2 OCTOBER (MAHATMA GANDHI’S BIRTHDAY)
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 – 150TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF BAPU
Gandhi Jayanti 2019 was celebrated all over the country on 2nd of October, at Wednesday.
WHAT WERE SPECIAL AT 150TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF BAPU
Following special activities were performed on 150th birth anniversary of Bapu:
- Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary: Gujarat Congress has launched week-long yatra on September 27. Two separate marches are organized, one started from Porbandar and another from Dandi, both culminating at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. Gandhi Sandesh Yatra has been organized to save Gandhi’s ideology from getting diminished by Nathuram Godse’s extremist approach, as conspired by some radically minded individuals. Gandhi satsang and bhajans will be sung by congress members in the yatra to spread communal and social harmony. The yatra commenced by a morning procession by Congress office bearers.
- PM Modi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at UN: Prime Minister of India and other world leaders pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the UN on September 24 2019, to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary.
- Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary in Netherlands was celebrated with Gandhi March and several other events like bicycle rally and an exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi’s life to commemorate his birthday.
- A letter handwritten by Mahatma Gandhi to a World War II Jewish officer, dated 01/07/39 is found by the Israel’s National Library and was displayed to the public.
- Chief Ministers of the states and other eminent personalities addressed the people making them aware of the struggles and achievements of Mahatma Gandhi.
- A group constituting of 200 Indians has embarked on a journey to Geneva from New Delhi on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th anniversary. Groups from other countries will also be assembling at Geneva after one year long journey.
- Russia has launched a special stamp to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.
- This year the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi will also be celebrated in Singapore. Singapore is celebrating Gandhi Jayanti since last year after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a plaque of Gandhiji at Clifford Pier.
- This year the 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was also celebrated at London. The Indian High commission has organized a talk on “Values and teachings of Mahatma”. The celebrations were also be made in the University of Oxford and Cambridge.
- Mother Dairy had collected 1000 kgs of plastic waste from the households in Delhi NCR region and recycled it, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
- Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi declared India Open Defecation Free on 2nd October at a function in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. At least 2000 village sarpanchs from Gujarat alone were present at the function including 1000 others from other states.
- Around 600 convicts serving sentences in several prisons across the country were released on Gandhi Jayanti as a goodwill measure, by the Union Home Ministry.
- The house in Kolkata that housed Mahatma Gandhi while he was touring the state to douse the communal riots, post partition, was turned into a full-fledged museum. Gandhiji’s rare photographs and articles of his stay are on display in the house.
- The Indian National Congress undertook a massive padyatra across the country on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October. Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi had led the march at New Delhi, while former Congress President Rahul Gandhi had led the march at Wardha, Maharashtra.
The Doordarshan and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) have jointly hosted a television program which telecasted some of the rare audio clips of Gandhiji on Doordarshan. The program named – ‘Mahatma Lives’/’Bapu Zinda Hain’ was telecasted at 10 P.M. on October 1 and again at 5 P.M. on October 2, on DD News.
Several events in Dubai were inaugurated to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October 2019. The events are supported by the Dubai Municipality and the Dubai Sports Council, and will continue till January 2020.
The events include – peace walk on 2nd October in Dubai; solar lamp making workshop for students; a bicycle rally on 4th October; cultural programs on October 5; talk on Gandhi on October 17. Moreover, from 8th November to 20th December, on every Friday, an Indian language festival will be held. The celebrations will conclude with “Gandhi@150” event on 10th January 2020.
A Charkha (spinning wheel) weighing nearly 1650 Kgs was unveiled near the Mahamana flyover in Noida. The Charkha measuring 14ft x 20ft x 8ft is made using around 1250kg of plastic waste and was inaugurated on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.
A commemorative Rs 150 denomination coin was released by the Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Prime Minister also wrote in the visitor’s book in Sabarmati Ashram, expressing his satisfaction on India declared as open defecation free.
Stamps inspired by the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi were also unveiled by the Prime Minister.
Rare images of Mahatma Gandhi from the 1917 Champaran movement were launched in Bihar to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary.
Canada named a roadway leading to the museum of human rights in Winnipeg after Mahatma Gandhi.
China didn’t allow the celebration to begin to commemorate Gandhiji’s 150th Anniversary on its soil. The
Jayanti was being observed since 14 years in Beijing’s Chaoyang Park (the only one sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi in China). After the administration denied permission, the celebration was shifted to the Indian embassy in China.
Dubai celebrated Gandhi Jayanti by illuminating Burj Khalifa in the colors of Indian national flag. The
colourful lights also made a smiling face of Gandhiji over the building. The minute long video of the
event was shared on the official twitter handle of Burj Kahlifa, with Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan
“Vaishnav Jan” playing in the background.
SOME FAMOUS QUOTES OF BAPU (MAHATMA GANDHI)
“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.”