The PEACE Cranes; messengers of Universal Peace
There was a little girl called Sadako Sasaki who survived the bombing. She was then two years old. The radiation from the bomb gave her leukemia when she was ten. Sadako believed in an old Japanese story that if you made 1,000 paper cranes, you would be granted a wish. She decided to fold 1,000 cranes and wish for good health. She died before she could complete them, and her school friends finished making them for her. She said: "I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world." Each year, thousands of paper cranes from all over the world hang from the statue of Sadako in Hiroshima’s Peace Park. The cranes and her message are a good way to remember that we must never give up on peace.

“Say no to War, give Peace a chance,” was the sentiment underscored at the special assembly held to commemorate ‘Peace Day’. The children of GIIS Bangalore held the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony under the aegis of its Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Universal Values on Thursday 6th of August 2015, through a presentation on @aps@Hiroshima Day@aps@ denouncing intolerance and promoting communal harmony, friendship and fraternity.

Students of class III, delivered a speech and recounted how the nuclear bombs are capable of ending civilization and complex life on the planet and spoke about the ghastly after effects of the attack. Videos were shown to the students depicting the pathos of the event and the resilience of the people of Hiroshima-The Story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes followed by a power point presentation on the messenger of Peace - Mahatma Gandhi. A song and dance on “World Peace” was presented by the students.

It is pertinent to realize that peace is not merely the absence of war but a state of mind brought about by introspection, self-discipline and acceptance. Peace is the hope of every nation, the promise of every politician, the pulse of every religious tradition, the goal of every prayer. The assembly concluded with the thought provoking message by our Principal Sir that it lies in our hands now to provide a peaceful, healthy and amicable environment for not ourselves, but for our future generations as well.

“Gandhi believed in non-violence. His birthday is celebrated as Non- Violence Day as per directives of United Nations. The atrocity of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing, is the worst act of violence in history. So, the importance of Peace Day, according to me is the first block for the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Universal Values.” Said Dr. Justice C.S. Dharmadhikari as he appreciated the activities of the students towards promoting a harmonious and peaceful society.