The year 2015 saw the unveiling of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square and 2017 is being celebrated in Britain as the India-UK year of culture to mark 70 years of Indian Independence. These events provide an ideal opportunity to uphold and renew Gandhi’s ideals for the advancement of wellbeing for those in need, and for the promotion of nonviolence, tolerance and justice.
With these aims in mind, on Friday April 28, 2017, we held an international conference at University College London entitled – Mahatma Gandhi in the 21st Century: Gandhian Themes and Values.
The purpose of the conference was to raise awareness of Gandhian ideals, to encourage people in India, the UK and elsewhere to think about Gandhian issues and values, and to encourage innovation in producing solutions to problems such as poor healthcare, education access and violence in society. Topics that were covered included Gandhian perspectives on nonviolence, justice, education, and health, as well as a focus on village India and how innovations can help the poor and needy so as to help reduce inequalities in society.
In parallel with the conference, we held a major exhibition of Gandhi-related items. This included –
• Frugal innovation devices in healthcare, such as the Jaipur Foot.
• A set of 100 unique photographs provided by GandhiServe in Germany.
• Interactive displays where delegates explored issues related to – altruism, moral judgment, and global citizenship.
• A virtual reality app built specifically around Gandhi.

We also had a display of 75 books written about Gandhi.

In true Gandhian tradition, attendance at the event was totally free so as to encourage as many people as possible to attend the event.

There were major costs in bringing over international speakers, Gandhi fellows, hotel costs, conference hire and catering, totalling around £30,000.

Surplus proceeds from the crowdfunding appeal will go to the Manchester bomb victims appeal