Every year, we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2 to send across the message of peace and non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi, a pioneer of India's Independence Movement, is revered in the country and across the world for his philosophies towards life. Born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in Porbandar, Gujarat, he is also known as the “Father of the Nation”.
The United Nations declared October 2 as “International Day of Non-Violence” on June 15, 2007. Several programmes and cultural events are organised to pay homage to the Father Of The Nation and spread his teachings. Many people also visit places dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi on this day – like Raj Ghat in Delhi, Mani Bhavan in Mumbai and Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat.
When Mahatma Gandhi went to South Africa for higher studies, he saw discrimination against Indians and locals by the colonial rulers. He decided to resist discrimination through the path of non-violence. His approach immediately found resonance among people across the country and they readily joined his peaceful civil disobedience movement. It was his non-violence movement which helped India gain Independence in 1947.
His principles - satya (truth), ahimsa (non-violence) and swaraj (self-rule) -- became the basis of several civil rights movements across the world. American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr espoused the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King cited Mahatma Gandhi and his Satyagraha (peaceful resistance for truth) in many of his addresses.
