Upcoming Events

19th Annual Mahatma Gandhi Day and International Day of Nonviolence Celebration

Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. (HST)

Biographies of our speakers and performers

	Dr. RAJ KUMAR Dr. Raj Kumar is the Founder and President Emeritus of Gandhi International Institute for Peace (GIIP) in Hawaii. In December 2014, Dr. Kumar initiated Senate Bill SB 332, through GIIP in the Twenty-Eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii. It was unanimously passed in the House & the Senate and signed into Act 5 by former Governor David Y. Ige in April 2015, making Hawaii the first state in the nation to declare October 2 as “Mahatma Gandhi Day in Hawaii”. In December 2018, Dr. Kumar initiated House Bill, HB 349, through GIIP in the Hawaii Legislature. Again, this bill was unanimously passed in the House and the Senate and signed into Act 102 by former Governor David Y. Ige on June 21, 2019, making Hawaii the first state in the nation to declare “June 21 each year as International Yoga Day in Hawaii”. Dr. Kumar has authored numerous books. He has contributed several articles on faith, peace, nonviolence and health in Hawaii’s leading newspapers between 2005-2018.
	The Royal Hawaiian Band Founded in 1836 by King Kamehameha III, the Royal Hawaiian Band is the only full-time municipal band in the United States with a royal legacy and is currently an agency of the City and County of Honolulu. The mission of the band is to promote music, to preserve Hawaiian musical culture, inspire young musicians, and enrich the lives of the people of Hawai'i. Clarke Bright is the 22nd Bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band and he was appointed as Bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band in 2011.
	Hawaiian blessing by Dr. Kahu Kaleo Patterson Dr. Patterson is the President of the Pacific Justice and Reconciliation Center, an ordained priest in both the United Churches of Christ and the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii. Has served many historic Hawaiian Churches, and former co-convenor of the Racial Justice working Group of the National Council of Churches. He has been an Indigenous representative of Church World Service and several United Nations General Assemblies, Pre-Cons, and meetings on Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights, Justice and Racism. Serving on the Executive Committee of the Native American Legal Rights Fund, Dr. Patterson has worked many Native American and Native Hawaiian issues and legal cases. Dr. Patterson has also served Hawaii Government and Church denominations as a mediator and arbitrator.
	Indian Spiritual invocation by Veda Das aka Devaji Veda Das is an inspired practitioner of Bhakti Yoga for 50 years. Founder and President of Krishna Books which has printed and distributed over 15 million books on the science of self-realization authored by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Proactive vegetarian since 1970 founding several restaurants and now managing Creative cuisine a plant based catering service. Founder of Share Bliss! a movement designed to resolve conflicts through self-introspection.
	Keynote Speaker: Suzanne Chun Oakland, former Hawaii State Senator Susie served in the Hawaii State Legislature for 26 years, 6 years in the House of Representatives and 20 years in the State Senate. She represented Dowsett Highlands, Nuuanu, Lower Tantalus, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Downtown, Chinatown, Iwilei, Honolulu Harbor, Liliha, Palama, Alewa Heights, Kaka'ako, half of Kalihi Valley, Sand Island, Mokauea Island, and the Kalihi Business District. Susie currently serves as the Program Director of the largest senior center in Hawaii, Lanakila Multi- Purpose Senior Center, in Liliha. She continues to serve on numerous non-profit boards of directors working on affordable housing, child well-being, culture and arts, immigrant and refugee, persons with disabilities, education, and sustainability and environment protection issues. Susie is a proud graduate of McKinley High School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, earning degrees in Communications and Psychology.
	Kaʻili Trask O’Connell Kaʻili Trask O’Connell is the Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA). In this role, appointed by Mayor Blangiardi, she leads the MOCA team in the promotion of cultural and arts programs and events for the City & County of Honolulu. Kaʻili was born and raised in Kailua, Oahu; graduated from Punahou School in 1985; earned her BSBA at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1989; and invested the first 15 years of her leadership and marketing career with national companies, including NCR Corporation, MCI Telecommunications, Maritz, and Momentum Worldwide, in Los Angeles, Chicago, and St. Louis. She returned home to Honolulu in 2004 where she was the Director of Development at Mid- Pacific Institute for 10 years. She then returned to the private sector as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Title Guaranty. Most recently she started her own company, Kaʻili Executive Leadership & Coaching, which works with leaders to be more effective in their roles and to reach their organization’s goals. Throughout her 35-year career, Kaʻili has developed a passion for leadership and telling the brand story. For her, leadership is about inspiring and motivating teams to accomplish so much more together than they could individually. She does this by embracing each person’s individual talents, empowering their voice, and encouraging collaboration and innovation to deliver amazing results that everyone is proud of. Telling the brand story allows her to tap into her creativity, along with her talent for writing, to connect with target audiences through emotion as well as fact. Kaʻili enjoys dancing and volunteering to teach hula as Alakaʻi under Kumu Hula Darcey Moniz with Pukaʻikapuaokalani Hula Halau; and training at Eastside Fit Club in Kailua. She serves on the Board of OWL: Organization of Women Leaders.
