UNITED NATIONS, Oct 3: Invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi on ‘International Day of Non-Violence’, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has asked nations to resort to peaceful dialogue for settling disputes and to end violence, including that meted out towards women.
Commemorating the day, celebrated at the UN on Gandhi’s birth anniversary yesterday, Ban said Gandhi’s legacy of non-violence still resonates and he showed the power of peacefully opposing oppression, injustice and hatred.
The example of Gandhi, “a global giant for justice, respect for diversity and fundamental human rights” has inspired many other history-makers such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, Ban said.
The UN Chief said the message of each of these individuals was to champion human dignity and reject intolerance.
“Non-violence does not mean non-action. It takes courage to stand up to those who use violence to enforce their will or beliefs,” Ban said at the ceremony hosted by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.
“It requires resolve to face down injustice, discrimination and brutality. It takes strength to move from conflict to peaceful negotiation.”
Noting that some of history’s greatest leaders “rejected the battleground for the negotiating table,” Ban said durable peace cannot be won through force of arms. “That is why I have insisted throughout the war in Syria that all concerned must work for a political solution.”
“Violence can be contagious, but so can peaceful dialogue. The United Nations stands for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the end to all forms of violence, whether state-sponsored or embedded in culture and practice. This includes the systemic violence and intimidation that women and girls endure in all regions,” Ban said.
In a special performance, Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan enthralled the audience with an half-hour long recital of tunes such as ‘Vaishnav Jan to’ and ‘Raghupati Raghav Rajaram’, some of Gandhi’s favourite songs. (PTI)
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