FORT WORTH -- If he were alive today, Mahatma Gandhi would use Facebook and Twitter.
So said his grandson, Arun Gandhi, during a visit to Texas Wesleyan University on Tuesday. The 76-year-old peace activist said his grandfather, known for launching nonviolent protests that led to India's independence, would use any form of media available to rally the masses to his cause.
Arun Gandhi, who co-founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Rochester, N.Y., was at the school to present the keynote address for University College Day -- an annual event that allows students to present scholarly work. This year, students and scholars touched on about 200 topics, including Pearl Harbor, suffrage in the American West and 1920s America.
In a morning ceremony, Arun Gandhi was presented with the key to the city by Fort Worth Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks. Hicks reminded students and faculty and community members that peace is a work in progress.
"It's so terribly important to continue to push for peace," she said.
Here are excerpts from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's interview with Arun Gandhi.
Has civil disobedience surfaced in the recent waves of protests in the Middle East and North Africa?
"It's very heartening to know that people all over are seeking democracy and freedom. I would not call it civil disobedience because I don't think there is any disobedience in seeking justice."
To read the complete article, visit www.star-telegram.com.