Dr. Arun Gandhi-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, one of India’s most treasured and revered political and spiritual leaders-will visit Chattanooga State Community College on Wednesday, November 11.  Dedicated to economic and social reform, Dr. Gandhi will present a lecture entitled “Lessons I Learned from my Grandfather.”  Referencing the legendary peace activist, Dr. Gandhi will highlight the pivotal life experiences that led him to a deep commitment to the principle of nonviolence.  The program, which begins at 10 a.m. in the Humanities Auditorium on Chattanooga State’s main campus, is open to the public free of charge.

Born to Mahatma Gandhi’s second son, Manilal, and his wife, Sushila, Dr. Gandhi grew up in apartheid South Africa.  Like many Indians, he was the victim of racism and subjected to ethnically motivated violence from both black and white extremists.  Reacting to the brutal racism he was encountering, the 12-year old Gandhi sought revenge against his attackers.  When his parents learned of their son’s plan to retaliate, they sent him to India to spend time with his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi.

While living with his grandfather, the younger Gandhi was an eyewitness to one of the most tumultuous periods in India's history.  As he watched the elder Gandhi lead India through a revolutionary, nonviolent struggle for independence from British rule, he began to appreciate the vigor and strength inherent in peaceful opposition.  After 18 months in India, the teenaged Gandhi returned to South Africa greatly influenced by his grandfather’s teachings and the events associated with India’s campaign for liberation.

Today, Dr. Gandhi has become an ardent advocate of nonviolent resistance and has dedicated his life’s work to arresting the senseless violence in the world.  After leading successful reform projects in India, Dr. Gandhi, with his wife, Sunanda, moved to the United States in 1987 to complete research on racism in America at the University of Mississippi.  In 1991, Gandhi founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.  Located at University of Rochester in New York, the institute seeks to foster an understanding of nonviolence through educational outreach programs that teach the theory and practice of nonviolence and inspire and promote harmony throughout the world.

Dr. Arun Gandhi’s visit to Chattanooga State is sponsored by the college’s Student Government Association and Student Life.

For more information about Dr. Arun Gandhi’s lecture, contact Student Affairs at 423.697.4423 or Student Life at 423.697.4475 or email sandy.kluttz@chattanoogastate.edu or mary.knaff@chattanoogastate.edu.

For more information about Chattanooga State Community College and its educational programs, call the Chattanooga State information hotline at 423.697.4404 or toll free at 1.866.547.3733 or visit the college’s Web site at www.chattanoogastate.edu.

Chattanooga State Community College is a comprehensive, regionally accredited community college, operated under the policies and guidelines of the Tennessee Board of Regents College System.  Founded in 1965 and serving a six-county area in Southeast Tennessee, Chattanooga State offers a wide array of programs and services.