Exhorting the world to heed Mahatma Gandhi’s advice to tackle terrorism and global warming, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Mahatma’s teachings of non-violence and love are as relevant in our times as it was during his lifetime.
‘I firmly believe that Mahatma Gandhi is as relevant today as he was during his time,’ Modi said while unveiling a bronze 2.5-metre long statue of Gandhi at Roma Street Parkland in this city in Australia’s southeastern state of Queensland.
‘On October 2 (1869), a person was not born in Porbandar but an era was born,’ said Modi, amid applause from the Indian diaspora gathered, governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey and Brisbane mayor Graham Quirk.
‘The world is grappling with two major challenges — terrorism and global warming — and these problems were causing anxiety,’ he said, noting that at the G20 Summit leaders spent a considerable time discussing these issues.
‘If we look at Gandhi’s life and his teachings, then we will be able to find solutions to the problems that the world faces today,’ he said. ‘Gandhi believed not only in one’s acts but in words also one should be non-violent. He believed that we should not hurt anyone verbally, leave aside using arms,’ Modi said.