"A, Gandhi Gathering" Shriners
scheduled for May Day confer
bv Chariot Goodmacher
Gandhi, the major motion picture
produced and directed by Richard
Attenborough, was awarded eight
Academy Awards A p ril I I . The
movie has also touched millions
with a glimpse at the life and philos
ophy o f G an d h i, the man who
showed that active non-violence is a
fact, not just a theory. Viewers
everywhere are beginning to ask
how non-violence can affect their
own lives.
Professor and Gandhian scholar
David N ew hall o f Portland State
U niversity notes the Gandhi film
has significantly “ broadened (he
base of discussion” about alterna
tives to the use o f force in both our
personal and collective lives. C u r
iosity about the life of Gandhi and
the principles he practiced is at a
new high according to Newhall, who
will present a seven-part documen
tary entitled M ahatm a at 4 p .m .,
Sunday, May I. A J3 donation to
benefit the Fellowship of Reconcili
ation will be asked at the showing at
Koinonia House, 633 S.W . M ont
gomery.
Produced by the Gandhi National
Memorial Fund and the Films Divi
sion o f the Indian government,
Mahatma provides a wider perspec
tive on Gandhi than was possible in
the shorter Attenborough film. M a
hatma contains many film clips o f
Gandhi and his followers and a de
tailed narrative. A ttenborough,
whose film script was reviewed for
authenticity by the Gandhi National
Memorial Fund, the Gandhi Peace
Foundation, and others, used M a
hatma as one of his prime sources of
information, Newhall said.
That the Academy A w ard
winning Gandhi has triggered a con
siderable amount of discussion is re
flected in increased demand for
showings of Mahatma Dr. Newhall
has shown parts of the film at num
erous churches and schools,
including Lincoln and Wilson High
Schools. A trip to the Oregon Coast
is also scheduled.
According to Newhall, much Of
the impact of Gandhi is being felt by
those who have long recognized the
need to act for peace yet have been
passive. Gandhi’s tactic o f non-vio
lence was anything but passive, ac
cording to N ew h all. For Gandhi,
non-violence meant an active ener
getic campaign in which the rebel
seizes the initiative. Gandhi himself
always managed to keep the imperi
alist British guessing about what he
would do next.
Gandhi’s guiding principles of ac
tive non-violence and truth com
bined to form the concept of ” Sat-
yagraha” ot truthforce. By seizing
the initiative using nonviolent tac
tics to force change, the rebel seeks
to show his/her righteousness in
contrast to the actions o f the op
pressor.
How does Gandhian non-violence
relate to situations such as El Salva
dor, where the oppressor is much
harsher than the British were in In
dia? Gandhi, according to Newhall,
never kidded himself or others that
non-violence is without a cost. The
im portant point is always to seek
to do more through peaceful means
and to realize that in any revolution,
violent or not, people are going to
get hurt. Achieving non-violence is
an incremental process for indivi
duals and nations alik e , Newhall
pointed out.
For Gandhian non-violence to
succeed, it is vitally important that
an aggressive action campaign begin
as soon as an injustice is known,
Newhall noted. By doing so the
forces of justice define the terms on
which the rest of the struggle is to be
played out. Utilizing dramatic acts
to arouse the attention of third par
ties is also vitally important, as Gan
dhi demonstrated by rallying world
opinion (even that o f the British
working class) to his cause, the pro
fessor said.
Empowering people at the grass
roots was a major concern o f Gan
dhi, who is shown in Mahatma tell
ing villagers: “ I am not a helpless
creature. Neither are you.”
According to Newhall, that the
Indian people liberated themselves
from their oppressors through an
energetic, non-violent campaign is
now inspiring people in the U.S. and
Europe to undertake similar cam
paigns to rid the world o f the threat
of nuclear weapons.
Shriners of Mina Temple *68 and
auxiliary, the Daughters o f Isis o f
M ina C ourt *142, held a one day
joint conference. The conference
was under the direction o f the
Shrine Deputy o f the State of Ore
gon, Thomas R. Vickers, assisted by
the Isis Deputy o f the State, Doro
thy E. Vickers.
MAHATMA GANDHI
The Tem ple and C ourt were
greeted by the Most W orshipful
Grand Master o f Prince H a ll M a
sons Thomas J. Brown and by the
Grand W o rth y M a tro n o f Prince
Hall Grand Chapter Helen E. Riley.
James W. Calvin, Illustrious Poten
tate o f M ina Temple and Frances
Mina Tampla »SB and Mina Court »142
Odom, Illustrious Commandress of
Mina C ourt, presented their agen
das for the year.
Members attending the confer
ence participated in workshops,
training programs and instructional
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