EUGENE–The grandson of legendary peace activist and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi will speak on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the University of Oregon.

Arun Gandhi will discuss "Waging Peace in the New Millennium" at 8 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave. His free public lecture is part of "Festival of the Millennium: Waging Peace through the Arts," a two-week celebration of contemporary music from the 20th century and beyond.

Gandhi also will lead a workshop on "Waging Peace through the Practice of Non-Violence" at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, in Beall Hall. Admission is $3, and tickets may be purchased in advance at the Erb Memorial Union Ticket Office or at the door. Attendance is limited to 300 participants.

In 1991, Arun Gandhi and his wife, Sunanda, founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, headquartered at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. The institute’s mission is to foster understanding of nonviolence and to put that philosophy to practical use through workshops, lectures and community outreach programs.

The younger Gandhi wasn’t always a pacifist. As a young boy growing up in apartheid South Africa, he often was beaten by black youths because he was not black and by white youths because he was not white. He responded by subscribing to the Charles Atlas body-building magazine so he could become strong enough to fight back.

When his parents discovered the reason for his sudden fascination with exercise, they sent him to visit his grandfather in India. The younger Gandhi says the 18-month stay with one of the world’s great leaders led to his conversion to the powerful philosophy of nonviolence and helped shape the foundation for his life’s work.

The Carlton Raymond and Wilberta Ripley Savage Endowment in International Relations and Peace is primary sponsor of Gandhi’s speech and workshop. The Savage endowment is financed by a bequest from the estate of Carleton Raymond Savage, a 1920 UO alumnus and Salem native, and his wife Wilberta Ripley Savage. The endowment was established in 1988 and is matched by state funds.

For more information, call Lori O’Hollaren, research coordinator for the UO Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, (541) 346-1521.

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