By Mandar Apte and Suzanne Reardon
During October 2018, Mandar Apte, S-CAR visiting scholar, and Suzanne Reardon, S-CAR master’s student, accompanied a delegation of senior police officials and peace activists from across the United States to a unique summit on nonviolence in India hosted by the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).
The Summit on Countering Violence & Extremism was scheduled to correspond with Mahatma Gandhi’s 149th birthday and was organized by Apte with the intent of exposing delegates to the ancient Indian philosophy of ahimsa (or nonviolence). The Summit kick-started the 150th birth year celebration of Mahatma Gandhi and was intended to inspire delegates to continue his legacy and promote Gandhian values of nonviolence in communities and neighborhoods across the world.
The rise of violence and extremism is one of the biggest challenges facing global society. Acts of violence can happen anywhere, anytime, and include domestic abuse, bullying in schools, communal riots, war, mass shootings, and global terrorism. Violence stems from the inability to transcend differences of gender, sexual preference, race, ideology, ethnicity, and nationality. Despite huge investments in violence reduction programs, law enforcement, and military spending, violence continues to plague our world.
In the United States, the recent spate of mass shootings in high schools, high suicide rates, and a growing tension between police and communities of color demonstrate the need for police executives and peace activists to bring new tools, wisdom, and inspiration to overcome these challenges.
Apte was motivated to be a part of the solution and strongly believes there is an urgent need to reinvigorate the practice of ahimsa in the world. Apte was familiar with the ancient philosophy of ahimsa due to his upbringing in India, and he believes the study of ahimsa can enable peacemakers and conflict resolution scholars to become more effective and efficient in building bridges of compassion. This was the motivation behind organizing the trip and hosting the delegation of senior police officers and peace activists to India.
During the trip, delegates were introduced to a curriculum of ahimsa based on the ancient practices of meditation and yoga. Delegates were inspired to bring these practices into their policing and peacebuilding activities in their own cities. “Yoga and meditation provide us with a healthy approach for managing our negative emotions so we can respond to situations [rather] than resorting to violence,” said Apte.
There was much interest among police executives to learn and apply these techniques for self-regulation and to improve office health and well-being, as well as to improve their use of force and community policing tactics. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the National Police Foundation and the International Association for Human Values to this effect.
Another highlight of the Summit was an intimate conversation that the delegates had with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar—an Indian humanitarian leader and peacemaker who is thought by many to be the Gandhi of today’s India—who recently played an instrumental role in brokering peace with the FARC guerillas in Colombia. The dialogue between the delegates and the guru covered a gamut of topics, ranging from stopping violence against women to improving community police relationships.