Friday, October 6, 2017

Legislation introduced for 'Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange'


Lalit K Jha, outlookindia.com

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Washington, Oct 5 A legislation [JB - see] has been introduced in the House of Representatives advocating educational, scholarly, and professional exchange programmes between the US and India with a focus on the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

America's legendary civil rights activists and long-time lawmaker John Lewis has introduced 'Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative' on October 2 – the birth anniversary of Gandhi.

If passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, the initiative would be comprised of educational, scholarly, and professional exchange programs, including an annual public diplomacy forum for scholars from the US and India that focuses on the legacies of Gandhi and King.


The legislation HR 3909 also seeks scholars from the two countries to focus on studying the work of Gandhi and King, and applying their philosophies to current issues, including the status of poverty, conflict, human rights, civil rights, peace, nonviolence, and democracy in the United States and India.

Urging the US government to develop a curriculum with the help of scholars from the two countries for teaching conflict resolution and make such curriculum available to participating government employees.

It advocates an undergraduate, graduate, and post- graduate student exchange for students to study the history and legacies of King and Gandhi; visit historic sites in India and the United States that were integral to the American civil rights movement and the Indian independence movement; and research and develop papers on the importance of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation in current conflict regions.

"Mohandas (Mahatma) Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, were dedicated leaders of peace, civil rights, social justice, and social change in their respective communities and countries and in the world," it said.

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