…on his 143rd birth anniversary
MOHANDAS Karamchand Gandhi’s 143rd birth anniversary was commemorated in Georgetown yesterday, with an outpouring of tributes at the Promenade Gardens. The annual celebratory event was attended by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Subit Kumar Mandal and City Mayor Hamilton Greene, among other distinguished guests, all joining to pay homage to Gandhi, the pioneer of ‘Satyagraha’, or resistance to tyranny founded upon ‘Ahimsa’, total non-violence.
In his tribute, Hinds pointed out that Gandhi-ji was selfless and sincere in his persistent quest for justice for the oppressed, and it is indeed appropriate that his birthday is also commemorated worldwide as International Day of Non-violence.
He said, “The people of India have every reason to be proud to have given the world such a great leader, whose teachings have been a source of inspiration and strength, not only to the people of his native land, but to also many peoples and political movements around the world in their fight for freedom and self determination.”
The Prime Minister also said that Gandhi’s message was meant not only for India and Indians, but for all humanity, to garner wisdom from.
Alluding to the principle of non-violence, he pointed out that it is even more important for persons in society today to draw on the wisdom of Gandhi’s thoughts, as his message is as relevant today as it was when he preached it over a century ago.
According to Hinds, Mahatma Gandhi’s place in humanity was measured not in terms of the 20th century, but in terms of history as his teachings came to inspire non-violent movements elsewhere, notably in the United States, under the civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and in South Africa, under Nelson Mandela.
Guyana too has emerged from a difficult colonial past which brought together people from many parts of the word in one land, he added.
Alluding to the administration’s role in ensuring the continued development of the country, he said, “In its nation-building process this government remains firmly committed to the pursuit of policies that will benefit all Guyanese, regardless of race, colour, or creed, and to work strenuously so that we converge on the national aspiration of becoming one people out of many.”
High Commissioner Mandal said it is not accidental that Gandhi’s birth anniversary and International Day of Non-violence coincide, but rather, it was due to a deliberate decision taken by the international community to reinforce the relevance of Gandhi’s teachings and the futility of violence.
He said, “In this context, it is also the time to recall the contributions of Guyana to making it possible… the recent events in Indian and some other parts of the world have demonstrated that ‘Satyagraha’ and ‘Ahimsa’ are more than ethical principles, and that these can achieve practical results”.
The High Commissioner noted  that Gandhi’s  theory of ‘Satyagraha’ is not just a non-violent method of achieving aims, but is gentle, sustained moral pressure designed to break down emotional, ideological and social barriers that different groups build around themselves.
“ We remain convinced that the message of Mahatma Gandhi will not remain a call in the wilderness and that it will continue to show the way  to a more civilized world,” he posited
Born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, in present-day Gujarat, Gandhi was raised in a very conservative family that had affiliations with the ruling family of Kathiawad. He was educated in law at University College, London.
Adopted as Mahatma (The Great Soul), Gandhi was a freedom fighter, spiritual leader and humanist. He was also a remarkable and courageous individual, combining his spiritual beliefs with his struggle for freedom and justice, his only weapon being truth and non-violence.

In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay, without much success.
Two years later, an Indian firm with interests in South Africa retained him as legal adviser in its office in Durban, where Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race.
He was appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa, and as a result, threw himself into the struggle for elementary rights for Indians.
On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot while walking to a platform from which he was to address a prayer meeting; he was the leader of the Indian Independence and the non-violence movements.
Gandhi’s philosophy was built on three main pillars – truth, passive resistance and non-violence.