Mahatma b'day now a global affair

Mahatma Gandhi?s birthday has been declared as the International Day for Non-violence.

In a tribute to Gandhi's philosophy of brotherhood and peace, the UN General

Assembly declared October 2, his birth anniversary, as the International Day of Non-Violence on Saturday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomed UN?s support for India's resolution declaring Gandhi's birthday as International Day of Non-Violence, saying it is a "proud moment" for India.

"A great tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and a proud moment for India", Singh was quoted by his Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru as having said on Friday night.

Introducing the resolution in the 191-member Assembly, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma stressed the importance of the Mahatma's message that, he said, encompasses the rejection of violence against oneself, against others, against other groups, against other societies and against nature.


Non-violence "has no room for cowardice or even weakness," he said quoting Gandhi, and added that it also "necessitates complete abstention from exploitation in any form.

The resolution, which urged member States to observe the day each year in appropriate manner to disseminate the message of non-violence, was co-sponsored by 137 of the 191 members and was adopted without a vote.

Promoting the principle of non-violence in such a focussed manner, he said, would significantly contribute to the realisation of the goals set out in the 1999 UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.

Sharma said the declaration would also advance the implementation of the goals of the International Decade for Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World being observed from 2001 to 2010.