INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON - VIOLENCE

The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. This day is referred to in India as Gandhi Jayanti.

In January 2004, Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi had taken a proposal for an International Day of Non-Violence from a Hindi teacher in Paris teaching international students to the World Social Forum in Bombay. The idea gradually attracted the interest of some leaders of India's Congress Party ("Ahimsa Finds Teen Voice", The Telegraph, Calcutta) until a Satyagraha Conference resolution in New Delhi in January 2007, initiated by Indian National Congress President and Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance Sonia Gandhi and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, called upon the United Nations to adopt the idea.

On 15 June 2007 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence. The resolution by the General Assembly asks all members of the UN system to commemorate 2 October in "an appropriate manner and disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness."

The United Nations Postal Administration(UNPA) in New York City prepared a special cachet to commemorate this event, following a request from the Indian Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. The boxed pictorial cachet design was prepared by the UNPA and was limited to cancellation at UNPA's NY location (not Geneva and Vienna). The UNPA has indicated that all outgoing UNPA mail between October 2 and 31 carried the cachet.

HAPPY GANDHI JAYANTI

Gandhi Jyanthi is a national festival celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the "Father of the Nation". It is one of the three national holidays of the country. Though the title is not officially declared, asthe Constitution of India does not permit a father of the nation, it is mostly conferred to him. The United Nations General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that 2 October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi Ji was preacher of Satyagraha (truth) and Ahinsa (non-violence). He lived for people’s happiness and always motivated others to do the same. His noble thought and love for mankind made him popular across the world. Gandhi Ji is remembered as a moralist who awakened the whole world and fought relentlessly to end up the discrimination of cast, creed and color. At present, he is not alive but, his principles are still alive in the heart of every Indian. On October 2, the whole nation stands and salutes the priceless service that Gandhi Ji had given to the people of India. Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday and thus, all offices, schools and other organizations across the country remain closed.

READ GANDHIJI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY AT

 http://www.mkgandhi.org/linktoautobio.htm