Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday 2014 Gandhi Jayanti, or Mahatma Gandi’s Birthday, is celebrated in India on 2 October. The date is the birthday of Mohandas (Mahatma) Karamchand Gandhi in 1869. It is also the day now commemorated by the United Nations as the International Day of Non-Violence. Mahatma Gandhi was the son of a senior government official and was born in Porbandar in Gujarat. He married at the age of 13 and, when he was 18, went to England to study law then travelled to South Africa to help the rights of Indians there. He returned to India around 1914-1915. Gandhi became known as the ‘Father of the Nation’ and was the leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. In India, Gandhi used non-violent civil disobedience as a method of evoking the people of India to rally for independence. He became the leader of the Indian National Congress and continued in his determination to peacefully free India from British rule, to relieve poverty and to provide equality for women. His techniques inspired similar movements around the world. In 1946, he negotiated with the Cabinet Mission, which recommended the new constitutional structure. After independence in1947, Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi trying to stop the Hindu-Muslim conflict in Bengal. Gandhi’s life was an example of simplicity and devotion. Across India, people gather to observe Gandhi Jayanti by offering flowers on Gandhi’s pictures and statues, lighting candles and by singing songs and prayers. On this holiday, government offices, post offices, banks and schools close. Mahatma Gandhi’s life and principles have inspired lives of all ages. He is remembered for many quotes including: On life – ‘My life is my message’; and on forgiveness – ‘The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.’
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 06:51:47 +0000
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