Post date: Oct 02, 2011 5:47:32 PM
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 142nd birth anniversary, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama urges people to follow and implement Gandhian principles in their lives, while terming graft as a form of violence.
DHARAMSALA, HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA (OCTOBER 02, 2011) ANI - Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 142nd birth anniversary on Sunday (October 02), the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama urged people to follow and implement Gandhian principles in their lives.
The Dalai Lama said this while speaking to mediapersons after delivering a sermon to Buddhist devotees in the Dharamsala town of India's northern Himachal Pradesh state, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Born in 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as 'Mahatma,' (Great Soul) pioneered the philosophy of non-violent resistance to British rule in India and remains a revered figure across the world.
Gandhi, also known as father of the nation is venerated all over India, and every major town or city across the country has at least one street named after him as a mark of respect.
His decades-long non-violent movement is known to have inspired scores of eminent peace activists and world leaders, including the Dalai Lama and South African anti-apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela.
Asserting that merely remembering Gandhi was not enough, the Dalai Lama said it was important to emulate and follow Gandhian values too.
"On this special day we must make every effort to implement his actions, non-violence. That is the proper way to remember him," said the Dalai Lama.
Lauding India's stable and vibrant democracy, the iconic Buddhist leader stressed on the need to eliminate the menace of graft from the country's socio-political systems to truly live up to Gandhi's vision of a sovereign India.
"You see, India really, I think, develop (as a) very stable, democratic society, despite some corruption or some problems. But still, you see, we need more efforts. Then, corruption also (is a) form of violence. So, those people who truly believe in non-violence, they must stop involvement of corruption. That is what I think is very, very important," said the Dalai Lama.
Graft has long been a part of daily life in India, but the recent scandals - which include violations in granting telecom licenses that cost the country $39 billion in lost revenue and the Commonwealth Games fiasco- are unprecedented and have sparked a public outcry.
India is ranked 87th of 178 countries in the list of the world's most corrupt nations, according to a 2010 survey of Transparency International.