Nobel: PEACE PRIZE or APPEASE PRIZE

PEACE PRIZE or APPEASE PRIZE

When I am writing about Gandhi, I am not talking about Sonia Gandhi (International Awakening Center recommended her name for nomination to the Nobel Committe). But I am talking about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was the strongest symbol of non-violence in the 20th century. Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948 but strangely never got the peace prize.
His followers US President Barack Hussein Obama, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, the Dalai Lama have already won Nobel Prize for Peace but why not Mahatma. There are theories of various reasons for the same which are inculded for discussion purposes:
1. Racism - Till 1960 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Europeans and Americans only
2. Religion - Gandhi was a Hindu, dark skinned and lived in India. He worked for Hindu and Muslim Unity and broke barriers between the Indian society and caste discriminations of his time
3. Political Compulsions - Norway never wanted to annoy the Britsh. After the World War II Norway had strong pro-British policy. Further Gandhi was Nationalist and laid his life for India.
4. Rules - It is said that the rules of Alfred Nobel say that the winner has to be living. However the Nobel prize has been awarded posthumously twice: to Dag Hammarskjöld (Nobel Peace Prize 1961) and Erik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize in Literature 1931)
5. Who Gets the Money: Gandhi did not belong to an organization, he left no property behind and no will; who should receive the Prize money? It is roumored that the Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, August Schou, asked the Committee's advisers, lawyer Ole Torleif Røed, and the Swedish prize-awarding institutions for their opinion. The answers were negative
6. Opinion of the WOrld Leaders - Winston said something like "He claims to be for peace and non-violence; but he knows very well, every time he goes on a hunger strike or gets himself arrested, there is riot and mayhem in the street. He's not for non-violence. He just knows how to make the violence look like Britain's fault. He knows exactly what he is doing and the consequences."

I think we should be glad he did not win the Nobel peace prize. Because when people like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat, Lê Ðức Thọ, Henry Kissinger and Al Gore are awarded the prize, it makes one wonder about the credibility of the prize. I think the Nobel peace prize needed Gandhi more than the other way round. Nobel isn't good enough for him.. and yeah he has a peace prize in his name.. how ironic.. Gandhi Peace Prize by Government of India.

And they rightly said..

" Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood."
-- Nobel Prize Winner Albert Einstein, on Mohandas K. Gandhi

“…When the private sector and organized labor work together to promote growth and job opportunities we will all reap the benefits of the unity espoused by Gandhi."
-- Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nelson Mandela

"It is also a tribute to my mentor, Mahatma Gandhi, whose example is an inspiration to so many of us."
-- Nobel Peace Prize Winner His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

"Gandhi advocated racial, social and political peace, and he was "a living incarnation of the ideal of peace itself" while leading the Indian nationalist movement in a non-violent struggle against British rule. Gandhi managed to unite conflicting religious groups in peaceful cooperation guided by the ideals of Ahimsa ("noninjury") and Satyagraha ("truth force"). In 1915 he was given the popular title Mahatma (Great Soul) by Rabindranath Tagore"
Ole Colbjørnsen while nominating Gandhi for Nobel peace prize in 1937 and 1938
http://nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/nomination.php?action=show&showid=2448

Why fear to host IPL

It is really disturbing to note that Government of India is not able to provide security for the IPL matches and the same are in process of getting shifted to South Africa. No doubt elections are more important then any cricket match. But by refusing to provide security to IPL matches, It appears that the Union Government has felt threatened by unknown. The main aim of terrorist is to create an environment of threat and fear and I think they have suceeded in the same. The single act of the Government has created an image of India as a not so safe country amongst the international community.

It is more dangerous to bow down to a terror threat than to fall victim of it. The Government of India has again proved that India is a soft state which will avoid chellenges than to face it. This brings fears in the minds of common citizens that despite intelligence inputs why my country is not able to protect me. I think as citizens we all need to stand up and impress upon Government to have IPL matches in India only.

regards,

Sameer Sachdeva