TEHRAN - An estimated year-long rally called “Jai Jagat 2020”, carrying Mahatma Gandhi’s message of non-violence, justice and peace, has completed its second leg of journey across Iran before it reaches Armenia on Thursday.

It started from Raj Ghat in New Delhi on October 2, 2019, which marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the renowned anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British Rule.

Iran’s itinerary of the campaign was made in close collaboration with Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and its local departments en route.

“The rally of Jai Jagat [2020] across Iran reflects a clear massage of security, peace, hospitality and friendship form Iranian people to the world,” ILNA quoted Mohammad-Ebrahim Larijani, the ministry’s director of advertising and marketing office, as saying on Wednesday.

The journey is planned to come to an end in Geneva, Switzerland, where a dialogue will take place with UN agencies on implementation of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to organizers, the Jai Jagat vision emerged as Rajagopal, the founder of Ekta Parishad, visited numerous groups and projects throughout India and other nations to explain Ekta Parishad’s methods of empowering poor communities.

“Never in human history have we faced such a crisis as we face now. There are the ancient problems of poverty and injustice, along with new and escalating wars and migration on a massive scale. Increasing automation is bringing the mass employment model of capitalism to an end,” the campaign highlights. 

“Millions of jobs are threatened as human labor becomes redundant across many industries. In addition to all that, the profound effects of global warming and extreme weather conditions need to be halted, or at least mitigated, to prevent a catastrophic future with significantly diminished food and water.”

Iran was ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in the globe in 2019, with 27.9 percent growth year on year, according to the latest statistics released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

AFM/MG