Dussehra, also called Vijayadashami is a major Hindu festival that marks the end of both Durga Puja and the culmination of the nine-day-long Navratri fasting. This propitious day is celebrated as the victory of good over evil – as exemplified in Lord Rama defeating and emerging victorious over the 10-headed demon King Ravana of Lanka, who had abducted Lord Rama’s wife, Sita and Goddess Durga annihilating Mahishasura, the demon king.

Dear Signatories, as this auspicious occasion is believed to be the perfect time for a new beginning in our lives, we request you to renew your pledge to peace, amity, friendship and goodwill amongst nations and withdraw your consent to the War System, which has wrought untold destruction and   claimed thousands of innocent lives through the ages.

As part of the Call for Action #’s of the Shanti Sahyog  petition #ChooseNonviolentDefence, do continue to spread the word to protest against war, thereby saving lives and choosing the good (nonviolence) over evil (violence). Let us have the courage to ask for forgiveness for our wrongdoings, thereby empowering ourselves to take meaningful steps towards peaceful co-existence. Let us ‘be the change’ – a la Gandhi – that this world desperately needs!

Let us always remember the significance of Dussehra, as brought out by Mahatma Gandhi’s affirmation: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”