NCRI Workshop

Today I went to a conference center near Chicago to be a part of 17th TANA Conference. TANA, Telugu Association of North American “is an organization formed to perpetuate, integrate, and assimilate the cultural heritage of the Telugu-speaking people of the North American continent into the mainstream of the cultural heritage of North America.” Teluga is the language spoken by the persons in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. My friends Prasad and Kranthi had invited me to join them in a workshop for their work in the National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI). Prasad is coordinator of a program called The Wheel - Centre for Gandhian Thought and Action. The Center is involved in all types of projects including one working with prisoners with a study of Gandhi’s writings and action.

Taking it all in, including the delicious Indian Food, I was there with another pilgrim from the Pilgrim of Peace to give some reflections on our pilgrimage. Since the NCRI workshop was hastily called there were not many in attendance. When it was my turn to speak I found myself comparing the thoughts and actions of Gandhi with the thoughts of and actions of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesuit. For years I have been connecting Creative Nonviolence and Ignatian Spirituality but only recently have I seen the connection in word and experience between Gandhi and Ignatius.

In fact I just made a proposal for a workshop at Marquette University on Nonviolence making this connection. If the proposal is accepted or not, I want to write a dialog between Ignatius and Gandhi on common values and actions.

Here is a Gandhi quote from NCRI site that could have been one from St. Ignatius and certainly is one that applies to our times:

‘’The things that will destroy us :
politics without principle;
pleasure without conscience;
wealth without work;
knowledge without character;
business without morality;
science without humanity; and
worship without sacrifice.’‘
- Mahatma Gandhi

Tomorrow I return from Gandhi to the Garden but Gandhi will always be with me.

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