Dr. S.L. Gandhi is a dedicated ahimsa worker who has been popularizing a culture of ahimsa across the world for the last four decades. He co-founded Anuvrat Global Organization (ANUVIBHA) in 1986 which is known as Anuvrat Vishva Bharati (ANUVIBHA) in Hindi – a transnational centre for peace and nonviolent action associated with UN-DGC (www.anuvibha.org). Dr. Gandhi’s journey to ahimsa began with its inception and continued with its growth and development till he relinquished his formal position as International President in 2019. He has organized all his activities under the auspices of this global centre for ahimsa.

He has travelled extensively covering 21 countries and 40 cities presenting papers and delivering keynote addresses at about 50 international conferences held in different parts of the world. The thrust of his exposition of various aspects of ahimsa in his papers or speeches was that it alone could ensure our survival into the third millennium and solve the current global problems. After ‘anuvibha’s’ accreditation by UN-DPI in 1998 Dr. Gandhi’s area of work extended to the kindred organizations associated with UN-DGC spread in 1992 countries. Naturally ahimsa begun to radiate light globally.

Dr. Gandhi took cue from Lord Mahavira’s twelve-fold code of conduct consisting of small vows for his laypersons which became the basis of Dr. Gandhi’s propagation of ahimsa. He persuaded people he met in the course of his journey around the world to take three small vows (anuvrats) which he specifically designed for them only.

I will not kill any innocent living being.

I will not take part in war, nor will I attack any country or individuals.

I will respect all faiths.

After presenting his papers he met people individually and answered all their queries. He utilized his stay in that city to hold group meetings and encourage people to join the self-transformation network by pledging themselves to observe the aforesaid three small vows. Many responded positively and accepted the three vows. Each committed ahimsa worker who took the vows was requested to further persuade not less than thirty individuals to take similar vows. In a few years the number of people with commitment to basic ahimsa vows swelled.

In addition, Dr. Gandhi himself organized eleven major international conferences on peace and nonviolent action and the latest of them was held online in Feb 2024. Thousands of overseas individuals took part in these conferences and most of them accepted the three pledges.

Dr. Gandhi estimates that in the course of his three-dimensional global nonviolence campaign spread over 35 years from Dec 1988 to Feb 2024 (11 ICPNAs, presentation of papers in at least 50 conferences in 24 countries and three nonviolence leadership training camps) he has been able to inspire about 9 to 10 thousand individuals to take three small vows (anuvrats) of ahimsa and transformed their lives. Most of them became vegetarians. This is his significant contribution to the cause of ahimsa.