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Remarks of Consul General Dr. Madan Mohan Sethi on the occasion of 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 02.10.2020

Posted on: October 28, 2020 | Back | Print

  • Most Ven. Thich Thien Tam, Vice Presidencet, Executive Council, Vietnam Buddhist Sanga
  • Madam Ho Thi Trinh Anh, Vice Chairperson, VIFA
  • Madam Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, Head of IR, HUFO
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, President, USSH
  • Mr. Ramesh Anand, INCHAM
  • Colleagues from other diplomatic corps

First of all I will like to extend my gratitude to University of Social Sciences and Faculty of Oriental Studies Centre for collaborating with the Indian Consulate in organising the Photo Exhibition on the Life of Mahatma Gandhi on the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Today is an auspicious day for all of us as we all have gathered here to celebrate the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom we all fondly know as ‘Mahatma Gandhi’.

I will start my today’s remarks by briefly recapitulating the historic event in Mahatma Gandhi’s life which transformed his life’s perspective and redefined his aims. After studying law, he went to South Africa for attending one case. On a train journey on 7 June 1893 from Durban to Pretoria, he entered a first class compartment with a valid ticket. However, he was thrown out of the train at Pietermaritzburg station for refusing to downgrade to second class on a complaint from white travellers. He spent the entire chilly winter night in the waiting room at the station. This fateful train journey changed not only his own life but also altered the course of world history. Gandhiji conceived the idea of ‘Satyagraha’, a non-violent, passive form of resistance against oppressive rule to achieve social or political change. He perfected his non-violent resistance method during his extended stay of over 21 years in South Africa where he won major victories in changing the laws in favour of Indians and other Asians living there. He taught the masses to free themselves from fear and stand up non-violently with the power of soul-force. He was an apostle of non-violence and demonstrated the superiority of “soul power” over the brutality of the gun.