Whilst I'm Wishing Happy Birthday... Here's another notable birthday, courtesy of Vivi*.
KAUAI, HAWAII, October 1, 2003: Two HPI readers have asked us to run something special to mark Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, which is also connected to the World Vegetarian Day.
Mark Hawthorne, [email protected], writes from California, "Tomorrow, October 2, is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. About the only thing I can say I share with the Mahatma is vegetarianism. Gandhi was vegetarian as part of a conscious ethical choice, not just adherence to Indian culture, as he makes clear in his autobiography. When Gandhi spoke to the Vegetarian Society in England in 1931, he said that he would never eat meat, even in the face of death: "If anybody said that I should die if I did not take beef-tea or mutton, even under medical advice, I would prefer death." Gandhi viewed moral commitment as essential to the vegetarian cause. He observed that those who became vegetarian solely for health reasons often had great difficulty in remaining vegetarians, while those who were vegetarian for ethical reasons were much more consistent in their practice. I am writing to ask you to please consider marking Gandhi's birthday by not eating meat tomorrow. There are so many meatless alternatives available today that I hope it will be easy for you to enjoy a full day without meat. Many of you are already vegetarian, in which case I ask you to suggest to a meat-eating friend that they give up meat for a day. This, in my opinion, is one of the best ways we can honor the life of Gandhi, for whom ahimsa ("non-injury") meant a universal love of animals as well as human beings."
Arun Toke, editor of Skipping Stones magazine, writes,
"At Skipping Stones magazine, we are celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on this Saturday, Oct. 4th with a multicultural and interfaith program. Our multicultural magazine was conceived at a Gandhian Ashram in Gujarat and we try to follow his ideals of truth, nonviolence, respect for all life and conservation of resources. These are also the essence of the teachings found in the Vedas. I am sure, you would have chosen him your Hindu of the Year honor if he was still alive today.
"Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat, India. As a successful lawyer, when Gandhi saw the racism, injustices and political oppression by the White minority government of South Africa, he strongly felt that it was his DHARMA to fight against unjust laws -- with the force of truth, non-cooperation and nonviolence.
"He created his own unique tools of Satyagraha-nonviolent resistance, of non-cooperation with injustices, boycotts and political fasts. He worked for equality and social justice for all -- Blacks and Colored people, women and men alike. He took a vow of poverty-renouncing all that was not absolutely needed to live simply. He was a life-long vegetarian and a teetotaler... His spirit had learned to soar high on its own accord.
"Gandhi led India's long struggle for independence from the British. Although he had not attended the school of journalism, here or anywhere else, he published at least three newspapers (Young India, Harijan, etc. ) to promote his high ideals of truth, equality, simplicity and worker's rights, and opposed globalization and war as a means of bringing justice or peace. He did not entrust that responsibility to the global media giants in England or elsewhere. He believed in cottage industry, appropriate technology, organic, vegetarian, wholesome foods and natural cures,
"Gandhi believed in compassionate dialogue and respect for all, including the 'enemy.' He had multilingual skills -- he spoke 14 languages, not counting the language of love, and compassion. He had studied the holy books of many religions -- the Bible, Koran and Gita and others. Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, Harijans, Jews and Christians were all equal in his eyes and heart. When his wife died in the prison, sixty years ago, the memorial service was an example of equality of the many paths to Godhead. Hymns, Bhajans, readings from Koran, Gita and Bible were part and parcel of the simple funeral attended by people of all colors and races. His evening prayer services were always multi-faith.
"Gandhi considered no one his enemy... everyone was a child of God for him, including the British oppressors. No wonder when Gandhi was arrested, many times, even the justices stood up in reverence to him as he walked in. People called him the father of the nation and his wife, Kasturba as the mother... He merged in the great spirit at the age of 78, on Jan 30, 1948; just six months after India's independence. He did not live to see apartheid erased from the land of South Africa nor to see the African-Americans in the United States achieve equal treatment under the able leadership of Dr. M. L. King, Jr., who used the methods Gandhi had prescribed in India and South Africa.
"Gandhi did not seek any office in the government of independent India. Instead, he traveled to the hot-spots of post-partition nation, trying to heal the wounds of hatred and violence. He did not seek any recognitions. Gandhi's spirit of truth and nonviolence continues to live through work of many people of faith and citizen's groups all over the world."
May God Rest His Soul.