Do you have two minutes for Mahatma Gandhi? After Anna Hazare’s Gandhian way of protest, it’s now time to involve people to pledge their two minutes of silence.
On the International Day of Non-Violence on October 2 (as announced by the United Nations three years ago), the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti are organising “Your Date with Silence for Non-violence” at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat at 11.30 am.
Interestingly, in support of this universal recognition, one of Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughters Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, the vice-chairperson of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti and Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, has proposed that at 12 pm on October 2, citizens of all countries across the world observe silence for a duration of two minutes.
“We would like to make this an annual project, like we have the Earth Hour for saving electricity, we’ll have something for the enlightenment of the soul. Non-violence is an abstract subject. The event would be like an introspection of truth within and around us. It’s a small step aimed at uniting the world. It doesn’t have any barrier of religion, cast or creed. It’ll unite all in one cosmic moment,” says Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee.
And not only people associated to the project, but youngsters who have discovered a new meaning of Gandhi’s philosophy are upbeat about it.
Says Priyanka Goswami, a second year B.Tech student, “It’s not that I didn’t believe in Non-Violence, but I wasn’t aware of its power. I went to Anna’s protest and couldn’t believe the support he got from people. I will go to Gandhi Darshan on October 2 and will spread the word as well.”