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Mahatma's grandson to deliver lecture
at University of Leicester

Shyam Bhatia in London

The grandson of the Mahatma, Arun Gandhi, will deliver the keynote speech next week at a conference organised by the Institute for the Study of India-Pakistan Relations at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom.

Gandhi, who is the founder-director of the Memphis-based M K Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence, will also address a public meeting organised by the university.

Gandhi will be joined by Hindu and Muslim speakers for the conference on religious fundamentalism in South Asia and how this is affecting India.

The conference will take place on November 30 and the public meeting on December 2.

The Head of Department of History at the university, Richard Bonney, said: "The conference will tackle issues surrounding religious fundamentalism in South Asia. The rise of religious fundamentalism can no longer be ignored, neither by South Asia nor by the international community.

"The conference will focus on the roots of fundamentalism in all faiths; what the nature of it is, with particular attention to abuses against minority religious groups in these countries.

"The speakers will put forward propositions to combat this threat and suggest ways in which these conflicts between communities can be peacefully resolved."

Others who will speak at the conference are Dr Ram Puniyani, an expert on Hindu nationalism and religious fundamentalism, Dr Khalid Masud, an authority on Islam in the modern world.

On December 2 Gandhi will deliver the sixth Dr L M Singhvi lecture on religious pluralism. His lecture is entitled 'Restoring India's Secular Credentials'. During his stay in Leicester he will meet members of the different communities.

Professor Bonney said: "His visit to our multicultural city is of major importance as the idea of peaceful relations between communities is central to this."

INPAREL was founded in 2001 with the aim of promoting scholarly debate and interaction on issues concerning Indo-Pakistan relations. The institute also aims to raise the level of public understanding about all aspects of South Asia.

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