By IANS
New Delhi : An international Satyagraha conference being inaugurated by Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama Tuesday at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has received “cold treatment” from the government while the Rashtrapati Bhavan has not sent any message of good wishes, an organiser said.
“We had requested the Rashtrapati Bhawan for a message from President Pratibha Patil but nothing has come our way so far. I wrote to them, telephoned them more than six times but all in vain,” Anand Kumar, professor of sociology at JNU, said Monday.
“The office said the president is busy with a Swedish delegation and hence she could not sign a letter of good wishes. I replied saying that the ‘president’s office will display its efficiency and openness as always’.
“The programme is on Tuesday but we are yet to receive anything. We are coming up with a souvenir and were expecting a message as it is on the satyagraha as advocated by Gandhi-ji,” Kumar told IANS.
Last week, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar had issued “an advisory” to ministers to skip a function in the capital commemorating the Dalai Lama on his getting a US honour. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit too did not attend the function. The government advisory was believed to have been issued so as not to annoy China.
The week-long Satyagraha Centenary International Conference will have participants from 17 countries including Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. JNU and Gandhi Peace Foundation are the its main organisers.
Ila Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, will fly to India from South Africa for the conference.
The conference, which begins with a lecture on the Dalai Lama, has the theme ‘Globalisation of the Gandhian Way: Sociology, Politics and Science of Satyagraha between 1906-2006’.
On Nov 17, the conference will move to Champaran in Bihar, a place associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s satyagraha movement.
According to an organiser, the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has given them only Rs.500,000 as against their demand of Rs.1.5 million.
“Half of my delegates are not coming as our budget is small. Due to this, we are keeping our guests at the JNU guesthouse and ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) guesthouse,” said another organiser.
“A delegate from Sri Lanka is spending his own money to attend the conference. Some delegates from South Africa have cancelled their trip due to the fund crunch. We are bringing Gandhians from across the country in Second Class sleeper train berths and Third AC seats for a few senior citizens.
“I think the government advisory is coming in the way of our getting support. Here politicians speak only about Satyagraha, but never help in practising it,” said the organiser on condition of anonymity.