Bernard Edward Meyer with DPS Bhagalpur students on Tuesday. Picture by Amit Kumar

Students of Delhi Public School (DPS) were awestruck at the sight of long-time peace activist Bernard Edward Meyer on Tuesday.

The youngsters couldn’t be blamed — the global peace icon, popularly known as the American Gandhi, walked on to the school premises dressed up in Bapu’s signature dhoti and walking stick. Meyer has been donning the Father of the Nation’s look for quite a few years now.

As news about Meyer’s visit spread across the institute, students and other employees gathered to have a glimpse of the man himself.

He said: “Now, more than ever, Gandhi’s message is needed. With violence in the world, destruction of nature and depletion of resources, we are risking all life on mother earth. I want to bring together the wisdom of the east and the science of the west with the hope that we will create sustaining, peaceful communities. Gandhi showed us the way. We can be the change we want to be.”

During the interaction with students, he presented Gandhi’s principles for world peace applicable in today’s world. He weaved together Bapu’s messages regarding human dignity, spirituality, politics, economics, community, world peace, faith, forgiveness, and much more.

After the traditional welcome and felicitation, Meyer enacted the life of Gandhi and talked about the emotions the Mahatma might have gone through. He also spoke about freedom, the strength of truth and ahimsa (non-violence).

In US, he has taken up cudgels against nuclear proliferation, war and other threats to environment, in the present day world of strife and turmoil. During the session with students, when Class IV student Diya asked him about his feelings for India, he replied it was a matter of pride for him.

When Class V student Sristhi asked him why he chose to play Gandhi, he said satyagraha (insistence on truth) was the easiest way to tackle any problem.

In reply to Rahul, a Class X student’s query to Andrew Burgess, who accompanied Meyer, on the difficulties of switching over to non-violence from bloodshed, he said he had been influenced by the thoughts of Meyer. “I now have the advantage of meeting more people,” Burgess said. The former US Army official has served in the Middle East.

In his speech, Burgess spoke about the importance of education in all spheres of life, including health and fitness, compassion and truth among fellow human beings. Later, in an interactive session with pupils and teachers of the school, he explained his reasons for leaving the army, how he feels being with Meyer and his future plans.

Earlier, the principal of the school, Arunima Chakrovorty, introduced Meyer as a man who seemed to be an incarnation of Mahatma Gandhi in body and soul.