by Nirmala Carvalho

The executive secretary of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Fr Nithiya Sagayam, explains to AsiaNews that it is useless to commemorate the Mahatma if one does not recall what it was that he lived for and the values that motivated him. An appeal for peace between India and Pakistan, the only path for the development of the two nations.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - On the anniversary of Gandhi's martyrdom, instead of commemorating him the Indian and Pakistani people "should reflect upon his principles, on the value of peace as the only means of development, and on the tragedy of poverty".  Only in this way "can the father of his country be properly honoured, while at the same time the threats against human dignity are removed”.

These comments to AsiaNews come from Fr Nithiya Sagayam,  who holds a doctorate in Gandhian philosophy and is the executive secretary of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the death of the "Great Soul ", the leader who with his non-violent struggle succeeded in attaining independence for India.

The philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, Fr Sagayam says, "is as important today as it was sixty  years ago. We've come to the point of commemorating the tragic end of the father of our country, but we have chosen to forget what motivated him his entire life.  It is sad to think that today there reason for Gandhi's martyrdom has been forgotten: he died for the sake of unity among Hindus and Muslims, for solidarity between India and Pakistan.  These are his motivations that must be remembered, the goals for which the people must struggle".

According to Fr Sagayam, who has worked in the area of interreligious dialogue for years, "it is not enough to pray and to sing devotional songs.  Even the observation of two minutes of silence at the exact time with his death has done nothing but make people silent about the principles and values that permeated the life of the Mahatma.  Peace, harmony, and solidarity are today questions more relevant than ever, and apply to India as they do to Pakistan".

On August 15, to celebrate the 60 year anniversary of Indian independence, the Commission for Justice, Peace and Development launched various initiatives for peace between New Delhi and Islamabad. According to Fr Sagayam, "it is necessary to take as an example the European Union, where barriers have been knocked down, even in the areas of currency and visas, in order to improve the lives of the people.  The European economy has improved, and this has done much for peaceful coexistence, the only path for justice and development".  But Gandhi's harmonious vision for India and Pakistan seems to have been completely obscured.  The Mahatma himself, he emphasises, "would have been traumatised by the situation plaguing both India and Pakistan today. It is the multinational companies that gain the most from this situation between the two neighbours.  The developed nations, by selling war weaponry, are making huge profits at the cost of India and Pakistan . . . These sales to India and Pakistan have enriched the multinational organisations, giving rise only to unfathomable destruction and counter-destruction".

Currently, the military spending of India and Pakistan "is exorbitant, and the poor of both India and Pakistan continue to be marginalised and live on the fringes of society.  Gandhi would urge that we wipe out poverty and save our children. invest in the poor, and use modern technology not for weapons but for ways to fight global poverty. Today it is so unfortunate that even the visa regulations are so stringent that relatives and families are split by borders and religion. . . . Rising share prices benefit only the rich, while the poor in India are dying of hunger and starvation and lack primary health care services. The poor and oppressed millions in the rural areas continue to eke out a living, often without human dignity in different pockets of the vast nation".

In conclusion, Fr Sagayam says, "Today we should reflect on these principles of Gandhi, on his vision and how to transform them into reality.  Both India and Pakistan must contemplate ways of bringing peace and harmony, and seek new avenues and opportunities to take peace across the borders. Let us all work for a movement of peace".

• India
• Pakistan
• Mahatma
• Gandhi
• assassination
• anniversary
• peace
• non-violence