UNIFIL’s Indian peacekeepers organized a series of activities with the host communities in south-eastern Lebanon this week, promoting the messages of non-violence and peace, and marking the 150^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

On 1 October, the UN peacekeepers organized a painting competition among schoolchildren of Ibl al-Saqi and Hasbaya. The following day, they organized a special ceremony at Mahatma Gandhi Park in Ibl al-Saqi to pay homage to Gandhi.

Both events sought to spread the virtues of non-violence and peace that were at the core of Gandhi’s movement.

Gandhi, who helped lead India to independence, has been the inspiration for non-violent movements across the world. In June 2007, the UN General Assembly established the International Day of Non-Violence to be observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, as the occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.”