Arun Gandhi
Arun Gandhi was an Indian-American writer, journalist, political activist, philosopher, and children's writer who produced work in the English language.
Born on April 14, 1934, in Durban, Gandhi held citizenship across three distinct political entities during his lifetime: British Raj, India, and the United States. This span of national affiliations reflects a life connected to multiple political contexts across different eras. His birth in Durban placed him outside the Indian subcontinent, yet he carried Indian citizenship alongside his later American citizenship throughout his life.
Gandhi worked across several overlapping vocations, contributing as a journalist, writer, and political activist over the course of his career. His work extended into philosophy and politics, and he also produced writing directed at younger readers, establishing him as a children's writer in addition to his other roles. He operated in English throughout his professional life. Gandhi died on May 2, 2023, in Kolhapur. His dual citizenship in India and the United States, combined with his range of vocations — from journalism and political activism to philosophy and children's literature — defined the broad scope of his public output. His role as a political activist ran as a consistent thread through his identity as both a writer and a public figure, while his work as a children's writer marked a distinct dimension of his output alongside his engagement with journalism and philosophy.
Quotes by Arun Gandhi
A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech- he will measure every word.
This world is what we have made of it. If it is ruthless today it is because we have made it ruthless by our attitudes. If we change ourselves we can change the world, and changing ourselves begins with changing our language and methods of communication.
Use your anger for good. Anger to people is like gas to the automobile – it fuels you to move forward and get to a better place. Without it, we would not be motivated to rise to a challenge. It is an energy that compels us to define what is just and unjust.
Respect and humility go together. Humility is not meekness, but the opposite of arrogance. A wise old Indian man once said, “Empty drums make the loudest noise.” Grandfather often repeated this phrase to indicate that those with the least understanding are the most arrogant.
Your mind should be like a room with many open windows,” Bapuji told me. “Let the breeze flow in from all, but refuse to be blown away by any one.
The trouble between Hindus and Muslims, which has continued to this day, is not generated by the people's inability to get along, but by those in positions of power and influence who seek to exploit religious differences for personal gain.
The basis of Gandhi's nonviolence is to appeal to the good in others and evoke sympathy to one's cause through self-suffering.
Nonviolence is not just a state of being where violence is absent or invisible. It is a conscious, active effort not to harm anyone morally, spiritually, physically, mentally, economically, socially, or in any other way.
Religions are different roads converging upon the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads so long as we reach the same goal?
Respect and humility go together. Humility is not meekness, but the opposite of arrogance. A wise old Indian man once said, "Empty drums make the loudest noise." Grandfather often repeated this phrase to indicate that those with the least understanding are the most arrogant.