By Kamala Sarup

Photo Source pradesh.com

Photo Source paradesh.com
The 136th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated in Washington DC on Sunday.

India’s envoy to the U.S., Ronen Sen, recalled the role played by Gandhi in inspiring the freedom movements in countries under the yoke of colonialism. The admirers of Gandhi’s life include citizens of a variety of countries, including America, who are studying his life’s work.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in the town of Porbander in the state of what is now Gujarat on 2 October 1869. Throughout his life, Gandhi struggled to ensure freedom for his oppressed countrymen and to spread his heartfelt belief in nonviolent resistance against repressive regimes wherever they are.

After spending 21 years in South Africa Gandhi returned to India to fight for Indian independence from Great Britain. He inspired countless individuals, such as Reverend Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela and his indomitable spirit lives on even today.

My life is my message: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Photo:globusz.com)

My life is my message: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Photo:globusz.com)

Gandhi’s message was one of peace and compassion: that one’s actions profoundly affect the world in which one lives. In today’s world fraught with tension and conflicts, the universal teachings of Gandhi including non-violence, love and fraternity have an enduring relevance. Humanity as a whole could benefit immensely by following the path he illuminated: peace, friendship, tolerance and primacy of humane conduct.

What few today celebrate is Gandhi’s great courage. By deliberately choosing the path of non-violence, a revolutionary concept in his day, Gandhi knew that both he and his followers would surely encounter persecution, suffering and even death. Yet he never changed his beliefs, and indeed led from the front, showing his followers the ultimate way. Because of his unflinching courage and determination, Gandhi changed both India and the world.

Gandhi believed that the edifice of lasting peace could be erected only on the foundation of love, compassion, tolerance, coexistence and non-violence. Peace and non-violence are the only sane choices in an increasingly violent world.

To honor Gandhi’s memory, we Nepalis must work for peace. We should join hands across the political divides in order to develop a truly nationwide consensus for peace. Violence begets violence. Breaking this cycle and discovering solutions that actually work is, perhaps, one way to truly honor the memory of Gandhi.

One way is to educate the media about the root causes of conflicts and resultant violence. Superficial analyses by journalists to grab a quick headline or audience share cheapens the sacrifice of those who have devoted their lives to finding solutions and ending conflicts. Someone once said that all conflicts are ultimately about economic power: who has it, who wants it, and who ultimately gets it. There can be little doubt that poverty and the misery it creates spawn both conflict and violence. To actually solve conflicts, issues of poverty and a society perceived as just by all must be taken into account.

The ultimate losers in conflicts between powerful interests are the innocents caught in the middle. The slaughter of innocents is a sad story in all of the world’s conflicts and wars, no matter how well-meaning the combatants may have been to begin with. Gandhi clearly showed us all this eternal truth.

Since powerful people all over the world are arrogant, acquisitive, and ignorant, wars will always occur. But perhaps the best we common people can do is to foster conditions for increased communications and more trade between different countries so that they stand to lose economically by resorting to war. One of the reasons A. B. Vajpayee government of India avoided war with Pakistan was economic.

More education promotes better technical skills, foreign languages, and a deeper understanding of other cultures, which combine to reduce chances of misunderstandings, violence and war.

Journalists and writers can greatly help to propagate the message of peace by writing convincingly for the general public in newspapers, TV, radio and the Internet against war and in favour of peace. Changing people’s attitudes through media is the way to ultimately win the war on violence.