Admirers and followers of Mahatma Gandhi will gather to honor the divine soul and great leader from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 2, near the leader/philosopher's statue adjacent to the Honolulu Zoo.

Interfaith spiritual leaders will share their views about the teachings and philosophy of this influential world figure. World peace will be the theme of speakers from Native Hawaiian, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, ISKCON, Seicho-No-Ie and Baha'i faiths.

The program is sponsored by Gandhi International Institute for Peace. Performances will include Indian devotional invocation, Bollywood and folk dance, spiritual chanting, Japanese tea ceremony, laughter yoga, music by the Royal Hawaiian Band and peace dance.

Gandhi, born on Oct. 2, 1869, in India, is a figure of immense influence. On June 15, 2007, 120 of 191 members of the United Nations passed a resolution and declared Gandhi's birthday an "International day of nonviolence." In 2007, Gov. Linda Lingle and Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann declared Oct. 2 a "Nonviolence and peace day in Hawai'i."

Gandhi created a revolutionary change in South Africa and India. He formed a passive nonviolent movement against the injustice and unfair laws imposed against Indians by the British government. He taught people to be nonviolent, even when they were beaten or mistreated by the police. He was able to move out British colonial government without using a weapon or an army.

Whenever there was a communal riot among Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi made the effort to unite people from all different faiths. He advised people not to fight in the name of religion, as God does not belong to one particular society, religion or nation. He said "I am Hindu, I am Christian, I am Jew and Muslim."

It is an appropriate time to consider Gandhi's nonviolence legacy.

Witness the creative investment of intellect that has produced the incredible killing capability of modern military forces on land, sea and air. Gandhi recognized that it will take even more creativity to be nonviolent. This is recognized by all who seek to attain nonviolent personal, national and international security, to find nonviolent alternatives to violence-based economies, to discover means of nonviolent expression in science, language, art and culture.

Millions have died in violence and war since World War II and Sept. 11, 2001. It seems we have not learned the lesson of history which Gandhi and his followers have been proclaiming.

Now we have moved into a new era of history, but we have not changed our thinking by continued development of advanced weapons of mass destruction and have continued violence and war. This tells us that we have advanced ourselves in technology and science, but we have not learned to use love, humility, compassion and kindness. We have increased the nuclear arms race, but we have not opened enough universities to teach the methods of nonviolence and peace. We have not done enough to educate younger generations to learn the lessons of love, truth, peace and nonviolence (Ahimsa).

The main cause of war is not the enemy we want to kill, but the enemy (ego and hatred) hidden within us. Once we know our higher self, and the purpose of our existence, and we learn to control our ego, anger and greed, there will be peace on earth.

Buddha said, "If war begins in the minds of men, then peace also begins in the minds of men."

Presently, the world is suffering with the turmoil of global economic meltdown, terrorism and war. This is the time to bring Gandhi's teachings back to the modern world and create equality among men and women.

Gandhi said, 'There is no way to peace, peace is the way. You must be the change if you want to see peace in the world."

As charity begins at home, so does peace begin within us, then influences society and the world.