An Inner Journey of Ahimsa — 28 Feb 2022

An inspiration passed away today. Perhaps I am wrong in saying that. An embodiment of it is no more, but the inspiration remains in my heart, and that of several other peacebuilders around the world.?Bhichai Rattakul, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, passed away at nearly 96.

When I first met him, I remember being surprised at the idea of a politician peacebuilder. I even voiced it to him, only to be met by a kind smile and a response that peace was the purpose of politics. He was the reason my alma mater, the peace centre at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, came into being. In spite of the very high positions of power he held in Thailand and in other global contexts, he would openly declare himself a friend of us — peacebuilders working in various spaces around the world — followed by a characteristic wink and joke about us not naming him as a friend in case we ever got into trouble with the law, doing things Bangkok is notorious for. His stories around his engagement finding in non-violent alternatives during a variety of scenarios including secret negotiations with the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s to proposing a political-military alliance in 2013 in Thailand, showcase his commitment to dialogue.

When I had briefly shared about my work around business and peacebuilding, he had invited me to not ignore politics and culture in the process, without saying anything more. I understood the full import of it only several years later.

· How do you imagine the connection among politics, peace and ahimsa?

· How do we lead all that political in us, to also be non-violent?

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