Message of Dr. Mayurika Chakravorty, President
(elected at the AGM 2015 on Dec 13, 2015)

Dear Members and Friends of Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa,

Greetings!

First, I would like to thank the Board for giving me the chance to lead the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa for the upcoming year (2015-16). I would like to thank Prof. Noel Salmond and Dr. Jag Humar for their dedication to the organization and for their vision in leading the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa. A lot has been achieved in the past few years. We have the bronze life-size statue of Gandhi on Carleton University campus that serves as a constant reminder of the life and relevance of Gandhi in today’s world. The MGPC, with the generous help of its patrons and friends, has also successfully established the M.K. Gandhi Annual Lecture on Peace and Humanities at Carleton University. It has sponsored, organized, and participated in various talks, events, and conferences related to peace and non-violence. The details (and recording) of these events can be found on the MGPC website.

I look forward to continue these endeavours, and in particular, would like to focus on two areas in the upcoming year. First, membership and publicity, and secondly, community outreach events to further the educational mandate of the organization to spread Gandhian ideas and thought. In this regard, I seek the active help of each and every member and friend of the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa. If you have any proposals about future events and direction of the organization, please get in touch with us and we shall definitely consider every suggestion/proposal that we receive. Members of MGPC are also welcome to attend our board meetings (usually held once a month) and share their ideas and vision.

In today’s world, as we are constantly jolted by meaningless acts of terror and violence around us against fellow human beings, it is needless to say that Gandhian ways of peaceful resistance and nonviolent cooperation against oppression and injustice, are supremely relevant. These are also useful tools and strategies that we must equip our youth with as they deal with the global realities. With your help and support of the larger community, it is our mission to make Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa a foremost organization in the national capital region that promotes Gandhian thought.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Mayurika Chakravorty, PhD

Short Bio of Dr. Mayurika Chakravorty

Mayurika was born and raised in Kolkata, India and later went to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi where she completed her M. A. and M. Phil in English Literature. She was the recipient of the Felix Scholarship for doctoral research, and completed her PhD from SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), London, UK in 2011. Since moving to Ottawa, Canada in 2011, she has been teaching in the English Department, Carleton University, Ottawa. She teaches courses on South Asian Literature, Postcolonial Studies, and Diaspora Literature. Outside her academic engagements, she has also been involved in community outreach projects. In London, UK, she was part of a University of London project on immigrant Bangladeshi women in Brick Lane. She has been on the board of Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa since 2011.