The birthday of the Mahatma Gandhi is celebrated in India every year by the name Gandhi Jayanti or Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. It falls yearly on 2nd of October when there is a gazetted holiday all over the India. On second of October a great person Mahatma Gandhi was born in the year 1869 at Porbandar in the Gujarat to the Karamchand Gandhi and Putlibai.
Mahatma Gandhi is also known as Bapu in India for his unforgettable contributions and struggle for the freedom of India. All the Government offices, banks, schools, colleges, post offices, etc remain closed on 2nd of October. Some of the Businesses and organizations remain open for few hours to celebrate the day.
Gandhi Jayanti 2019 was celebrated all over the country on 2nd of October, at Wednesday.
Following special activities were performed on 150th birth anniversary of Bapu:
In India the Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated as the national holiday by making prayer meetings and paying homage in front of the statue at the Raj Ghat New Delhi. Gandhi Jayanti 2013 would fall at Wednesday on 2nd of October. Prayer is held (in the presence of President and Prime Minister of the India) at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi where he was cremated. His most preferred and devotional song (Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram) is sung in the remembrance of him.
Grand celebration events are organized by the major schools in India to celebrate the Gandhi Jayanti at 2nd of October every year. Students of schools enthusiastically take part in the Gandhi Jayanti event celebrations.
Gandhi Jayanti, a birthday anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi is also celebrated as the International Peace Day all across the world. Students sing a song based on the truth and non violence message of Bapu, recite poems and present their own sights on the Gandhian philosophy by the speeches and recitations.
Small children celebrate this event by dressing up same as the Gandhi ji as well as performing the nationalistic songs. Students also take part in the rally using banners which conveys the significance of peace and non-violence throughout the country. In the end of the celebration, students and teachers take a pledge.
Gandhi Jayanti is reverently celebrated in all the offices throughout the country. Employees assemble for a meeting to pay homage to the Father of the Nation. Despite being a public holiday, presence of all the staff for the assembly is mandatory. They pay homage to the Father of the Nation by offering flowers to his portrait and by singing one of his favourite bhajans “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.”
Common public also celebrates Gandhi Jayanti with the same reverence as that in the offices, though, either as a private affair or at public places. People recollect the teachings of Gandhi and the sacrifices he made in his personal life, for his principles and freedom struggle. In homes and close communities bhajans dear to Gandhi are sung and people talk about his principles and values. People also gather near the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and felicitate them with garlands.
Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday, that is, offices, schools and commercial establishments mostly remains closed. Though, it is a national holiday, offices and schools are abuzz with activities. Children go to school to take part in several programs on Gandhi Jayanti and to give speech or to depict Gandhi’s life and attire. The presence is almost compulsory whether in schools or in the offices, unless there is a valid medical reason for the absence.
> People in India celebrate the birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi every year on 2nd of October by including the following events:
> People perform the prayer services, memorial ceremonies and homage all over the India.
> Exhibitions of art, science and competitions of essay held.
> Awards presentations take place in order to promote the living of non-violent life.
> People used of seeing the films and reading the books related to the achievements and life struggle of the Mahatma Gandhi.
> People at many places in India like schools, colleges used to sing the famous devotional song of the Bapu “Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram”.
> Garlands of beautiful flowers are placed on the statues of Mahatma Gandhi all through the India by the people.
> Some people avoid taking meat and alcohol at this day.
About Mahatma Gandhi
The full name of the Mahatma Gandhi is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was born on 2nd of October in the year 1869. He is commonly known as the father of the nation or Bapu. He died on 30th of January in the year 1948. He lived his life full of struggle as a political and spiritual leader of the India.
His key role in the independence of India is unforgettable by the people of India that’s why his birthday anniversary is still remembered by the people through many way of celebration. Bapu had developed his own techniques of non-violent protest for the independence of India. He named his non violent (ahimsa) protest as Satyagraha means the moral domination.
Those days he became famous for his non-violent social disobedience throughout the India and South Africa. He had started his non-cooperation movement of 1922 as well as the Salt Satyagraha or Salt (Dandi) March at 12th of March in the year 1930. Because of struggled efforts of Bapu and other freedom fighter the India became able to get its freedom on 15th of August in the year 1947.
The whole country was weeping when he was assassinated on 30th of January in the year 1948. The International Day of Non-Violence of the United Nations is held on 2nd of October as well in order to commemorate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
He was the person of honor who had taught the Indian people to make their own clothe to wear. Once the British government banned the supply of cloths in India in late 1800s and early 1900s, then Mahatma Gandhi thought that he must do something.
He felt that Indians never get independence until they make their own cloths and other necessary things of living. Bapu started encouraging the Indian people to make their own desi cotton cloth by using the traditional spinning wheels and looms of India. From that time the traditional hand spinning wheels and looms became the symbol of Indian independence struggle and life of Bapu.
Three places in India are great and memorable where the birthday celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi take place:
> The place (The Martyr’s Column at Gandhi Smriti) in the New Delhi where Bapu was shot on 30th of January in the year 1948.
> The place (The Raj Ghat at Yamuna’s bank) in the New Delhi where the body of Bapu was cremated on 31st of January in the year 1948.
> The place (Triveni Sangam) where all the three rivers named Ganga, Saraswati and Yamuna meets in Allahabad.
“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love.”
“Ahimsa means not to injure any creature by thought, word or deed, not even to the supposed advantage of this creature.”
“Where there is love there is life.”
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
“I claim no perfection for myself. But I do claim to be a passionate seeker after Truth, which is but another name for God.”
“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could.”
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
“Poverty is but the worst form of violence.”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
For Students:
Essay on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Essay on Gandhi Jayanti Celebration
Speech on Mahatma Gandhi for Teachers
Famous Speeches by Mahatma Gandhi
Essay on Mahatma Gandhi’s Educational Philosophy
More about Mahatma Gandhi:
Life of Mahatma Gandhi from Childhood to Adolescent
How Mahatma Gandhi is Still Alive among us