On Sunday, April 5, as part of the activities of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence in Canada, Toronto nonviolence activists joined with the Hindu community north of the city to commemorate the anniversary of Gandhi’s Salt March – a legendary event in the history of nonviolence. Forty people, from 3 to 73 years of age, participated in the 2-hour “Gandhi Walk” up the city’s main street, arriving at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Vishnu Mandir Temple. As the group neared the Temple, they were given an enthusiastic welcome by its congregation.
Under the statue of Gandhi, Temple Vice-President Krisna Misir spoke about the significance of the Salt March to the liberation of India, and Roberto Verdecchia of the Humanist Movement spoke about how Gandhi’s spirit lives on in the World March today.
“The Mahatma said, ‘In this age of the atom bomb, unadulterated nonviolence is the only force that can confound all the tricks of violence put together.’ So we can make this commemoration of Gandhi’s great Salt March be something of great meaning if we continue our work for peace and nonviolence with the World March from today onwards, both at a personal level and socially. ” Verdecchia concluded.
The commemorative event ended with an Indian lunch for 300 people, prepared by members of the Temple.
