Hum Bharat Ke Log, a social organisation, has announced a nationwide commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination day as the day of national unity, communal harmony, non-violence and peace. The initiative will host cultural programmes in the morning and a two-minute silence at 5.17pm at the time of Gandhi’s assassination.
On January 30, India will commemorate the 77th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Hum Bharat Ke Log has announced a people’s initiative to commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom. The initiative has proposed for a two-minute silence at 11am followed by national unity and communal harmony marches across the country with ‘sarva dharma prarthana and songs for harmony and peace.
The organisation has called upon people to observe silence at 5.17pm at the time when Gandhi was assassinated. Along with a social media campaign to post #Mahatma_Gandhi_Zindabad at 8am, it has also appealed people to wear white clothes to symbolise peace. It has also appealed to all the state governments to blow the siren at 11am according to the norm to observe silence in the memory of the father of the nation.
Activists like Dr. GG Parikh, Tushar Gandhi, Feroze Mithiborwala, Guddi S L, M A Khalid and others have expressed solidarity with the initiative. Similarly, Medha Patkar, Prof. Anand Kumar, Prof. Ram Puniyani, Shyam Dada Gaikwad, Anand Patwardhan, Adv. Prashant Bhushan, Dr. Sunilam, Javed Anand, Teesta Setalwad and others have endorsed the event. It has also appealed to all peoples' movements, political parties and citizens to endorse the initiative and organise as well as participate in the forthcoming programmes.
“In recent years, the country has witnessed growing threat of communal fascism, leading to fear, hatred, divisions and violence. Evidently, the very founding principles drawn from the values and morals of our freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi are under continuous serious assault. Gandhiji's message of unity and harmony, of satyagraha and resistance against tyranny, of peace and non-violence, today resonates across the world. It’s time for the secular democratic forces to give a fitting reply to divisive forces,” said a spokesperson of the organisation.
