Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, will give a free talk titled “Gandhian legacy and challenges ahead in the 21st century: personal perspectives” at 7 p.m., Oct. 14 in the North Gym. The talk is part of a series of events in commemoration of the 150th birthday of Gandhi’s birth. Parking is $5 in lots P20 or P27.
Ela Gandhi was born and raised in Durban, South Africa. She is a peace activist and social worker. As a social worker, she practiced in the field of child welfare for more than ten years and also worked in the education information field for several years. She is involved in numerous Gandhian constructive social work projects, including domestic violence programs in South Africa. She is a trustee and chairperson of the Gandhi Development Trust and Phoenix Settlement in Durban, South Africa. She is an International honorary president of the World Council of Religions for Peace.
Ela is a former member of the parliament of South Africa, where she served from 1994 to 2004. During the apartheid era, she was banned from political activism in 1975 and was subjected to house arrest for a total of nine years.
As a member of the United Democratic Front Committee, she met with Nelson Mandela before his release from Pollsmoor Prison on February 11, 1990.
Ela served as the chancellor of the Durban University of Technology for several years and is the recipient of several national and international awards including “Padam Bhushan Award” from the Government of India and “Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award,” the highest honor for overseas Indians conferred by the President of India. She is the editor of the newspaper “Satyagraha.”
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 