Heeding Gandhi's message

On Sunday, January 29, we met at the Peace Laboratory, Hal Far, to commemorate the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who died in 1948. The prayer hall was packed. Gandhi was a hero and saint who gave everything in the service of humanity.

After placing flowers at the foot of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Fr Dionysius Mintoff, a great admirer of Gandhi, said that the greatness of the Mahatma came from the realm of the spirit, his influence and unparallelled leadership from his universal love and faith in mankind.

Gandhi is unique in history in many respects. But his most outstanding contribution lies in his supreme achievement of transforming the principle of non-violent resistance into a successful instrument for achieving liberty, justice and peace. What was once just a personal discipline he elevated into a social technique for community and national emancipation.

Abstract truth has no value for me, said Gandhi, unless it is incarnated in human beings who represent it by proving their readiness to die for it.

It is not nationalism that is evil. It is narrowness, selfishness, exclusivity, which is the bane of modern nations, which is evil. Each wants to profit at the expense of and rise on the ruins of the others, continued Mahatma Gandhi.

His public meetings were attended by people of all religions: Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs. His was a basic religion that became the common faith of all. The very fact that devout Christians, prominent Muslims, the leaders of Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths would seek his inspiration and guidance was sufficient proof of his universal faith that could enfold all.

We have to organise ourselves for the benefit and service of humanity at large. This is the message Gandhi left us. We have to do our duty to implement it.