"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."-M.K. Gandhi.
THE WHEEL was conceived to be a networking centre to bring forth the applicability of Gandhian concepts relevant to NCRI's mandate. The metaphor “Wheel” stands for a range of key connotations of Gandhian way of life including dynamism, productivity, self-reliance and above all the spirit of karma yoga (dignity of labour and the reward from within).It resonates multi-faceted aspects of human existence based on peace and cooperation as opposed to only material and economic well-being based on competition and accumulation.
The centre carries forward its mission by identifying different institutions for engagement as well as designing suitable programmes of action. The process involves working with a host of Gandhian institutions, research and study centres and other organisations interested in the application of Gandhian ideas. The agenda of the Wheel centre includes collaborating with educational institutions, and forging relationships and efforts at revival of Gandhian institutions for strengthening support programmes to them.
Since its inception in 2009, The Wheel centre has organised a number of events (seminars, workshops and talks) on Gandhian themes and ideas. One of the important initiatives of the centre is offering fellowships to M.Phil and Ph.D. scholars and scholarships to Post-Graduate students pursuing research on Gandhiji and work related to his principles and values in various institutions and universities. The centre also works for the introduction of courses and programmes in the areas of peace-building and conflict- resolution
Vision and Mission:
Gandhiji has reassured us, saying: “I am not going to keep quiet even after I die." Gandhian ideas and teachings have stood the test of time. Even today, Gandhian principles hold key solutions for many crisis viz. - social, economic or political of the world. While the relevance of Gandhiji has become a matter of either profound celebration or radical criticism, the real challenge for the present world remains in reworking Gandhi dispassionately toward meaningful ends. Research on Gandhi, no doubt has spurred in this crisis driven society and people are finding ways in the Gandhian teachings. This has led to establish various institutions all over the world, including India, to propagate the message of Mahatma Gandhi. There are innumerable seminars and workshops that have been organised in this regard. There exists a plethora of literature on him, written by prominent scholars from all over the world. Notwithstanding these efforts, there remain considerable gaps when it comes to applying Gandhian thought and action in today’s context of rural predicament. To address this issue in a comprehensive manner, the National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI) has established a specific centre, called “The Wheel”, to bring forth the applicability of Gandhian ideals, practices and principles and to propagate and disseminate the same through different channels.
Objectives:
- To rework and stimulate Gandhian principles for today’s pressing need of holistic rural well-being.
- To identify gaps in the functioning of various Gandhian institutions and propose suitable solutions.
- To Strengthen and support the institutes engaged in the application of Gandhian concepts/ideas.
- To guide and support institutions / individuals (in terms of offering fellowship to Gandhian scholars and social scientists) engaged in action-research as a tool for social and rural development
Programmes:
- Research on Gandhian thought and action pertaining to rural India.
- Assistance to institutions involved in documentation and preservation of Gandhian literature and dissemination of his ideas.
- Assistance to set-up libraries for purchase of books by and on Mahatma.
- Building and maintaining a database of Gandhians, Gandhian ashrams, Gandhian study centres, Gandhian centres, Gandhian museums, and Sangrahalayas.
- Revival of Gandhian ashrams and institution for sustained effective propagation of Gandhian philosophy.
- Promotion of courses on Gandhian philosophy and curriculum for peace education.
- Support to workshops, seminars, study camps, peace campaigns, and arranging talks by eminent scholars.
- Building partnership with national and international organisations
Current Activities:
- The Wheel centre continues its efforts in networking with various Gandhian institutions across the country.
- Many events and programmes were organised by the centre in pursuit of its objectives in sync with the emerging environment.
- The wheel is holding consultations with various Gandhian scholars, activists and thinkers to seek their valuable inputs in designing the approaches and methodologies for various core and peripheral activities.
- Support was also extended to various institutions for initiating programmes on peace and conflict resolution, besides entering into an MOU with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and ICPR and also with the National Law School University, Delhi, and other leading institutions for starting courses on Gandhian philosophy in the distance mode.
- Support has been provided to various Gandhian Ashrams in carrying forward Gandhiji’s legacy.
The Wheel (Centre for Gandhian Thought and Action) at NCRI places specific emphasis on values and application of Gandhian principles in various programmes.
