Indian ambassador to Holy
See: Mahatma Gandhi still relevant today
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| Ambassador Sibi George (R) with Bishop Miguel Ayuso Guixot, President of the pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, in the Vatican (Robin Gomes) |
The world marks Mahatma’s Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary
on October 2. On the eve, the Ambassador of India to the Holy See, Mr. Sibi
George, participated in a day-long inter-faith event in the Vatican.
By Robin Gomes
The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is being
celebrated with events and programmes on Wednesday, 2 October, not only in
India but also by governments, organizations and people across the world.
It is proof that the message and values of the man, regarded by many as the father
of the Indian nation, are greatly cherished and valued even today, more than 70
years after his death.
Born on October 2, 1869, at Porbandar in Gujarat, Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, the lawyer-turned-activist successfully led India’s freedom
movement against British rule, adopting non-violent resistance. Gandhi,
who was given the title “Mahatma” (“Great Soul”) by Indian Noble Laureate
Rabindranath Tagore, was assassinated on January 30, 1948 in Delhi, at the age
of 78.
Gandhi has been the inspiration for civil rights and social
change across the world. Among the greats of our times who adopted his
philosophy of non-violence and non-cooperative methods are US civil rights
leader, Martin Luther King Jr., and former South African President, Nelson
Mandela.
The appeal of Gandhi is so great that the United Nations
General Assembly on June 15, 2007, established the International Day of
Non-Violence on Gandhi’s birthday on October 2. With this, the UN reaffirmed
"the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the
desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and
non-violence".
On Tuesday, the eve of Gandhi’s 150th birth
anniversary, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
organized a day-long inter-faith event in the Vatican on Gandhi on the theme:
“Fraternal Love and Non-violence for Global peace and harmony.”
Among the several speakers was the Ambassador of India to
the Holy See, Mr. Sibi George. He spoke to Vatican News explaining that
the message and values of Gandhi are very relevant even today.
He highlighted the fact that the establishment of the
International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations General Assembly on
Gandhi’s birthday, October 2, by a unanimous vote in 2007, speaks volumes about
the relevance of “his teachings and his principles”.
The Indian ambassador also said that principles of Gandhi
and what he stood for are much in tune with the teachings of the popes,
including Pope Francis, especially against the use of violence and the need for
peace and harmony in the world.
In this regard, he picked out a message of Mahatma Gandhi,
which he and many others read about in school text books and grew up with as
children. It is called Gandhi’s “talisman” to the world. The
talisman says that whatever be a person’s status or position in life, when he
or she comes across doubts making decisions, he or she should think about whether
that decision will benefit the poorest and the weakest person he or she has
come across in life. If the decision benefits the poor person, then one
should take that direction.
The Indian ambassador said that this is the message of the
ancient Sanskrit Hindu phrase, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, which means “the world
is one family”. “Every individual, irrespective of his status in society,
irrespective of the position he holds, everybody is important,” George
said. “And any decision we take, should have a positive impact on the
people.”
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