Gandhi Jayanti 2002

2 October remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi's life, India's freedom struggle and the principle of non-violence.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. After studying law in London he travelled to South Africa, where discrimination against Indians shaped his political work. There he developed satyagraha, a method of public resistance rooted in truth and non-violence. Returning to India in 1915, he travelled widely and became a major leader of the freedom movement. His early campaigns included struggles in Champaran and Kheda.

He later led the Non-Cooperation movement and the 1930 Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, challenging the colonial salt laws. In 1942, the Quit India movement demanded an end to British rule. Gandhi also advocated interfaith harmony, village livelihoods and the abolition of untouchability, although his views and political decisions have been critically debated. India became independent in August 1947 amid Partition and terrible communal violence.

Gandhi worked to calm tensions and protect threatened communities. On 30 January 1948, he was assassinated in New Delhi. Gandhi Jayanti is observed each year on his birthday through tributes, prayers, educational events and public service. The United Nations designated 2 October the International Day of Non-Violence. Remembering Gandhi also means studying the achievements, limits and difficult questions of his lifetime rather than turning complex history into an uncritical legend.

Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October commemorates Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and his role in India's independence movement. It invites reflection on non-violence, civic responsibility, interfaith harmony and the complexities of history.

Prayer meetings, tributes at memorials, school discussions, community service, cleanliness and non-violence education; no compulsory religious rite.

National observance across India on 2 October; Porbandar and Sabarmati in Gujarat and Raj Ghat in Delhi have special associations. The UN also marks the International Day of Non-Violence.