Struggles for Peace and Justice

Book excerpt: This work by Karl-Julius Reubke embodies labours of experience and reflection spanning almost 20 years. It is rich with many kinds of detail but above all Reubke’s work accomplishes something the late German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer called a Horizontverschmelzung, a merging of horizons in service of an act of understanding. Reubke, a German himself, a former chemist, a follower of Rudolph Steiner, a self-taught Sanskrit scholar and translator of ancient texts, sympathetically merges those horizons with an equally complex set of horizons arising from India: the post-colonial search for a coherent tradition in one of the oldest civilizations, the emergence of early modern spiritual and nationalist thinking, the complex challenges posed by Gandhi’s ethico-spiritual vision, and then finally, from the contemporary India driven and riven by the forces of globalization, the horizon of a civil/social movement inspired by Gandhi and Vinobha, namely Ekta Parishad. Reubke describes this movement, inspired and led by PV Rajagopal from the inside with a personal touch and a uncannily reflective eye. All of this is an accomplishment of some note and worthy of our attention especially as we now turn to confront how we as people of the planet will face the ecological disaster our way of living has created. This too is a task of “comprehension” which Hannah Arendt described as the work of “the unpremeditated facing up to, and resisting of, reality—whatever it may be.” - Paul Schwartzentruber, Independent Scholar and Activist, Halifax, Canada If you wish to know what Satyagraha is all about, read this candid, reflective account of the struggle for freedom and justice Gandhi and his contemporaries waged during the twentieth century and P V Rajagopal and Ekta Parishad have been engaged in during the 21st. Extremely timely and morally challenging. - Manoranjan Mohanty, Former Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India This book is invaluable in challenging us to develop nonviolent mass movements addressing the needs of those who are oppressed and suffering the most, the impoverished, the exploited, those thrown off their lands, adivasis, women, and why such movements are necessary for greater peace and justice. - Douglas Allen, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Maine, USA This brilliant book, the first major scholarly study of Ekta Parishad, demonstrates how rights-based mass mobilisations in contemporary India adapt Gandhian ideas in their struggle for justice and in negotiating state politics and policies, with grit and compassion. - Arnab Roy Chowdhury, Assistant Professor, Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow, Russian Federation This impressive volume addresses the topic, which is possibly the most important of our time: global solidarity. And it does so from the perspective of the global South, drawing especially on Gandhi and Ekta Parishad. The result is a very unique combination of scholarship and vision for the future that is a must-read for all students of India and Indian thought but also for those looking for inspiration in the times of global crisis and the return of nationalisms and fascisms. - Boike Rehbein, Professor, Humbolt University, Berlin, Germany In a world in deep need of global solidarity as we enter an era challenged with the Covid-19 pandemic, global economic devastation, the continuing epidemic of racism, and with an existential climate crisis, Ekta Parishad shines a bright new light for humanity and our human challenges. This book and this organization confront these challenges boldly and head-on. Jai Jagat!! - David Blake Willis, Professor, Fielding Graduate University, USA