Students of the internship program for the New Jersey chapter of the Ahimsa Movement to End Gun Violence were honored with a graduation ceremony at the library earlier this month.
The Ahimsa Movement to End Gun Violence, an organization dedicated to ending the epidemic of gun violence in America through non-violence, advocacy, education and policy reforms, held a graduation ceremony for the organization’s 10th internship of its New Jersey chapter at the Moorestown library on Jan. 4.
The organization spans 10 states and has nearly 1,000 members. One of its goals is to foster an understanding of the gun issue among youth by holding intense one-to-two-week internships in which teenagers learn the complexities of this issue, including the data and policy options.
“Education for the youth is a missing element unless we educate our youth about the history and evolution of gun violence, and we tell them that Ahimsa and peace movements like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi can make a difference, it will not happen,” said Dr. Shailendra Palvia, founder of the Ahimsa to End Gun Violence.
“Our Ahimsa ambassadors are not sitting quietly,” he added. “After graduation, they are doing things. Some of them have established Ahimsa clubs in their schools, and one group of Ahimsa ambassadors have created an Instagram page called Drop the Gun …
“So, things are happening.”
Ahimsa, derived from Sanskrit, translates to non-violence and embodies a broader philosophy of compassion and respect for all, according to EBSCO (EBSCO Information Services), a national database provider. The concept is central to the beliefs of several Indian religions. Ahimsa emphasizes not just the absence of physical violence but also the avoidance of harm through thoughts, words and intentions.
The internship program for Ahimsa to End Gun Violence is designed to foster an awareness and appreciation for the organization’s overarching philosophy of Ahimsa emanating from the four religions that started in India: Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Guided by the principle of non-violence, Ahimsa to End Gun Violence upholds that non-violence is the highest duty, according to its website.
Some of the internship’s objectives include imparting essential literacy about Ahimsa and how it is at a much broader and deeper level than the term “non-violence”; comprehending the enormity of challenges facing our country due to the epidemic of gun violence; understanding how the Second Amendment has been exploited by the NRA, politicians and gun lobbies in America; and discussing how diverse tenets of Ahimsa can be utilized to save human lives through activism.
Over the past eight Ahimsa internship programs, the organization has held sessions in Georgia and Virginia, with 76 interns graduating as Ahimsa Ambassadors. Their graduations included public policy makers and participation by 152 parents, family members and friends. The graduates are making a significant impact by founding Ahimsa clubs to continue the movement.
“The way that they (young people) develop a perspective on an issue right now in this day and age is often through a meme on a social media site, and these memes tend to not be very deep in nature, especially with something as complex as the arguments around gun control and gun advocacy and gun rights,” noted Moorestown resident Anupam Palvia, head of the New Jersey chapter of Ahimsa to End Gun Violence and Shailendra Palvia’s son.
“It’s difficult to not agree with what you’ve heard more because – broadly speaking – the arguments are, ‘Guns can protect me,’ which makes sense, and ‘I don’t want a bad person to have guns,’ which also makes sense, so whichever one you hear more, at the high level, if you hear it enough, it can resonate. That’s the battle lines right now of how this issue plays out in society, but this internship gives young people the opportunity to look at the data, to understand the depths of the argument and reach a conclusion.”
“We want the Ahimsa Ambassadors to affect the thinking of their peers in school, so when we are armed with such logical data about what is happening in the country, they are able to change minds,” explained Shailendra Palvia. “The more minds we change, the more votes will change, the more legislators will start thinking, ‘We’ve got to do something.'”
By educating youth nationwide, Ahimsa to End Gun Violence is committed to curbing gun violence through Ahimsa activism, ensuring that people can move freely and live without fear. For more information about Ahimsa to End Gun Violence or its internships, visit www.ahimsa-end-gun-violence.org/index.html.
“We all believe in some form of nonviolence, and non-violence is something that has been practically proven for us through our freedom struggles, and this is the same approach we want to bring to America to end its epidemic of gun violence,” offered Vai Jalajam, CFO of the organization.
“We chose the path of advocacy and influencing our politicians, our legislators …” Jalajam added. “And others (to) encourage and participate actively and make their voices heard … We are encouraging students to speak up, to form clubs in their schools and to organize and speak against gun violence …
“We are moving the needle in the right direction, and we are so proud of them (internship graduates).”
