




Since 1996 Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday has been annually celebrated in a joyful manner with concerts of classical music and/or dance in Bangalore. From 1999 onwards such concerts have also been held in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar, New Delhi & Jammu. Since 2001, the Confederation of Indian Industry & Godrej Industries have cosponsored all these concerts as their respectful tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Many educational instiutions, banks, industrial and commercial firms have also been supporting these concerts with ads. In the souvenir brochures.
Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom day has been observed in a solemn manner with programmes of inter denominational prayers, concerts of Gandhiji’s favourite Bhajans and Christian hymns and or peace marches at each of the above mentioned places.
Simple and impactful quotations of Mahatma Gandhi have / are being diffused nationally and internationally, by making / selling pens, posters, greeting cards and T-shirts. Besides, essay contests, debates, seminars, music concerts, radio talks are also used to propagate Gandhian ideals.
October 1996, SIT Trustee Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai set up a Centre for the promotion of Non-Violence through the Arts, at the Darpana Academy for the Performing Arts, Ahmedabad, which since then has been actively promoting Non-Violence through music, dance and theatrical presentations.
After the devastating Gujarat earthquake of January 2001, the Gujarat Chapter launched a programme for the rehabilitation of the artisans of Kutch who were victims of this earthquake. They also provided relief and rehabilitation to the victims of the February /March 2002 communal carnage in Gujarat.
During the 2001 – 2005 period SIT in collaboration with its Karnataka Chapter organized ‘Teachers Training Workshops for the Promotion of Ethical Leadership’ among the youth in various schools of Bangalore. Over a thousand teachers participated in these workshops.
Since 2001 the Karnataka Chapter has collaborated with a local NGO in constructing multi-purpose community centres in multi-community Bangalore slums The first of these community centres was opened by the Mayor of Bangalore in March 2002. Since then two more such Centres have been built.
SIT’s international activity is focused on networking with Gandhian organisations abroad and collaborating with them in establishing an international movement based on Gandhian ideals. SIT’s website has links to a number of these organizations. In 2000 and 2001 SIT Managing Trustee was invited to participate in its Executive Seminars as a special invitee. In 2005, 2007, 2009, April 2012 and May 2013, Indian Council for Cultural Relations sponsored lecture tours by the SIT Managing Trustee to the Phillipines, Indonesia, the Caribbean countries, Mexico and Brazil, and China. The texts of some of the lectures he delivered on these tours are carried in the Lectures on Gandhi’ section of this website.