Mahatma Gandhi Community Forum

Is this site being hijacked?

For quite some time, I am getting a strange feeling that this site is being hijacked by some people who do not have serious interest in Gandhi and his thoughts and actions. There can be difference about his thoughts which is quite understandable. but,when you come across some thoughts you realize that the writer has different motives in entering this site. I have seen the fate of the disscussion forum launched by another Gandhi-website. It was full of ads...viagra and what not. The whole discussion forum was sabotaged and I suppose the dedicated people who owned the site had to close it down. I wish the website I indicate here will respond to this comment of mine since, as far as I guess it is also a member of this forum. I write this because there are some efforts to obtain email addresses., some efforts to malign Gandhi too.Outrageous and motivated.
Gandhi loved peace but his concept of peace was not spiritual. but we find such posts where Gandhi is not even once referred to and find God and his blessings aplenty! For Gandhi even God was different from what He is generally thought to be. For Gandhi Truth was God (not other way around).
I think the time has come for Administrators to display messages only after proper screening. We can wait for our comments to appear 24-48 hours late,- no harm in it if we want to retain the purity and clarity of this dear site. I hope all of you will respond to my views. Even if you disagree and would like to lambast me, I will treat it as an honour.

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Permalink Reply by Dipak Dholakia on November 5, 2009 at 4:55am

Dear Polly,
thak you very much for your response. I agree with you that it is best to ignore junk postings and usually I do that. But how long? If we allow rot to set in, and do not make it an issue, this site too will suffer the fate of the one I have referred to in my post. Let us be clear that not to speak out will tentamount to tolerate it.
I welcome your disagreement with me about "Truth is God". First thing, I think, and wanted to convey through this post, that Gandhi had a different approach on almost all matters, including God. You know, he never went to temples or offered prayers to idols. Why?What was his approach to religion? We do not properly understand Gandhi as rightly pointed out by Mike Maybury in response to this post. so we, well-meaning of course, interprete him in our own way.
Anyway, I enjoy debate and am not at all upset. But if I start debate on such subjects in this thread, we will lose focus on the main issue I have raised about hijack efforts. Let us speak up against such elements. I fully agree about the best intentions of the administrators of this site. But if somebody misuses it and we keep quiet, we make it difficult for administrators to manage this site.Thank you again.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Maybury on November 4, 2009 at 10:33pm

I'll be first!
I came across Gandhi's ideas when I was sixteen, as part of mixing with pacifists in the United Kingdom.
A keen couple shared their ideas on The Orchard Lea papers at weekly meetings to which I was invited. The Orchard Lea papers were based on Gandhi's social and political ideas, particularly about village development. At 74 I now remember little of these discussions. So many ideas from hundreds of writers and other people have penetrated my mind, been scrutinised , discarded or put into some sort of order.
I have believed in nonviolence all my adult life. That is why I was attracted to the site. That is why I want to promote Peace Gardens Worldwide. For two long I have noticed that 'peace' activists in the United Kingdom, and perhaps other countries, form only a very small part of the population. The dedication necessary usually stems from religious, or strongly held moral views, and Gandhi, although respected, is not necessarily studied in any depth.
On the other hand many school pupils learn about Gandhi and Martin Luther King and their campaigns, yet few adults show much interest, and few become active in the promotion of peace or nonviolent change. Fewer stilll actively take part in 'peacemaking' campaigns to reduce tension in conflict situations.
Through Peace Gardens I hope to keep Gandhian and other non-violent ideas in the public domain, in countries round the world. Keen people will attend exhibitios and meetings relating to Gandhi etc.but I think that people need to be reminded more frequently of alternatives to violence.
Many of Gandhi's ideas were never learnt by people. This is why this site is valuable, I think. Because we have not learnt enough about Gandhi, we , perhaps, make assumptions. The great thing about this site is that there is a lot to learn.
For example we have different views of Gandhi. I do not wish to worship him, but the preservation of various historical places is probably worthwhile.Unless we can carry out some of his ideas in our present life, I do not think that studying his campaigns is of very much value.

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Permalink Reply by Dipak Dholakia on November 5, 2009 at 5:18am

Dear Mike,
Thank you very much. You are making great contribution through your peace gardens movement. only to keep Gandhian viewpoint in public domain. One of the members of this site Pravin Patel too is doing something like that in his own way in Ahmedabad (Gujarat India).
You have rightly pointed out that we have not understood Gandhi the way he should have been. I would have liked you to comment on the main issue of my post i.e. efforts to hijack this site and how we can save, as you say, 'this valuable site'. I was alarmed at the speed with which certain elements with ulterior motives, are trying to use this site.

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Permalink Reply by GandhiServe Foundation on November 10, 2009 at 7:11am

Thank you, Dipak, for your contribution which I much appreciate. Due to travels I've not been able to monitor new messages and members properly for the past 2 weeks.

I would encourage you and other members to use the "Report an Issue" link - which appears on the bottom of each page - to inform me about any inappropriate or unethical contribution on GandhiTopia. Of course, you can also send me an email (mail@gandhitopia.org) or the internal contact features.

Thank you for your help to keep GandhiTopia free from spam and misuse!

Regards, Peter
Admin, GandhiTopia

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Permalink Reply by Dipak Dholakia on November 10, 2009 at 12:29pm

Thank you, Peter,
I hope you enjoy your stay in India.
I started this discussion because I felt the sanctity of the site must be preserved. Some times it happens that if you talk of freedom of speech, your adversary throws that argument on your face and claims freedom of speech. Not long ago, a stage play in Marathi language 'Mee Godse Bolto (I am Godse speaking). creted a great debate in India. Those who inspired this play argued that people have a right to know the other side of the story... and, according to them, even Mahatma Gandhi would not have blocked Godse from expressing his views. Now, you do not love Mahatma Gandhi, you want to distort his memory and want to establish an anti-thesis... and yet quote Mahatma Gandhi only to advance your mischievious views and claim democratic right! Here, I do not mean to say that only those who completely agree with Gandhian views, must be allowed to join this forum. Gandhi, for me, still lives and is open to fair criticism and reasonble assessment. But malicious intentions? Plain, simple and curt NO. There is nothing wrong in it especially, now when internet gives unlimited opportunity to launch a rabidly anti-Gandhi site.Or maybe a spam-site.
Well-meaning people do not find any answers to any 'apparently logical' argument and do not assert. So, whatever steps you take to protect the sanctity of this site, you can count upon members' support.