After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation via radio: “Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more.”
As Nehruji mentioned, there was darkness in every person’s heart, not only in India but throughout the world. For Gandhiji was not just an embodiment of love and an apostle of peace, nor merely a fighter for the rights of the most oppressed people. He was a man who had rewritten the history of winning a war without violence.
His faith in uncompromising non-violent alternatives for peaceful co-existence was a divine and clear message for every depressed and stressful heart. This message was destined to become more and more relevant as time passed.
Recognizing this, the great stalwarts who stood shoulder to shoulder with him in the freedom movement decided that Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts and actions should be conveyed to future generations and made accessible to the youth seeking peace and harmony.
Thus, the Gandhi Peace Foundation was established in India, with its headquarters in New Delhi and hundreds of branches throughout the country. One such branch is the very active Chennai-based GPF.
