Dr. Neelakanta Radhakrishnan
The office of Academic Affairs welcomed, Dr. Neelakanta Radhakrishnan, Chairman of the Gandhi Peace Mission and Former Director of Gandhi Darshan and International Centre of Gandhian Studies in New Delhi under the Government of India, and author of over 70 books, on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Dr. Radhakrishnan founded Ramachandran Institute of Nonviolence; Gandhi Media Foundation; Ikeda Centre for Value Creation; and Sabarmati Centre for Naturopathy and Yoga. He has held over 750 youth training programs on nonviolence worldwide and delivered 150 lectures on the Culture of Peace at universities around the globe during the UN-sponsored Culture of Peace program. His dialogue with Dr. Daisaku Ikeda is available in five languages and the English edition Walking with the Mahatma: Gandhi for Modern Times is widely acclaimed.
Danny Habuki, President of Soka University opened the event and welcomed guests from both the Soka campus and surrounding community members. Dr. Radhakrishnan expressed his thanks to the Soka community, especially to President Habuki, VP for Academic Affairs Ed Feasel, Soka Trustee Luis Nieves, and also his wife. He expressed appreciation for being invited back to campus; a campus whose mission he shares and believes deeply in. He also commended students on the opportunity to study at Soka University, discussing his admiration of and friendship with Soka’s founder Daisaku Ikeda.
His talk, entitled “Gandhi and Nonviolent Awakening of Individual Potential for Sustainable Peace”, discussed the life works of Mahatma Gandhi, champion of human rights, and connected it back to our everyday experiences and life choices, sharing how each person can put their own vision into their life mission and become valuable global citizen for peace, able to face the challenges of life courageously and confidently. Radhakrishnan discussed how Gandhi grew from a fearful child to a courageous champion of human rights, demonstrating and practicing alternatives to violence—politically, socially and spiritually. He discussed the challenges to humanity, sharing the history of Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandella, who both used Gandhian tactics of reconciliation and social action to effect positive change, non-violently, finding alternatives to make life sustainable.
Dr. Radhakrishnan concluded his lecture encouraging attendees to work to create unified humanity through education and practice of global citizenship and to live life with purpose. Audience members were able to ask questions and talk with Radhakrishnan following the event.