By Jeanine Fiser
The cheerful smile on Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Fresno State Peace Garden might seem a little brighter this week.
Thursday marked the 145th birthday of the influential nonviolent leader. To celebrate the occasion, Fresno State will be hosting events through Oct. 5 to “stop the hate, stop the violence: build a culture of peace.”
Gandhi, known for his leadership in India’s path to independence from British control through nonviolent means such as hunger strikes and peaceful marches, was a widely revered figure and inspired civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez.
For Alekhya Bodke, a Fresno State senior majoring in mechanical engineering, the birthday anniversary, also known as “Gandhi Jayanti,” is an exciting cultural experience and welcome reminder of home. Bodke came to Fresno from India in 2009 and has participated in the yearly festivities put on by the university ever since.
“I just love the way the events proceed,” Bodke said. “I’m looking forward to this Gandhi Jayanti celebration, too. I just love how the community gets together for such events, regardless of how diverse the community is.”
Bodke is a member of the Indian Students Club, one of the organizations coordinating this week’s celebrations.
This year’s festivities include a garlanding ceremony and folk dancing Saturday morning in the Peace Garden and a weeklong photo exhibition on the life of Gandhi at the Henry Madden Library. A candlelit vigil for world peace was held Thursday night in the Peace Garden.
David Tyckoson, associate dean of library services, said the exhibit consists of 10 photographs chronicling Gandhi’s life. The display can be found on the first floor near the reference section along with several books written about and by Gandhi.
“The pictures were produced in India some time ago, so the image quality is a little fuzzy. But I think that kind of gives it this nice historic feature to it,” Tyckoson said.
He said he chose photos that best represent Gandhi and hopefully grab the attention of student passers-by. Some notable pictures include one of Gandhi in a British colonial jail and another of him dressed in his standard weaver robes standing next to Louis Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India.
“Gandhi was well-known for supporting children, so there’s a picture of him playing with some kids,” Tyckoson said.
Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, a Fresno State professor emeritus who teaches a peace and conflicts course, helped establish the Peace Garden in the early ‘90s. It features a statue of Gandhi as the garden’s centerpiece. He said Fresno State first celebrated Gandhi’s birthday 24 years ago when his statue was dedicated in the Peace Garden.
“Gandhi’s statue first came in 1990 and we invited Gandhi’s grandson (Arun Gandhi) from South Africa,” Kapoor said. “He came — he inaugurated actually.”
The Peace Garden is now home to a few leaders who mirrored Gandhi’s techniques of nonviolence such as Chavez and King. Tyckoson said Fresno State is one of few universities in the country that features a statue of Gandhi on its campus.
“The Peace Garden is nice because we have Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez — and then Jane Addams, which is actually my favorite statue,” Tyckoson said.
“All of them together sort of shared that belief that people could be free and self-governing and take care of themselves. And I think it’s kind of unique for a university to have that kind of a public statement by having the statues in the garden.”
Kapoor said the most important message this week is the one Gandhi promoted of peace and love. He said a pledge against hatred would be read on Saturday along with discussions led by community and civic leaders against hatred and violence. The pledge was also read on Thursday.
“The way to peace is peace,” Kapoor said. “The only way to peace is peace itself. This is the message we want to convey and share.”
Bodke said each Gandhi Jayanti has been more than a celebration. They have become an integral part of her education at Fresno State.
“It’s a good, different way of education for me apart from classes and everything,” Bodke said. “Every year, I have something new to learn. Like for example, last year they had a debate on the corruption issue that goes on in India.”