UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (file photo)
New York: On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 153rd birthday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for shunning violence. He urged people to follow Gandhiji's principles of Ahimsa (non-violence) as his message on the International Day of Non-Violence, Asian News International reported.
The UN chief said in his tweet, "On the International Day of Non-Violence, we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday & values of peace, respect & the essential dignity shared by everyone. We can defeat today's challenges by embracing these values & working across cultures & borders to build a better future."
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose birth anniversary is observed as the International Day of Non-Violence, was born on 2nd October 1869. The day is a tribute to the Father of the Nation, and his values, principles and philosophy were remembered.
It was in 2007 the United Nations General Assembly declared October 2 as International Day of Non-violence, after Gandhiji's movement of non-violence against the colonial British before the Independence of India.
A lawyer by profession, Gandhiji went to South Africa to defend a client. He joined Indian National Congress upon his return to fight for the nation's freedom. He fought for women's rights and caste discrimination and led nationwide campaigns for peasants, labourers and farmers.
Though he never won a Nobel Prize, he was nominated five times for the honour. He was one and only Indian to be named "Time Person of the Year" in 1930, ANI reports.
Several world leaders like Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and John Lennon see Gandhiji as their ideal, write ANI.