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The world, which is witnessing a disturbing spiral of violence, has now reasons to rejoice. Under the aegis of the United Nations, 02 October this year was celebrated as the first International Day of Non-violence. Incidentally, it was also the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
World over Mahatma Gandhi is remembered as the one who taught the power of non-violence and the tribute by UN just reiterates the commitment to that cause. According to Gandhi Foundation sources, ‘Gandhi not only played a major role in India achieving its independence but taught a philosophy which has universal relevance. The core of that philosophy is the search for truth through non-violence (ahimsa). Gandhi preached respect for animals as well as humans, a non-exploitative relationship to the environment, the elimination of poverty, the limitation of personal wealth and possessions, and non-violence at all levels from the interpersonal to relationships among states.’
Earlier, the United Nations General Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution mooted by India to declare birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as Global Non-Violence Day. The resolution under ‘culture of peace’ segment received a co-sponsorship of 142 countries and was passed in the General Assembly.
The resolution affirmed universal relevance of the principle of non-violence and the desire to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding. It called upon all member states, the UN system, regional and non-governmental organisations to commemorate October 2 in “an appropriate manner and disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.”
India had launched a spirited campaign to mobilize support of member states after the Congress party held the Satyagraha Conference, titled ’Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment’, January this year.
Sonia Gandhi at UN
Addressing the UN General Assembly on the non-violence day, Sonia Gandhi, president, Indian National Congress spoke about Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence. She said, “it was his belief that strength comes from righteousness, not through force; power comes from truth, not might; victory comes from moral courage, not from imposed submission.” He believed that unworthy means could never produce worthy ends. To practice that in its true spirit demands, strict discipline of mind: the courage to face aggression, the moral to stay the course and strength to do so without harbouring any malice towards the opponents,” she asserted.
Sonia drew attention to the “international community’s failure to move towards comprehensive universal disarmament.” Sonia referred to the disturbing emergence of non-state players of terrorism.
“History, both past and present”, she emphasised, “confirms that violence begets unending spiral of hatred and revenges. It is not relevance of Mahatma Gandhi that is in question today … it is whether we have the courage to emulate his preaching and what he lived and died for”, she said in her address.
The Congress president said, “the world is facing violence of various kinds and there was failure in tackling terrorism and checking nuclear proliferation. Fallacies about non-violence are a plenty”, she said, rejecting the contention that it is a sign of weakness or cowardice. “Nothing could be farther from truth”, she told sceptics, adding that non-violence “goes far beyond passive resistance or even civil disobediences.”
Recalling Gandhi’s remark, “We must ourselves become the change we seek”, she stated that the Father of the Nation had an energy that gave him the resilience to press ahead, in spite of tremendous obstacles and tribulation. This is the energy that enabled him to overcome resistance arising from hostility, indifference, and cynicism”, she added.
Triumph of Non-violence
Amidst turbulence, the 20th century saw the message of non-violence permeating all continents and faiths. Among the myriad civil disobedience moments, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known to the history as ‘The Frontier Gandhi’, is worth recalling as the one who led the army of non-violence.
Individuals and movements all over the world continue to develop innovative, non-violent ways to overcome oppression, combat discrimination and build democracy. These are the successes that keep the ideological flames of Mahatma burning bright.
Congressman Jim McDermott, Washington State Democrat, and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, took to the House floor to laud Sonia Gandhi for inspiring the UN resolution designating 2nd October as the International Day of Non-violence. Quoting the words of the great leader, “Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and put off at will; its seat is in the heart and it must be inseparable part of our being” which inspired King Jr, the congressman stated that Mahatma Gandhi showed the right path of life to the world.
McDermott said the UN resolution showed Gandhi’s remarkable ability to change the world and pointed out that was once again a case of reuniting the world. In the preamble of the resolution, he said, non-violence was most famously instrumental in the struggle for Indian independence and civil rights movement in the US and said it had been advocated in some form by all great leaders in the 20th century, who besides Gandhi, included Martin Luther King Jr, Cesar Chavez, Leo Tolstoy, Albert Einstein, and Dorothy Day, among others.
