A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes. » – Gandhi.

January 30th, observed as Martyr’s Day in India in the national level, which marks the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1948, was chosen by St. Lawrence High School to spread the message of peace.

Martyr’s Day was celebrated enthusiastically as approximately 150 students, some of them dressed as Gandhi, walked in a rally on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the assassination of the Father of the Nation. In a world riddled with conflict, where everyday we come across instances of anti-secularism, terrorism and exploitation, we need to remind ourselves of the ideals of the great angel of peace Mahatma Gandhi, who walked the path of Ahimsa (non-violence) and considered his religion humanity. We should not take recourse to violence in response to violence is what we want our students to understand.

Students of class V to XII along with 10 teachers of the school and Father Sebastian James, S.J. walked in the procession that left the Ballygunge Circular Road school at 9.15am. They sang Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, a hymn that was Gandhi’s favourite, as they marched along Ballygunge Circular Road, Ritchie Road, Hazra Road and Dover Road. A large number of onlookers and passers by joined the procession and offered their reverence.

The procession was organised not just to spread awareness to the people about the current situation but also served as a gentle reminder that the spirit of peace is the answer to many of our problems.

Although it was quite cold outside, the boys who dressed as Gandhi and wore dhoti, refused to cover themselves with warm cloth when they walked. The students performed a skit at Maddox Square based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa and his fight against racial discrimination. They returned to the school at 10.30am.