•It’s a privilege to have the world’s greatest Zen Master, teacher, preacher, author, poet, healer of minds and souls and, above all, the master of walking meditation — Thich Nhat Hanh — on Walk the Talk. As we stand in front of Gandhi Samadhi, I remember reading that when you corresponded with Martin Luther King, he invoked Gandhi’s way with you. How relevant is the Mahatma today?

He is still very relevant, if only you know how to continue, to help him continue. Whether he is relevant depends on our way of understanding and on whether we have enough desire to walk his talk, to walk his walk.

•And talk his talk, but that’s tough in today’s times.

The teaching of non-violence is to be applied to yourself first. You might realise that there is tension, stress and pain in your body. You might have done violence to your body, you suffer and that’s why you have to address it first with utmost non- violence. Do something in order to relieve the suffering of your body. Breathe in mindfully, deeply. Release the tension in your body and that is the practice of non-violence addressed to your body. And if you succeed, you might be able to do it with the violence in you, your anger, fear, despair, irritation.

•All the time...

Yes, and if you know the practice of non-violence, you’d be able to address that mass of suffering within yourself.

•Because we talk today on Gandhi Jayanti, you may have seen traffic was blocked, lots of security. We have become very cynical... our leaders come on Gandhi Jayanti for a few minutes, offer a few flowers, and then, we believe, forget all about him for the rest of the year.

... contd.