“Let us resolve to honour his memory by dedicating ourselves to his philosophy of peace through non-violence” he said adding, “It’s the only path to true peace in the world”.
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Excerpts from Sonia Gandhi’s
Speech at
the UN Special Plenary Session
It is an honour to address the United Nations General Assembly, as we observe Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, as the ‘International Day of Non-violence’ for the first time. This is a collective homage of the world community to one of the greatest men of all time, a homage that rises above politics and speaks to all humankind. May I covey to the General Assembly, the gratitude of over one billion people of my country for this tribute. I also extend my sincere appreciation to all member states who co-sponsored the resolution and extended their support to it. To South Africa in particular on whose very soil, Mahatma Gandhi, on the 11th of September 1906 started his political and spiritual journey, the Satyagraha or Truth Force movement.
War, conflict and bloodshed, have long been rooted in human history and the human psyche as the preordained and inevitable instruments of power. Violence has come to be regarded as the norm and, non-violence as a mere aberration. It is striking, as one observer has pointed out, that there is no proactive word for non-violence in almost any language. It has not been regarded as a concept in itself, but simply the negation of something else.
Other concepts have their own antonyms: war and peace, sin and virtue, hatred and love. Yet even though all the world’s religions preach non-violence, there is no affirmative, independent word for it. Thus, in our very thought processes, the concept of violence has been central, that of non-violence marginal.
It is often said that Mahatma Gandhi’s times were radically removed from those we live in today. Some question the relevance of his methods in today’s fast-paced and globally interlinked world, where threats to peace, security and social harmony abound. But the essential validity of Mahatma Gandhi’s truth has not changed, because human nature itself has not changed.
Even as we are inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s life, let us today affirm our commitment to the Gandhian way, a commitment that is reflected in demonstrable actions and results. Let us ensure that this Day does not get reduced to an annual ritual. Let us strive to adopt his methods to our present day challenges, with earnestness and perseverance.
It is not the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi that is in question today. What is in question today is whether we have the courage to emulate, what he preached and practiced, what he lived and died for. There are some who believe that violence and aggression are innate in human nature. There are those who have shown that human beings can and have often evolved to a higher stage.
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Martin Luther King Jr on Gandhi
Any nation rocked by terrorism and violence, always commemorate Rev Martin Luther King Junior’s message of love and non-violence. And also when we remember his relentless fight for equality and justice, we mull the wellsprings of his philosophy that changed the face of racial conflict in America. The influence of Gandhian philosophy on Martin Luther King Jr had been spectacular.
During a period of soul-searching, King read, with fascination, the life and work of Gandhi who had successfully, transformed the ethic of non-violence into a political instrument against the British colonial rule in India. The impact that Gandhi made on him was best described in his own words, “As I read, I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of non-violent resistance. As I delved deeper into his philosophy, my scepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.”
Mahatma Gandhi’s life and teachings influenced many world leaders including anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa Nelson Mendela and several others like Steve Biko, and Aung San Suu Kyi. In Europe, Roman Rolland was the first to discuss Gandhi in his 1924 book Mahatma Gandhi, and Brazilian anarchist and feminist Maria Lacerda de Maura wrote about Gandhi in her work on pacifism. Lanza del Vaso contributed immensely in proliferating Gandhian philosophy in Europe. He founded the Community of the Ark, modelled after Gandhi’s ashram, in 1948. In addition, the British musician John Lenon, who actively supported the civil rights movement in the US during the post-Vietnam War, referred to Gandhi when discussing his views on non-violence. At the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2007, former US Vice-President and environmentalist Al Gore specifically mentioned about Mahatama.
The UN’s declaration of 2nd October as the International Non-violence Day is not first time the day is dignified at international level. Founded in 1988, the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace has been observing Mahatma’s birth anniversary every year. Also in the same year, members of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Committee—a sub-committee of the Council of Indian Societies of Edmonton—envisioned the establishment of an annual observation of Gandhi’s birth anniversary. |
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