Gandhi Jayanti is one of India’s 3 official national holidays, along with Independence Day and Republic Day.
Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, India—died January 30, 1948, Delhi), Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. As such, he came to be considered the father of his country. Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.
In the eyes of millions of his fellow Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (“Great Soul”). The unthinking adoration of the huge crowds that gathered to see him all along the route of his tours made them a severe ordeal; he could hardly work during the day or rest at night. “The woes of the Mahatmas,” he wrote, “are known only to the Mahatmas.” His fame spread worldwide during his lifetime and only increased after his death. The name Mahatma Gandhi is now one of the most universally recognized on earth.
This year, on October 2, India will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary is celebrated every year as Gandhi Jayanti to commemorate his ideals of peace and non-violence as well as his immense contribution to India’s freedom struggle. Gandhi Jayanti is one of India’s 3 official national holidays, along with Independence Day and Republic Day.
In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence.
He taught us to be the change we wish to see in the world. He taught us that where there is love there is life. He followed the path of Ahimsa and non-violence to make us unite. He is our Father of the Nation.
