1st Jain International Conference

Author(s): Jaina Jito Shrutratnakar
Publisher: Jaina Jito Shrutratnakar

Page 30

1 st INTERNATIONAL JAIN
CONFERENCE
Need to celebrate International Non-violence day on October 2 in 200 countries to save the
Earth: Action plan is required
Surendra Singh Pokharna
and Narendra Bhandari Science and Spirituality Research Institute
(SRI), Ahmedabad
United Nations has declared October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as an International Non-Violence Day in 2007, but not much has been done in the last 12 years to celebrate it. We ought to observe it on the scale and style of Yoga day with active public participation.
Non-violence is required because in last fifty years, half of animals and insects have died or killed on the Earth due to human activities, climate change and other factors. Around 25,000 biological species are getting extinct every year. About 15,000 crores (150 billions) animals are killed for food and due to other human activities. (www.occupyforanimals.net/ animal-kill-counter.html). The industrial-agriculture ventures coming up now will make it immensely worse.
Production of non-vegetarian food, weight wise, requires around 1020 times more land and 20 to 50 times more water, which offers a big danger to our environment and ecology. Non-violence is also required as terrorism is on the increase in the world, senseless violence is increasing every other day; some countries are threatening for war, even atomic war, and there is a cut throat competition in all walks of life, resulting into violent feelings among people leading to an overall increase in the feelings of violence at subconscious levels. Crimes involving women children are also on the rise. As per one theory, we are fast moving towards a "Sixth Extinction" in which a majority of living beings will disappear in the near