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. Details of these concerts are contained in SIT’s annual newsletters, which have been published since 2010. These are carried in the newsletters section of this website. News reports of some of these concerts are carried in the lower part of this page.
Since 2001, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & Godrej Industries have cosponsored all these concerts as their respectful tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Many educational instiutions, banks & industrial firms have also been supporting these concerts with ads. In the souvenir brochures.
Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom day has been observed in a sedate 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.
In October 1996, SIT Trustee Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai set up a Centre for the promotion of Non-Violence through the Arts, at her Darpana Academy for the Performing Arts, Ahmedabad, which since then has been actively promoting Non-Violence through music, dance and theatrical presentations.
Simple and impactful quotations of Mahatma Gandhi have been diffused nationally and internationally with book mark calendars, greeting cards and T-shirts.
Essay & art contests, debates, lectures, seminars have also been used to propagate Gandhian ideals.
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.
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.
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.
As preservation of Gandhi’s memorabilia is one of the objectives of the Trust financial grants have been made from time to time to Sevagram Ashram Prathisthan, the Aga Khan Palace Gandhi Memorial Museum at Pune and Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Bangalore.
Financial assistance has /is being provided to Gandhian and like minded organizations, in various parts of India which are doing laudable work in promoting Gandhian ideals, inter religious understanding, communal harmony and humanitarian service as in the list here under, hereunder:
- Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi
- Gandhi Peace Foundation(Karnataka), Bangalore
- Sewagram Gandhi Ashram, Wardha
- Sarva Seva Sangh, Wardha
- Institute of Gandhian Studies, Benares
- Karnataka Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Bangalore
- Inter Religious Harmony Movement, Bangalore
- CREST, (Centre for Research, Education & Training), Bangalore
- Bosco Oniyavara Seva Coota, Home for Destitute Boys, Bangalore
- Asha Deep, Home for Destitute Girls, Bangalore
- Swami Vivekananda Tribal Centre,Kenchanahalli, Mysore
- Sumangali Seva Ashram, Cholanayakahalli, Karnataka
- Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal
- Mohalla Committee Movement Trust, Mumbai
- Public Concern for Governance Trust, Mumbai
- Nayi Azadi Andolan, Mumbai
- Sabr Majlis –e- khawateen, Hyderabad
- Maharogi Seva Samiti, Warora
- Shanti Ashram, Kovaipudur, Coimbatore
- Kalahandi Vikas Parishad, Sunbaheli,Agren, Naupada Dt.Orissa
- Missionaries of Charity, Bhubaneshwar
- Acharya Harihar Educational Trust, Bhubaneshwar
- Rashtriya Yuva Sangathan, Bhubaneshwar
- Ahmedabad Muslim Womens’ Association
- Kutch Artisans Relief Fund, Ahmedabad
- Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangatan, Village Devdoongri, Dt. Rajasmand
- Gram Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), Jodhpur
- Gandhi Shodh Sansthan, Gaunaha, Champaran Dt. Bihar
- Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narainpur, Bastar Dt. Chattisgarh State.
- Notre Dame Girls High School, Musgutri, Chattisgrah.
- Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal, Laksmi Ashram, Kumaun
- Aarohi, Hill People’s Education and Health Centre,Satoli, Nainital Dt
- Loyola College, William Nagar, East Garo Hills, Meghalaya,
- Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narainpur, Bastar Dt. Chattisgarh State.
- Notre Dame Girls High School, Musgutri, Chattisgrah.
- Rahat Ghar, Srinagar, J & K State
- Gandhi Ashram, Candi Dasa, Bali, Indonesia
- National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bangalore (donation of Books)
- Kenya National Library, Nairobi (donation of books)
- Aspen Institute, Aspen, Colorado, USA(donation of books)
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 Ambassador (Retd) Alan Nazareth was invited to participate in Aspen Institute’s 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.
SIT Managing Trustee delivered the keynote addresses at the 2012 & 2017 International Day of Non Violence events at the UN in New York and Geneva.
A book titled ‘Gandhi’s Outstanding Leadership'(GOL) authored by its Managing Trustee and published by SIT in 2006 has come out already in 12 Indian and 23 foreign languages The Foreword to 12 of its European language editions has been written by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Details of these editions and photos of their releases at various prestigious institutions are carried in the ‘Gandhi’s Outstanding Leadership’ chapter of this website.
