Sunanda Gandhi (née Ambegaonkar) born Gujarat, British India October 10, 1932 (d. 2007). Nonviolent philosopher. Co-founder, M. K. Gandhi institute for Nonviolence, Memphis, TN, 1991.
“We are not alone—we are with Him or Her, the Spirit.” (Graceful Passages, Potamkin; photo geni.com)
Bharti Gandhi born Bulandashahar, India August 8, 1936. Indian peace educator and child psychologist. Co-founded City Montessori School, Lucknow, 1959; the school won the UNESCO prize in peace education for its core curriculum of world peace, 2002.
“We rededicated ourselves to the cause of world unity." (Baha’i World News, June 20, 2002; photo aahadiaabadi award)
“If there is peace, unity, purity and divinity in peoples’ minds and hearts, wars will naturally stop. Mahatma Gandhi showed us the path to truth, nonviolence.” (The Pioneer, Lucknow, March 14, 2016)
Sonia Gandhi (née Maino) born Lusiana, Italy December 9, 1946. Nonviolent Indian leader of Congress Party, 1998; United Progressive Alliance, 2004.
"Violence seeks to impose and overwhelm, which is why its victories are transitory. Non-violence seeks to engage and persuade, which is why its results are enduring." (Speech to UN on first International Day of Nonviolence, Oct. 2, 2007; photo 2007 wikicommons pd)
Madeeha Gauhar born Karachi, Pakistan September 21, 1956. Pakistani actress and playwright. Dedicated to peace with India; founded social protest theater Ajoka ("Today") which joined in festivals with Indian women, Lahore, 1983. Directed hit play "Bullah" about nonviolent Sufi saint. Twice jailed for women’s rights protests. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.
"My vision of my country is that of a liberal, progressive, vibrant, tolerant society—free from fundamentalism and hatred. Defence spending should be cut down to make way for literacy, economic elevation and thriving arts. (vehemently) All those who propagate hate-wave should be thrown into the Arabian Sea."(Chandigarhh Tribune, Nov. 23, 2003; photo pkmart.pk)
V. Mohini Giri born Lucknow, India January 15, 1938. National women’s rights leader; peace activist. Professor and founder of women’s studies department, Lucknow University. Member of Sarojini Naidu’s Child Brigade. Founding president, War Widows Association, 1971. Founder Trustee, Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA), seeking peace with Pakistan, 2000. Beaten while trying to save a girl from molestation, 2014.
“The building of peace is a constructive activity. There is nothing passive about either the concept or the state of peace.” (World People’s Blog)
"We can form a union of consensus in South Asia with common cultural heritage. War should be waged collectively against trafficking and migration of women and children and crisis of livelihood of people of broader South Asia." (May 14, 2002 in Women Living Under Muslim Laws)
Mrinal Gore born Mumbai, India June 24, 1928 (d. 2012). “The Water Lady”, known for bringing water to slums. Led numerous Gandhi-inspired nonviolent protests, marches, sit-ins, pickets, and fasts, including women’s rolling-pin demonstration. Frequently arrested; imprisoned for 18 months and held in solitary confinement during government-declared Emergency, 1975. Socialist member of Parliament, 1977-80. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005. Sponsored International Conference on Peace and Justice in South Asia, 2006.
“[The International Conference on Peace and Justice in South Asia is] geared towards creating a new world—a world based on Peace and Justice, free from violence and oppression—of all sorts and all hues.”
Ruchira Gupta born Kolkata, India January 7, 1964. Leading Indian sex traffic abolitionist; journalist; nonviolent activist. Founded Apne Aap Women Worldwide, 2002.
In support of the Occupy movement: “As a citizen of India, and as a citizen of the world we all inhabit, I offer one of Gandhi's most basic ideas: Positive acts are contagious. They balance the negative protests that are vital, too, they teach us how to live, and they show us what a just government could do.” (The Guardian, Dec. 21, 2011; photo trustwomenconf.org)
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