By IANS
New York : Mahatma Gandhi is a personal hero, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.
“Since I began my diplomatic career in India early in the 1970s, I have carried with me his definition of the seven sins: ‘Wealth without work; pleasure without conscience; science without humanity; knowledge without character; politics without principle; commerce without morality; and worship without sacrifice,'” the secretary-general, who belongs to South Korea, said here Tuesday.
He was addressing the UN General Assembly’s first-time observance of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary as the International Day of Non-violence, where Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of India’s United Progressive Alliance, also spoke.
The message of Mahatma Gandhi, whose peaceful struggle helped to give birth to an independent India and inspired countless people around the world, is needed now more than ever amid rising global tensions, intolerance and conflict, he said.
The secretary-general pointed out that communities around the globe were “increasingly mired in rising intolerance and cross-cultural tensions. We see extremist dogma and violent ideologies gaining ground, as moderate forces retreat.
“And we have witnessed lethal force being used against unarmed and non-violent marchers who exemplified the very spirit of the Mahatma’s teachings,” he added, referring to the recent wave of peaceful protests in Myanmar.
Ban Ki-moon said he hoped the Non-violence Day, which will be observed every year on Oct 2, will help to advance true tolerance and non-violence at every level, from individuals all the way up to governments.
“May this day help spread Mahatma Gandhi’s message to an ever wider audience, and hasten a time when every day is a day without violence,” he said.