DISCUSSION OF NONVIOLENCE SET BY FAITHS ON GANDHI DAY.

Byline: HOLLY J. ANDRES Staff Writer

CANOGA PARK -- Sitting around a mock campfire and listening to stories told from five faith perspectives will be the setting Sunday when Faith Lutheran Church celebrates Gandhi Day.

The theme of this year's event, presented by Valley Interfaith Council, is ``Teaching the Sacred Stories of Nonviolence and Peace.''

``The goal this year is to lift up the messages of peace and nonviolence and celebrate the diversity of faiths. We're trying to bring these powerful messages to our children,'' said the Rev. Wayne Christiansen from Faith Lutheran Church.

``This is what all faiths teach. I think anyone who attends will be empowered, uplifted and inspired.''

Gandhi, sometimes called Mahatma (great soul) or Bapu, a Hindi term for a beloved father, used nonviolent-resistance techniques to bring about the end of colonial British rule in India on Aug. 15, 1947.

Gandhi's birthday, Oct. 2, is a national holiday in India. His life and ideas on how nonviolent civil disobedience can bring about peaceful change are remembered with events around the world during the first week in October.

Gandhi was 78 when he was assassinated on Jan. 30, 1948.

A tabla drummer will open Sunday's event, and a children's chorus will follow.

Storytellers from five faiths -- Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam -- will each take a turn, telling a story from sacred texts or personal accounts.

Harish Amar, representing the Hindu faith, will share a story of nonviolence that relates to his hero.

Amar proposed that VIC host a Gandhi Day event after taking an emotional, six-hour ride-along with the Los Angeles Police Department.

``We see that people try to solve problems with violence. There are so many hot spots around the world and at the local level -- you slap me, I slap you (in response),'' said Amar, who teaches a Hindu class for youths at the Northridge Hindu Temple on Roscoe Boulevard. ``If you want long-term solutions, you have to look at nonviolent ways.''

Gandhi took to heart the concept of ``ahimsa,'' a Sanskrit word meaning avoidance of injury. The concept, found in the Upanishads, Hindu scriptures, is also interpreted to mean not causing any pain or harm to any living being by thought, word or action.

Rabbi Jerrold Goldstein, representing the Jewish point of view, plans to share a personal account of Gandhi's message.

Goldstein, who is retired from Hillel at California State University, Northridge, recalled responding to a call for help by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement of 1964.

``I remember him saying that we must listen to Gandhi's lessons of nonviolence. He said there would be people who don't like what we're doing, and they may be violent. But we're committed to nonviolence, and we must not respond in kind because it would hurt the justice of our cause,'' Goldstein said.

``It's not always easy to practice nonviolence.''

Along with the stories, Indian culture will be represented through dances and skits performed between the stories and through Indian food.

Vandana Kumarcq, a science teacher at Canoga Park High School, has coordinated performances for past Gandhi Day observances.

``Gandhi Day brings together all the different faiths,'' Kumar said. ``It feels really good to learn about each other. There's no need to argue. I'm really big on interfaith, it's beautiful.''

VIC's Gandhi Day, 4:30 to 6p.m. Sunday, Faith Lutheran Church, 7500 De Soto Ave., Canoga Park. Free. [phone] or www.vic-la.org.

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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The Rev. Wayne Christiansen, left, and professor Harish Amar will participate in the 11th annual Gandhi Day in Canoga Park.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer