Mahatma Gandhi shares message on education at U.N.

In a first, Mahatma Gandhi made a special appearance at the United Nations (U.N.), delivering a message on education at the world organisation as it commemorated the International Day of Non-Violence on the occasion of the leader’s birth anniversary.

This was for the first time at the U.N. that a life-size hologram of Mahatma Gandhi led a panel discussion. A voice-over accompanying the Gandhi hologram shared the iconic leader’s thoughts on education.

“Literacy is not the end of education or even the beginning. By education, I mean an all-around drawing out of the best in the child and the man, body, mind and spirit. By spiritual training, I mean education of the heart,” the Gandhi hologram said.

According to the General Assembly resolution of June 2007, the International Day of
Non-Violence has been an occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence including through education and public awareness”. The resolution reaffirms “the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire “to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence”.

The panel discussion was moderated by UNESCO MGIEP Director Anantha Duraiappah. It focussed on ‘Education for Human Flourishing’ and was part of the Ahinsa Lecture Series which kick-started the 10-year celebration of UNESCO MGIEP.