Desmond Tutu to be honoured with Gandhi award in Virginia

Washington, Sep 5 (UNI) The James Madison University (JMU) in Virginia will bestow the inaugural Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award upon Archbishop Desmond Tutu on September 21 -- the International Day of Peace.

The Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence, located within the campus of the JMU decided to honour Desmond Tutu with the centre's highest honour in ''recognition of his contributions to peace, encouragement of a non-violent approach to human relations and world affairs, and efforts to promote reconciliation and forgiveness among people.'' The annual Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award is bestowed upon an individual or an institution in recognition of their outstanding work and contribution to the promotion of human welfare and to social, economic, and political transformation through non-violence and Gandhian methods.

The award consists of a certificate, a ceremony, and the presentation of a weighty bronze statue of Gandhi, approximately 14 inches tall, mounted on a walnut wood base, according to the Director of the Gandhi Center, Sushil Mittal, who is also an Associate Professor in the JMU Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Rev Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Anglican archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa, a 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner known for his work in ending apartheid, will receive the award at the JMU Convocation Center, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Established in March 2005 by Dr Mittal, the mission of the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence is to promote non-violence and peace worldwide, based on universal values of justice, equality, freedom, and a deeper understanding of the importance of mutual respect among human beings and of appreciation for the natural environment through education, international dialogues, and youth-focused programmes.

The Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Library at the centre serves its needs. It is also open to researchers and the public. It is primarily a non-circulating library and has a collection of approximately 400 books.

According to the website, one way of implementing international academic cooperation by the Centre has been the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the foreign institutes. This cooperation includes exchanging research fellows, organising joint seminars and workshops, and publishing research materials, as well as reciprocating information by means of newsletters, databases, and the Internet.

The team working with the Director to set the intellectual agenda of the Centre includes the Advisory Board, Board of Trustees, Senior Advisors, Associate Scholars, and JMU Faculty Fellows.

The Gandhi Center has signed MoUs with Research Center Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Ghent University, Belgium and Gauhati University, India.

The Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence engages in a wide variety of international, national, and regional educational and outreach programs in support of its mission to promote a culture of non-violence and peace. These programs include Teaching, Research, Conferences, Lecture Series, Exhibitions, Research Scholars Program, Internship Program, and Youth Programmes.

UNI