Cupertino Celebrates Gandhi

Dozens of people packed into the Cupertino Community Hall Sunday afternoon to celebrate the birth date of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and the area’s eighth annual Gandhi Day.

The event, organized by several local community leaders, was a consortium of poetry reading, open discussion and cultural music and dance performed by community members to the theme of Gandhi’s legacy of peace and nonviolence.

According to organizer Mahesh Nihalani, the event was also supported by the Cupertino Library Foundation and the Rotary Club of Cupertino. The celebratory function hosted a forum during which people can come together to promote the teachings of the political and ideological leader of India who succeeded in the Indian independence movement.

A pioneer of satyagraha, or resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience—a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence—Gandhi led India to freedom and inspired movements for civil rights and liberty around the globe.

“This event brings the entire community together to exchange the ideas of nonviolence and peace through art,” Nihalani said. “There’s a lot of excitement with children and families. It’s a fun thing.”

Several adult members came forward to perform spoken word poetry in English and in Indian language, while different Indian dance and music schools presented traditional song and dance on the community center stage.

There was a table display of art from local children as well as a kids' art area where youngsters could draw and color new creations from scratch.

Several pieces of art were raffled off as prizes.

Though Gandhi was of Indian descent, Nihalani said the event's purpose was to be inclusive welcoming the entire local community to participate in the celebration.

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly declared Oct. 2, Gandhi’s birthday, as the International Day of Nonviolence, which was also recognized locally by the Cupertino mayor and City Council last year.

Dozens of high-school and middle-school students volunteer during the event, according to Nihalani, adding that one of the main purposes of the function was to get the youth involved.

“We wanted to promote community service and volunteering,” Nihalani said. “They [the youth] are the ones who will take the lead.”