We appeal to every Indian to:-
• Commemorate, pay homage and stand in silence for 2 minutes on the 30th of January at 11.00am and/or 5.17pm.
• Organise Sarva Dharma Prarthana, Inter-Faith Prayer meetings.
• Take a Pledge for Communal Harmony, Peace and Non-Violence
It was on this ominous day, 71 years ago, that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a religious fanatic. The Apostle of Peace and Non-Violence was shot dead as he headed for an Inter-Faith Prayer meeting.
A nation stood shocked! A man of prayer and peace, a man who strove for unity, harmony and co-existence among all religions, our diverse cultures, the man who united the nation and led our freedom struggle against the British – lay dead….killed by a religious bigot, motivated by an ideology of hate. The man whose entire life had been a tireless message for peaceful co-existence and non-violence had met with a violent end. The nation mourned as one.
After 71 years of our independence, the nation is witness to the growing forces of religious hatred, bigotry and violence. The attacks on Minorities, Women, Dalits, Tribals, Journalists, Human Rights Activists have continued to increase. The economic exploitation of the workers and farmers has increased, leading to lakhs committing suicide, widespread unemployment and pauperisation.
It was during the course of our Freedom Struggle, that the ‘Idea of India’ further evolved and we bequeathed a modern Constitution unto ourselves. Today this very Idea, our very Constitution is under threat from the forces of majoritarian religious extremism and fascism.
It is to defend these very ideals, the ideals of an India, united in its diversity, committed to a modern Secular Democracy, Social Justice & Gender Equality, an Egalitarian society, that a number of secular organisations have come together and issued a National Call to Commemorate Martyrs Day, 30th January 2019, as a day for committing to and defending the values of Non-Violence and Communal Harmony.
We thus call upon the People of India, upon all secular Political Parties, Social Organisations and Institutions to come forth and commemorate the Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi and the moral values that he stood and died for.
Thus let’s stand in silence in our schools and colleges, in our homes and offices, in our fields and factories, in our places of worship, the pheriwalas and in our shops, even as we travel or then as we walk on the streets. Let the entire Nation stand in silence as One!
Thus let’s once again reaffirm our commitment to the Father of Our Nation and his message.
Let the Nation rise as One, rise together in our silence!
Dr. G.G. Parikh
(National Convenor)
FerozeMithiborwala,
SandeepPandey,
Dr. Sunilam,
VarshaVidya Vilas,
Guddi
(National Co-ordinators)
NATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE
Medha Patkar
Mahadev Vidrohi
Admiral Ramdas
Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat
Justice B.G. Kolse Patil
Dr. Suresh Khairnar
Com. Ashok Dhawale
Com. Bhalchandra Kango
T.R.K. Somaiya
Yogendra Yadav
Raju Shetty
Teesta Setalvad
Javed Anand
Anand Patwardhan
Hasan Kamal
Ram Puniyani
John Dayal
Navaid Hamid
Ashok Bharti
SandeepPandey
Com. Mariam Dhawale
Nikhil Wagle
Kapil Patil
Com. Kavita Krishnan
Jignesh Mewani
Pratibha Shinde
Kishor Jagtap
Neeta Mahadev
Sheikh Abdul Rahman
Prof. Anand Kumar
Faisal Khan
Dr. Abdul Rahman
Anjaria
Lalita Ramdas
Advt. Niloufer Bhagwat
Zeenat Shaukat Ali
Subhash Ware
Shujaat Ali Quadri
Geeta Ramakrishnan
Dolphy D’Souza
Ram Tarun
Richa Singh
Avinash Patil
B.R. Patil
Ulka Mahajan
Amol Madame
Saira Shah Halim
Prof. Laltuangliana Khiangte
Com. Charul Joshi
Shama Zaidi
Manju S. Mohan
Nishikant Mohpatra
Bilal Khan
Shabbir Ansari Putul
P.J. Josey
Bandana Pandey
Nihal Pandey
Krishnakant
SalimAlware
Jayant Diwan
Jatin Desai
M.A. Khalid
Ravi Bhilane
AfrozMalik
SmitaSalunke
Dhanajay Shinde
Contact:Feroze Mithiborwala: 9029277751
Dr. Sunilam: 9425109770
Varsha Vidya Vilas: 9869289453
Guddi: 7738082170