussels was sponsored by the University of Ghent and the lectures at Manila were sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi. 

Managing Trustee P.A. Nazareth speaking at Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya, Port Blair

At the SIT Board of Management meeting held at New Delhi on February 21st 2004 Mr. Nyoman Sadra President, Gandhi Ashrams at Denpasar and Candi Dasa in Bali, Indonesia and Mr. Glenn Paige, Director, Centre for Global Non-Violence in Honolulu, Hawaii and Internationally renowned author of books on non-violence were inducted as co-opted Trustees of Sarvodaya International Trust.

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