New Delhi, September 13, 2003

New Delhi , September 12: Does history repeat or contradict itself?

This question was raised today in a seminar, ''A Revelation-9/11:9/11-A century apart'', organised by the NGO Swarajpeeth and the Rotary club of Delhi Southend.

The event attempted to juxtapose and weigh the repercussions of 9/11 in 1906 and 9/11 in 2001. While September 11 symbolises terror for Americans, for Indians this was the date in 1906 when Mahatma Gandhi launched his non-violence movement of Satyagraha in South Africa to protest against British oppression.

''While September 11, 1906, showed us the path of peace, 9/11 in 2001 was a day of terrorism and counter-terrorism. It was on this day that terrorists grounded to dust the symbol of American freedom - the World Trade Towers,'' said Salil Bhandari, a member of the Rotary club. He added, ''The two time changing events show the evil and the good in us.''

Eminent personalities, including journalist Saeed Naqvi, Gyanpeeth award winner writer Nirmal Verma and the editor of magazine Manushi Madhu Kishwar, were invited to speak on the subject.

Author Nirmal Pandey started the discussion by questioning the human instinct to resort to violence. He also stressed on the need ''to remember the past''. ''History reminds us what man is capable of,'' said Pandey. ''When Einstein was asked whether bloodshed will ever come to an end, he said, 'As long as human beings live on this Earth, there will be no end to violence','' added Pandey.

Referring to Gandhian principle of non-violence, Pandey said: ''I believe that the hopelessness, the wars and the violence will come to an end. My hope also stems from the fact that Gandhi's voice has not been lost. It came out again in the form of Martin Luther King and Dalai Lama.''

Senior journalist Saeed Naqvi said, ''I still have fundamental faith in the sanity of India .'' On America 's response to 9/11, 2001, Naqvi said, ''9/11 was a monstrous moment in our lives. But the cure has been even worse than the disease. Here, a gunship knocks down the house where Saddam's sons were living. Saddam might be a monster, his sons may be monsters, but what about his grandson?''

Alluding to the Babri Masjid demolition and Gujarat riots, which he described as India 's 9/11, he quoted an 18th century philosopher: ''When you brought down a temple, did you once think about the heart of the worshipper.''

Madhu Kishwar, a senior fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, spoke of the erosion in Gandhi's beliefs and ideology. Kishwar said, ''Many people today think non-violence cannot work in today's times. They even say Gandhi lost out to Jinnah. But these people are too short-sighted. They forget that history shows results in epochs.''