To give a specific direction to the activities of the Wheel Centre and redefine their scope in tune with the contemporary times, a committee has been constituted comprising Sri P.V. Rajagopal, Vice-Chairman, NCRI, Prof. C.V. Raghavulu, former Vice-Chancellor of Acharya Nagarjuna University, Prof. R. Raghurama Raju, Head of the Department of Philosophy, Central University, Hyderabad, Shri Ashok Chausalkar, Professor (Retd.), Shivaji University, Kolhapur and Dr. D.M. Diwakar, Director, A.N. Sinha Institute of Economics, Bihar. Accordingly, the first meeting of the Committee was held on 31st December, 2010, at NCRI. Several meaningful insights emerged out of the deliberations.
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| From left to right: Dr.D.M.Diwakar, Prof.A.Raghurama Raju, Sri.P.V.Raj Gopal, Dr.S.V.Prabhath, Prof.C.V.Raghavulu, and other NCRI officials. |
Events:
1) Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Head of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, (CSSS) and Dr. V. Mohan Rallapalli, Executive Director and Coordinator, CSSS, Mumbai, visited NCRI on 1st February 2011.
Welcoming the members, Dr. S.V. Prabhath, Chairman, NCRI, explained the concept of The Wheel centre and how the centre had emerged.
Dr. Engineer said that the main aim of the CSSS was to create peace activists all over the country. The CSSS has been trying to dispel religious and communal misconceptions and creating awareness among different sections of the population about the diversity and richness of India’s composite culture and civilisation. In this process, it had organised several seminars to popularise the idea of peace and communal harmony. One such seminar was held in collaboration with the Gandhi Peace foundation, Delhi. Shri. P. Krishna Rao, Coordinator of The Wheel,NCRI, and Ms. Y. Sulochana, Project Assistant, also took part in the seminar.
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| Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer & Dr. Vasundhara Mohan, speaking with the Chairman of NCRI |
Shri Anil Nauriya inaugurating the Seminar, from left Dr. Bharati Patil, Subroto Mukherjee,
Natwar Thakkar, Dattaji Shinde, Prof. N.J. Pawar, ViceChancellor Shivaji University |
2)Gandhian Study Centre at Shivaji University, Kolhapur, conducted an international seminar on ‘Making of Mahatma: M. K. Gandhi in South Africa’ from 10th to 12th March 2011 in collaboration with NCRI, Hyderabad.
On 10th March,the lead lectures were given by
Shri. Anil Nauriya — Satyagraha in South Africa
Prof.Meena Deshpande — Indian Identity in South Africa
On 11th March, the lead lectures were given by
Dr. Y.P. Anand — Satyagraha
Shri. Tushar Gandhi — Bapu and his family
Shri Vijay Naik — Satyagraha in South Africa : Contemporary Relevance
Prof. Uma Mestrie–Dhupelia — Gandhi : The Journalist. and
Jagdamba: One Act Play ( Rohini Hattangadi) at Lok kala Kendra.
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Prof. Uma Mestrie-Dhupelia (great grand-daughter of Mahatma Gandhi) speaking at the seminar,
seated form left Prof. Scott Kafera, Smt.Sushila
Ramaswamy & Shri.Vijay Naik. |
Special lecture by Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri. Prithviraj Chavan.Seated from left Dr. Bharathi Patil, Convenor, International Seminar, Prof. N.J. Pawar, VC Shivaji University, Shri. Hasan Mushrif & Shri Satej Patil ( Ministers, Govt. of Maharashtra). |
On 12th March, the lead lectures were given by
Prof. Uma Mesthrie–Dhupelia — Gandhi Ashrams
Prof. Usha Thakkar — Hind Swaraj and
A special lecture by Hon. Shri. Prithviraj Chavan,Chief Minister, Maharashtra.
The chief guest for the Valedictory function was Shri. Thushar Gandhi.
3)Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, (A Central University), New Delhi, organised an international seminar on “Re-thinking Gandhi: A communication perspective” on March 22nd -23rd 2011, in collaboration with National Council of Rural Institutes, Hyderabad.
The seminar highlighted the communication skills and strategies used by Gandhi to encode messages to reach to his people to counter colonial administration and the government. It is a symbolic demonstration of how Gandhiji used code language to send his messages to the people.
Six sessions were held during the seminar during which 25 scholars presented their papers.Prof. Biswajit Das, Director, Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, JMI, introduced the topic of the seminar and welcomed the eminent speakers and the other participants present at the seminar.
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Shri. Sadan Jha, CSS, Surat , Shri.Oliver Arifon,
Shri. Madhukar Upadhyay, MCRC,JMI, and
Shri. Keval Kumar,Pune University. |
Participants in the International Seminar at Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi |
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Contact :
Project Officer Project Assistant
Landline : 040-23422120 Landline : 040-23422120
E-mail : potw@ncri.in E-mail : thewheel@ncri.in
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