GANDHI JAYANTI:-
👉🏻 Introduction:-
- Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) was one of the greatest leaders in history, recognized the world over for his teachings on peace and nonviolence.
- On his birth anniversary, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, we pay a historic tribute to Mahatma Gandhi by way of celebration, prayers and understanding the Gandhian principles of nonviolence and peace.
👉🏻 Importance of this day:-
- The day is also marked by the United Nations as ‘International Nonviolence Day’ or ‘International Peace Day,’ as countries across the globe are showing a growing interest in the nonviolent alternative.
💫Gandhiji- The inspiration:-
- When Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train in South Africa for his refusal to give up his seat in the ‘whites only’ compartment in 1893, the incident not only changed his own life but also the course of history.
- It turned Gandhi into a revolutionary leader who persisted in the face of opposition by adopting nonviolence as a philosophy and an ideal way of life.
- While many leaders have made a sincere effort to win over their enemies in an amicable manner, the term nonviolence is often associated with Mahatma Gandhi.
- He used peace as a powerful tool to fight against oppression, injustice, discrimination, cruelty and other evils.
👉🏻The salt march of 1930:-
- Take for example the Salt March in 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi led a nonviolent- yet powerful - protest against Britain’s law dictating that no Indian could collect or sell salt in the country.
- The Mahatma walked over 240 miles, leading protesters to the Arabian Sea to scoop a handful of salt out of the brackish waters.
- After this peaceful yet defiant act, India gained independence from Britain in 1947.
- Popularly called the ‘Father of the Indian nation’ Mahatma Gandhi drew on a variety of sources for his philosophy, including the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita and the work of writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy.
- He applied these principles to a large political movement that used nonviolent resistance to persuade the British government - supposedly the most powerful regime of its time -to grant independence to India.
👉🏻 The ripple effect:-
- The concept of nonviolence soon developed a global following, inspiring movements in countries such as the Philippines, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
👉🏻 Annual celebrations in India:-
- Gandhi Jayanti is indeed an occasion to celebrate. Every year in India as well as several parts of the world, it is done with great fervour. On Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti.
- The President and Prime Minister of India pay homage in front of the Mahatma’s statue at the Raj Ghat in New Delhi.
- Schools hold celebrations where students participate in fancy dress competitions, sing Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymns and present their own insights on the Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence.
- Across the country, Mahatma Gandhi’s statues are refurbished and garlanded and people pay their respect to Gandhiji, as he was popularly addressed.
G = Genius
A = Astounding
N = Nationalist
D = Daring
H = Honest
I = Indian
Happy Birthday, Father of the Nation🙏🙏
Jay Hind🇮🇳