	Janani Lakshmanan and Elizabeth Mager Aloha Natyam is a collective of Indian Classical Dancers from diverse training and backgrounds. We are eager to share the love of the beautiful artform Bharatanatyam with the community of Hawai’i, which inspired our name. Bharatanatyam is a storytelling dance form with its roots over 2500 years old. The style is characterized by rhythmic rapid foot movements, intricate hand gestures, and elaborate facial expressions. The performers are Janani Lakshmanan and Elizabeth Mager.
	Michael North Michael North's career spans finance, technology, non-profit initiatives, and international development. Active business sectors include venture capital, private equity, mining, pharmaceuticals, energy storage and identification technology, with significant roles in companies focused on commodities trade and revenue finance. His leadership positions include a strategic role in Pacific Royalties alongside Arthur Lipper; Chairman of Galaxy, focusing on the magnesium market; Chief Investment Officer of PW Global and ARK Power Technology, concentrating on commodities trade and battery efficiency; and International Mining Systems, supporting sustainable mining practices. He manages a number of initiatives in China, in universities, public, private and banking sector.
	Haaheo Guanson Haaheo Guanson is a Peacemaker,Professor and Priest. She is the co-founder of the Pacific Justice & Reconciliation Center, a nonprofit working on creating and advocating for a culture of nonviolence and peace for the children of Hawaii and the world. Haaheo is a global nonviolence trainer and advocate. She is a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Kingian Nonviolence Global Training Institute, and the Center for Global Nonkilling. Haaheo teaches Peace and Nonviolence at the Matsunaga Institute for Peace at the University of Hawaii in Mānoa. She teaches Peacemaking in the community, in Waianae and Kalihi to little children as well as adults. Haaheo serves at the Cathedral of St Andrew in Hawaii as the assisting priest for pastoral care. She is the Dean of Waiolahuiia, School of Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii.
	Arini Shankaralingam Arini attends first grade at Wai’ alae Elementary Public Charter School in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is learning Bharatanatyam and Hula, and she loves dancing, drawing, and coloring. She enjoys her time at the beach and loves to build sandcastles with her friends. Arini also has an interest in solving puzzles and reading books. She has participated and danced in various events at Honolulu Museum of Arts, Hawaii Polo Club, Wai’ alae got talent and Lotus Hawaii (Oahu Based cultural organization) Interested in cooking and participated and won kids heart association cooking contest. She Choreographed this shanti mantra song.
	Michele Santos Having spent her childhood living in Brazil, Sun Yoga founder Michele Santos found a special connection to Hawaii at the age of eighteen while attending Hawaii Pacific University. The light and warmth of the islands spoke to Michele and guided her to make Hawaii her home. She took her first teacher training through Bikram Yoga in 2007 and soon realized that yoga was her true passion finding great joy in fostering connections with her fellow practitioners. In 2012 Michele fulfilled her dream and founded a Hot Yoga studio; Sun Yoga is her labor of love, a calling from her heart, a unique practice that helps others fulfill their desire to feel happy and fit, experience peace, personal growth and heal within. Throughout the years of practice and many certifications & trainings, she discovered that yoga is much more than a physical practice for health and wellness. Yoga is a way of living. It is a gentle reminder that helps us to let go of the suffering that comes from living in the past, or the anxiety about the future. Yoga is the art being, living the magical present moment. For Michele yoga is love- a path of much aloha!
	Adrija Halder She is a 7 years old girl from West Bengal, India. She loves to study; especially reading, and drawing. Now she is taking lessons in Singing, Ballet Dance, Piano, Swimming, Basketball and Shotokan Karate. Recently she sang at Chinatown peace festival and in a couple of other events, she performed two piano recitals in the schools. She has an interest in cooking and baking with her mom. She loves to play with her toys and spend time with family in her free time.
	Peter Greenhill Peter Greenhill is the retired founder of the `Iolani Peace Institute, where he was its director for seventeen years. The Institute frequently collaborated with and supported GIIP. Mr. Greenhill has a degree in Philosophy from Princeton University and taught at `Iolani School in Honolulu from 1986 until 2021. For his work, he was a recipient in 2016 of an award from the International Organization of Human Rights. Though retired now, he continues his activism to promote peace, social justice, and human rights.
	Hong Jiang Ms. Jiang is Associate Professor of Geography at UH-Manoa. As a practitioner of the Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa) spiritual practice for over 20 years, she has been a force in the local community in spreading the message of peace, following Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.
	Leticia Sharp Leticia Sharp has been trained for nearly 3 decades in sacred healing techniques including, Reiki, body work, sound, shamanic traditions, essential oils, crystals, and energy work. This was activated for her when she was 5 years old and she comes from a strong lineage of diverse healers. Leticia invites you to ignite your own unique light within and find your healing in this life.
	Closing remarks by Harendra Pannalal, MSE, PE, RME Harendra Panalal is President of GIIP. He holds BSE and MSE degrees from university of Michigan. He has been on the BOD of GIIP since its inception. All ancestors of his wife and him were born and raised as Jains. His family has lived in Honolulu for over fifty years. He is a retired mechanical engineer in construction industry. He is on the board of All Believers Network. He is also on BOD of two large condominium buildings in Honolulu.