Every year, 2nd of October is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti to commemorate the birthday of “Father of the Nation”, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This day is also celebrated as International Day of Non-Violence as declared by United Nations General Assembly on 15 June 2007. Mahatma Gandhi is remembered for his contributions towards the Indian freedom struggle and his birthday is one of the three national holidays of the country. This day is celebrated by prayer services and tributes all over India. Popular activities include prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions, and socio-political institutions.
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbunder, a small town in Gujarat. He studied law in U.K and practiced law in South Africa. In his autobiography “My experiments with Truth”, Gandhiji read his childhood and teenage years, his marriage with Kasturba at the age of 13 and a pure devotion to his country. Gandhiji was a pathfinder of truth and non-violence and he sets an example of easy sustenance and noble thinking. He started the ‘Satyagraha’ (non-violence) movement for the Indian freedom fight and played a vital role in obtaining freedom for the country from British rule. He showed the world that freedom could be achieved by following the path of absolute non-violence. Violence was against his conscience and he always chose to keep his inner conscience bove everything. This teaches us that we too should listen to our inner conscience before taking crucial steps or making important decisions of our life.
“Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.”
-Mahatma Gandhi