Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated every year on 2 October on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi birthday. This day is also celebrated as International Day of Non-Violence. Mahatma Gandhi full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was also known as the father of nation. He was born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. This year is going to be 150th birthday celebration all over India. He was known for his non-violent independence movement against British rule and in South Africa. He was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer. He was the youngest child of his father Karamchand Gandhi fourth wife Putlibai. He was having a degree of Bachelor of Laws from UCL Faculty of Laws at London.
Major Achievements of Mahatma Gandhi:
- RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN SOUTH AFRICA:: When Mahatma Gandhi arrived in South Africa. He saw that there is discrimination between people on the basis of color. Then he decided to fight against it. At that time European origin people were going to have a law saying that they only have the right to vote but efforts of Mahatma Gandhi make it delay but after some time the law was passed. This was the starting of Mahatma Gandhi for his journey of revolution.
- SATYAGRAHA : In 1906, he fought Satyagraha (‘truth-force’) campaign. In this he asked Indian not to follow the act of all male Asians in the Transvaal Province to be fingerprinted and carry a form of pass. After 7 years of long struggle the fine of £3 tax was removed.
3. CHAMPARAN : In 1915, he fought his first battle of Champaran. This fight was for farmers as British were forcing farmers to grow Indigo and other cash crops instead of food crops.
4. NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT: In 1919 he fought NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT IN EARLY 1920s. In this on 13th April 1919, Jallianwala Bagh incident where British soldiers killed around 1,000 people by shooting them. Then Gandhi started “Non Cooperation movement” and asked Indians to refuse to buy British made goods; boycott their educational institutions and law courts; resign from government employment. After some time the movement changes to violence which led to Gandhi stop the movement.
5. FAMOUS SALT MARCH TO DANDI: In this march Gandhi marched for 388 kilometers for 24 days from 12th March to 6th April. To produce salt from seawater, as was the practice of local populace until the British Salt Act.
6. QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT: On 8th August 1942 after the world war || he was demanding an end to British Rule in India. He had given a speech on “DO OR DIE”. The British made over 100,000 arrests and hundreds were killed. But the QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT was successfully as British understood that now it is impossible to rule India.
Now a day Gandhi Jayanti
Today also birthday of Gandhi ji is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm. Most people sung his favorite bhajan (Hindu devotional song), Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, in his memories. It is one of the official declared national holidays of India. Most of the school and colleges and even office organize a function for the celebration in which they organize many speeches and competitions related to Mahatma Gandhi.
