It is ‘nine-eleven’ once again—a day heavy with memories. Memories of violence and suffering, of hate and division. Yet, it is also a day of promise—of truth and nonviolence, of justice and peace, of hope for new beginnings and a new dawn. Our world today is gripped by hate and violence, wars and conflicts, discrimination and division, prejudice and racism, corruption and communalism. One sees this everywhere. In neighbouring Nepal, for instance, a youth uprising challenges a corrupt regime—reminiscent of what took place in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh not too long ago. It is also a warning for the corrupt and communal regime in India.
The plight of the Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, has continued for almost a year. Despite condemnation from most of the world, the Israeli regime has not stopped its brutal, violent, inhuman attacks on a beleaguered and starving people. Yesterday, the Israeli government even bombed Qatar. Violence from Ukraine to Manipur continues unabated. The military-industrial complex is having a heyday, profiteering from the blood of innocent victims. All this is happening today, on ‘nine-eleven.’
There are memories of ‘nine-eleven’ today. On this day in 1906, Mahatma Gandhi launched his nonviolent resistance campaign at a historic mass meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. It marked the birth of ‘Satyagraha’—the relentless pursuit of truth and justice. Gandhi believed these were non-negotiables, two sides of the same coin. More than three thousand Indians, both Hindus and Muslims, and others gathered to support the beginning of civil disobedience. Later, with Ahimsa (nonviolence), Satyagraha would become Gandhi’s twin doctrine in belief and practice. He used it effectively in his struggle against British colonial rule in India. Several world civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, later embraced this doctrine.
Sadly, we have not learned from the past. Racism, xenophobia, jingoism, exclusiveness, pseudo-nationalism, discrimination and divisiveness still have a stranglehold on nations and peoples across the globe. The rise of extreme-right ideologies, wedded to fascism and fundamentalism, is a growing concern. Some want to “build walls and fences” to keep people out. Satyagraha was a movement to help people realise that all humans have dignity and are created equal in the image and likeness of God. Our responsibility is to build bridges, not walls.
There are memories of ‘nine-eleven’ today. In 1893, on this day, at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda delivered a powerful and passionate speech. He pleaded for an end to every form of sectarianism, bigotry, fanaticism and violence by fostering the values enshrined in every religion. He said emphatically: “I fervently hope that the bell which tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.” Ironically, his call does not resonate with today’s Hindutva fundamentalists, who pursue a fascist and fanatic agenda by demonising and attacking minorities—particularly Muslims, Christians and Sikhs—in a systematic and meticulous manner.
There are memories of ‘nine-eleven’ today. What happened in the United States in 2001 will always be etched in human memory. Every form of violence is unacceptable and must be strongly condemned. No violent act can be justified, whatever the provocation. The unprecedented violence in the US is remembered and defined by a date—“9/11.” The very utterance of it evokes emotions ranging from undiluted hatred to helplessness in the face of rabid terror; from inconsolable grief at the loss of loved ones to heated debates on imponderables. A visit to Ground Zero brings back painful memories of the nearly three thousand lives lost in one place.
One is also reminded of the millions who suffer every day in Palestine and Yemen, Syria and Iraq, DR Congo and Sudan, Myanmar and Afghanistan, Venezuela and El Salvador, and so many other parts of the world. The world must never forget the terror unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Vietnam and Cambodia, Iraq and Iran, and beyond. We need to stop all war and violence now. We must close down the military-industrial complex and all nations must denuclearize immediately. Do we, as citizens of the world who genuinely desire sustainable peace, have the courage to say “never again” this 9/11?
There are memories of ‘nine-eleven’ today. The great Gandhian Vinoba Bhave was born on this day in 1895. Widely regarded as the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi, he was a strong advocate of nonviolence and human rights. He initiated the Bhoodan Movement, a nonviolent land gift campaign to redistribute land to the poor. He translated the Bhagavad Gita into Marathi and is regarded as the National Teacher of India. He died in November 1982 and was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Swami Agnivesh, the well-known social reformer, also died on this day in 2020. He was known for his fight against bonded labour through the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, which he founded in 1981. He also helped found the World Council of Arya Samaj. He championed freedom of religion and workers’ rights, and was an unwavering voice for the excluded, the exploited and the victims of injustice. If alive today, he would have taken on the Rajasthan Government for its draconian anti-conversion law and the Gujarat Government for increasing factory working hours to 12 per day—both laws passed yesterday.
Significantly, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, also died on this day in 1948. A barrister and politician, he led the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the creation of Pakistan on 14 August 1947.
There are memories of ‘nine-eleven’ today. So much is happening all around us. We are in the midst of the ‘Season of Creation,’ yet parts of Punjab and Pakistan have been devastated by floods. Recent earthquakes in Afghanistan and Greece have claimed lives and livelihoods. Still, the rich and powerful continue to destroy Mother Earth. A terrible reality grips the lives of many because of incompetent, autocratic, biased, violent and insensitive leaders everywhere. Manipulation and marketing allow them to remain in power, using every trick in the book to keep people divided.
Today, 9/11, is surely a day of commemorations—the tragic and mournful ones. Yet it is also a day for new beginnings: of healing, of building bridges, of hope and resilience. A call to become pilgrims of hope.
As if on cue, today’s Catholic liturgy offers direction. In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul writes: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.”
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus exhorts us: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Are we listening? Will we act? Memories of ‘nine-eleven’ today must help us to do so.
---
*Human rights, reconciliation and peace activist and writer. This article was penned on September 11, 2025
Comments