Dr. S.L. Gandhi, who retired voluntarily in 1993 as Vice-Principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 Jaipur to devote full time to the cause of peace and nonviolence, is the former International President of Anuvrat Global Organization (ANUVIBHA), a transnational centre for peace and nonviolent action associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communication (www.anuvibha.org). He has travelled extensively covering 23 countries and 48 cities across the world presenting papers, sharing his vision and delivering keynote addresses at various international conferences, workshops held in various parts of the world including the UN Copenhagen Summit on Social Development held from March 08 to March 12, 1995, International Peace Conference on Ethnic and Communal Conflicts organized by Kyung Hee University, South Korea from Sept 17 to Sept 19, 1996, the International Conference on Jainism and Ecology organized from July 11 to 12, 1998 by the Centre for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University, seminar on Policy, Ethics and Values organized by Dr. Thomas Daffern on July 06, 1998 at the House of Lords, UK, the International Interreligious Dialogue on the Jain View of Poverty, Strategies for Prevention and Minimization held on Sept 12, 2000 in Hanover, Germany, the 19th International Peace Research (IPRA) Conference held at Kyung Hee University, Suwon, South Korea from July 01 to July 05, 2002, the Parliament of World’s Religions held at Melbourne, Australia from Dec 03 to Dec 09, 2009, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Tokyo for a special lecture on Nov 30, 2012, the 65th International DPI-NGO Conference held at the UN headquarter on 27th August, 2014 and the Annual International Meeting for Peace organized by the Community of Sant Egidio Roma at Munster-Osnaburck, Germany from Sept 10 to Sept 12, 2017.

Dr. Gandhi was invited as a panel speaker by the then President of the UN General Assembly at an Interactive Hearing with Civil Society on the occasion of a High Level Dialogue on Interreligious Understanding and Cooperation held at the UN headquarters from Oct 04 to Oct 05, 2007. He was the only panel speaker from Asia and was selected on merit by the UN Task Force from hundreds of entries received globally. In 1993 Dr. Gandhi attended a five week course on Gaia, Ecology and Systems View of Life at Schumacher College of Devon UK from May 27 to June 30, 1993 with the internationally acclaimed physicist and author of the Tao of Physics, Dr. Fritjof Capra as a scholar in Residence. Another feather in Dr. Gandhi’s cap was the International Dialogue on Nonviolence Education and Training, which he organized at Ladnun on Nov 26, 1992. It was attended by Acharya Shri Tulsi, Yuvacharya Mahapragya (Later Acharya Mahapragya), HH The Dalai Lama, Prof. Johan Galtung, an international authority on Nonviolence and Peace Education, Martin Luther King Jr’s close associates Bernard Laffayette and Charles Alphin of King Centre, Ms. Robin Ludwig, Chair, Peace Studies Unit, UNO and many reputed Gandhian scholars. HH The Dalai Lama’s support for nonviolence training helped boost the worldwide nonviolence training campaign.

His quest of peace through ahimsa began in 1987 when he was invited by Prof. Glenn D. Paige, the then Professor of Nonviolent Political Science at Hawaii University Honolulu, Founder of the Centre for Global Nonkilling, Honolulu, to speak on Peacemaking in the Jain Context at an international conference organized by him at the Hawaii University, USA from May 23 to May 28, 1987. Since then he has been moving around the world persuading and encouraging people to switch over to nonviolent lifestyle and vegetarianism. He has created a worldwide network of kindred spirits committed to peace and nonviolence. In addition, he has so far organized eleven major international conferences on various aspects of peace and nonviolent action in India in which hundreds of Indian and overseas delegates participated. The latest ICPNA which he organized online was held from Feb 13 to 16, 2024 and its theme was ‘Only Ahimsa Can Guarantee World Peace and Environmental Sustainability’. Among others the speakers at the eight plenary sessions that spread over four days included UN representatives, eminent grassroots scholars, professors and activists hailing from 30 countries.

In deference to the wishes of His Holiness Acharya Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya, the two apostles of peace and nonviolence Dr. Gandhi also undertook the task of training children, youths and elderly persons in nonviolence (ahimsa). The two revered Acharyas were of the view that mere preaching cannot bring about attitudinal transformation among people so training in nonviolence should also go on simultaneously along with other nonviolent initiatives. Dr. Gandhi organized the first International Nonviolence Leadership Training Camp at Rajsamand Children’s Peace Palace from Dec 26 to Dec 28, 2008 under the auspices of Acharya Shri Mahapragya and the then Yuvacharya Mahashraman, the Second Nonviolence Leadership Training Camp at Anuvibha Jaipur Kendra from Nov 13 to Nov 14, 2008 and the Third International Nonviolence Leadership Training camp held at Children’s Peace Palace Rajsamand from Feb 05 to Feb 07, 2010. In response to an invitation extended to him by the London based Jain Vishva Bharati Dr. Gandhi delivered a series of lectures on various aspects of ahimsa organized by it in its campus in London from Nov 01 to Nov 10, 2009 in which many eminent non-Jains also took part.

He did his Ph.D. from IOUF (the Netherlands – USA) in 1999 and under its dual degree programme Universidad Azteca, Mexico and Universidad Central de Nicaragua also awarded Ph.D. degrees to him on the basis of his doctoral thesis. He has translated, edited and authored several books, the latest of which is ‘Acharya Mahapragya : A Journey to Wisdom’ with a Foreword by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and published by Harper Collins and the other one is ‘Acharya Mahapragya : Global Reflections and Tributes’ by Prabhat Prakashan, New Delhi. Dr. Gandhi has received numerous honours including the Scholarly Achievement Award by the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Tokyo (1988), IOU Peace Award (2000), Acharya Tulsi Anekant Samman by JVB Ladnun and Mahadeo Saraogi Foundation Kolkata (2002), Anuvrat Gaurav Alankaran by Anuvrat Mahasamiti in 2017 and Devendra Puruskar by Gandhi Seva Sadan Rajsamand in 2017.

Dr. Gandhi has spent his entire life in popularizing a culture of ahimsa. Even now when he is nearing 90 years of his life, he continues his mission with unabated zeal and enthusiasm through the newly established organization called Vardhaman Centre for Global Nonviolence. Through it he is creating ahimsa awareness among the people of the world and is apprising them of the rapidly crumbling eco-sustainability of the future. He warns them of the looming threat of the extinction of human civilization on account of our unrestrained lifestyle. ‘Let us learn to live in harmony with nature if we want to save the planet’, says Dr. Gandhi. It may be possible only if we are able to tread the path of ahimsa which alone can ensure environmental sustainability and avert this catastrophe of climate change and global warning.