–speakers urge at Gandhi’s birth anniversary

By Svetlana Marshall

THE 147th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the International Day of Non-Violence were both observed on Sunday by the Indian High Commission, with international and national leaders calling for an end to the violence being meted out to humanity.

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, hosted the ceremony at the Promenade Garden in the presence of the Minister of Business and Tourism, Dominic Gaskin; General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee; and prominent businessman Dr. Yesu Persaud, among other officials.

Addressing the gathering, Mahalingam said Sunday’s observances reaffirmed “the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire “to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence”.

However, he said the armed conflicts, particularly those dominating the Middle East and impeding the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, continue to dominate the meetings of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. These issues, the Indian High Commissioner said, were noted in Gandhi’s ideals, philosophy, and writings.

“The theory behind Gandhi’s actions, which included encouraging massive civil disobedience to British Law — as with the historic Salt March of 1930 — was that ‘Just Means Lead to Just Ends’. For Gandhi, it is irrational to use violence to achieve a peaceful outcome, or to create a peaceful society,” the Indian High Commissioner explained.

He added that, in his day, Gandhi followed and practised the principle of tolerance in order to avoid violence, even if he was provoked.

“Some may argue that Gandhiji’s ideal of non-violence is too idealistic to become practical. Certainly, it is not easy to follow the path of non-violence. However, the issue becomes clearer if one looks at the other option,” Commissioner Mahalingam said as he asked: “Has violence and use of weapons succeeded in bringing an end to the problems? Has bloodshed been a more effective way to resolve disputes? Has overexploitation of nature’s bounty led to a better life?”

Turning his attention to the green agenda, the Indian High Commissioner said Mahatma Gandhi was one of the pioneers of the green movement.

“You know that Gandhi prophesied that an economy built on material consumption would cause a serious threat to the environment. He viewed Man and nature as interwoven, and very prophetically foresaw and warned the world of the monstrous consequences of (the confluence of) so-called development and nature.”

As such, India on Sunday ratified the Paris Climate Change Agreement as a mark of respect for the Father of India – Mahatma Gandhi. In remembering the life of this great soul, Minister Gaskin said Mahatma Gandhi was a leader who was committed to non-violent resistance and civil disobedience in the struggle for India’s Independence.

Minister Gaskin said, however, that mankind has failed to remove the option of violence as a tool to fixing problems. For this reason, he said, there is still the issue of violence in varying forms.

“Violence is very much alive and well in many of our societies. Whether it is domestic violence; ethnic violence; territorial violence; religious, criminal or sexual violence, it is happening all around us and all around the world,” he said, while noting that it is a global crisis that ought to be addressed.

In response to this growing concern, the Minister of Business and Tourism called for emulation of the great leader, who refused to see violence as an option or a component of his struggle.

“Fortunately, in this case the leg work has already been done, because, on June 15 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring this day, October 2, as International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi had the wisdom, the discipline, and the courage in the face of violence to reject it as a solution,” Minister Gaskin posited.

PPP General Secretary Rohee also called for all of humanity to reject violence as a solution.