GANDHI & AYURVEDA IN THE WEST-- 3

When my first trip to the West ended in USA, my friends who conducted my tour in 1984 told me that they have some money saved after spending on my travel and other costs. They wished that this money may be spend on my next visit as friends in the US liked the visit and my presentations on Gandhi and Ayurveda. These friends wanted me to come once again. This US trip was conducted under the leadership of Ben Sasway, the first US war resister after the Vietnam War. Hence this chain of my visits started and continued till today, this year 2010, it is my 68^th visit.

In 1985 three new major events took place. First was a Conference on Gandhi in West Berlin and other was formation of Gandhi Foundation, UK, which was started by friends of Mahatma Gandhi, under the leadership of Lord Attenborough, who directed the world famous move on Gandhi. While I was in Berlin, I came to know of the infamous Berlin Wall, which divided the German in to two parts by this Wall, against the wish of the German people, after the 2^nd World War in 1945.

It was here in West Berlin in 1985, that I did a symbolic Satyagraha by silently sitting and fasting for a day against this Wall because it was built against the will of the German people. The interesting thing was that the people who came to know of my fast simply laugh at me saying it was a wishful thinking that the Wall will go. But I was sure in my heart that this Wall will go because people in their hearts of heart, did not want this wall.

The detailed story about this event has been published in my 2^nd book “Living Non-violence” in 1986.

When I was silently sitting on my symbolic Satyagraha by the Wall at infamous Check- Point- Charles, a lady journalist from a daily German News Paper came and she started asking me that, you are sitting here fasting against this Wall, do you think that it was a news? And second question she asked was: weather this Wall will go by my symbolic Satyagraha? As I was on silent fast, the first question I replied in writing was “Madam I am not sitting here for breaking this Wall. I am simply sitting here to express unity with the people who do not want this Wall. Reply to second question was, “I have firm faith that this Wall will go, may not be in my life time; it will go, because people in their hearts of heart do not want this wall. Non-violent Satyagraha is nothing but people’s voluntary wish to suffer for a selfless-cause for the good of all.”

It was to my surprise that after four years, in 1989, this wall was demolished and not only German people, but people all over the world celebrated this historic event for days together. It was not simple New. It hited the headlines of the Newspapers all over the World for days together. When I was sitting on silent- fast by the side of this Wall, I wrote a poem in my mother tongue Hindi. The heading goes like this in English, “People World over unite in hearts, Break all the Walls that divide humanity.” Toro yeh Diwaren, Joro Dil ki Taren.”

The second event is the Gandhi Summer School, that was initiated by Gandhi Foundation, UK, and the credit goes to my very dear friend late Surur Hoda the first Secretary Gernal of Gandhi Foundation. It was Surur Hoda who invited me to the First Summer School in 1985, as a resource person. This year 2010, is the Silver Jubilee year of this historic event for Gandhi Foundation UK.

The third interested thing that had happened during 1985 was in Pittsburgh, USA. I was visiting my Ayurvedic patients and prescribed them some Ayurvedic herbal prescriptions. I was astonished to know that not only these herbal medicines were not available but, it was illegal to bring these medicines in to the US. But the things gradually changed and now in every big city of the US one can find one or more stores selling these herbal medicines. I myself have been invited twice by two groups of MD doctors from California, USA, to conduct 10 days’ Special Courses on Ayurvedic Panchkarma.