The Gulf Times
June 17, 2007
UN declares Gandhi’s Birthday as Day of Non-Violence
by Gulf Times staff
NEW DELHI: The UN will observe Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday as the International Day of Non-Violence every year, it said in a statement yesterday.
The UN called upon all member nations and individuals to commemorate October 2 in “an appropriate manner and to disseminate the message of non-violence.” 0617 02
The resolution was introduced by India.
Gandhi’s descendants hailed the move, but said the gesture should not only be symbolic.
“It’s welcome but not enough. If they have declared it as non-violence day, they should ensure that it is observed as one among member countries,” said the leader’s great grandson Tushar Gandhi.
“The conflicts should come to an end and it should be a step towards creating a world without violence.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also welcomed the move in a statement describing it as “a great tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and a proud moment for India.”
“I am extremely happy that the United Nations will henceforth observe Gandhi Jayanti, October 2 as International Day of Non-Violence each year, following a unanimous decision by the General Assembly of the United Nations yesterday,” Singh said.
“This is a tribute by the world community to the Father of our Nation,” the prime minister said.
“The universal relevance of Gandhiji’s message of non-violence is more important today than ever before since nations across the world continue to grapple with the threat of conflict, violence and terrorism,” he said.
Singh also exhorted the people of India “to re-dedicate ourselves to the ideals and values of Mahatma Gandhi, which shall continue to be our guiding light.”
Gandhi was a proponent of non-violent civil disobedience in India’s fight against the British colonial rule which ended in 1947.
He was shot dead by a Hindu nationalist in 1948.
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The idea of Ahimsa Day, International Day of Non-Violence is originally an initiative of an English class of mainly Japanese and Korean children in Paris, working on Attenborough's film 'Gandhi'. This proposal was taken to the 2004 Bombay WSF by Peace Nobel laureate, Shirin Ebadi of Iran, and supported by Romila Thapar, Asma Jahangir, Noam Chomsky, K.R. Narayanan, Immanuel Wallerstein, etc. Krishna Kumar (now director NCERT) had predicted that this call will take 3 years to be properly heard...
Hard News, the Indian associate of the international French monthly Le Monde Diplomatique, supported the initiative. Editor Sanjay Kapoor discussed it with Mohsina Kidwai, General Secretary of the Indian National Congress, who took it to party president Sonia Gandhi just before the January 2007 Satyagraha convention where archbishob Desmond Tutu on January 30th formally proposed that a call for an ahimsa day (not on 30th January, however, but 2nd October) be sent to the UN.
For more, search "Ahimsa Day, Shirin Ebadi" or "Non-Violence Manifesto". Also see FAQ on Ahimsa Online.
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