In 1994, I invited Gandhi’s granddaughter, Sumitra Kulkarni, to give a series of presentations in Des Moines. To my surprise and delight, she accepted!

The most memorable moment of her visit was when she chastised me over dinner at our home for not owning a dishwasher. “But your grandfather would never approve of a dishwasher,” I offered.

“That was then. This is now. You need to buy your wife a dishwasher,” she responded, while waving a finger at me.

Sumitra invited me to visit her in India. I jumped at the chance, and later that year spent a few days with her and her husband G.R. in Ahmedabad. I then traveled the country visiting activists who were using Gandhi’s principles to address various social, political, and environmental challenges.

During my visit, Sumitra gifted me a satchel which has been the centerpiece of nearly all my long marches. It’s seen many a repair job over the years, most recently under the loving and skillful attention of my wife Kathy. Continue Reading →