Remembering Mahatma Gandhi: Politics, history and myth

Victoria University of Wellington’s Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay discusses Gandhi’s philosophy and actions.

Provost Lecture Series

October 2019

On the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his birth, Mahatma Gandhi (born 2 October 1869) will be remembered in India and there will be celebrations around the world. However, there are issues with remembering Gandhi, as many of his ideas and actions were controversial in his own time and they are contested even today in everyday politics and in historical writing.

In this lecture, Victoria University of Wellington’s Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay discusses Gandhi’s philosophy and actions, refers to the political debates and critical scholarship, and shows why, despite all those controversies, Gandhi’s legacy is still important in the rapidly changing world of the twenty-first century.

The Provost Lecture Series is hosted by Victoria University of Wellington Provost Wendy Larner and brings together local and international speakers to discuss the world of academia—interesting research, personal journeys and the future of universities.

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