October 2 is observed in India as Gandhi Jayanti, the date Mahatma Gandhi was born. Like every year, celebrating his teachings of non violence/ahimsa and reminding the masses of the significance of Indian history is the highlight of the day.
Born in 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi married Kasturba Makhanji at the age of 14 and had four children. In 1888, he went on to study law at University College, London. Later he joined Indian National Congress, only to become a part of Indian independence movement to end British rule in India.
Satvikta (purity), inner silence, vegetarianism, truth, respect, swaraj and satyagrah were a way of life for him. He advocated the use of khadi (homespun cloth). India became independent in 1947, but he was assassinated in 1948 by a Hindu radical Nathuram Godse.
Every year prayer services are held all over India on Gandhi Jayanti. Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Raj Ghat in New Delhi is the special venue for prayers, where dignitaries pay floral tributes on the day. It is a national holiday all over India.
In 1995, International Gandhi Peace Prize was launched on his 125th birthday. This award is for outstanding individuals/institutions who excel in reformations on socio-economic and political front with nonvioence and other Gandhian beliefs. Several reforms inspired by Gandhi's teachings have been instituted on a national level. Indian Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss this year announced a curb on tobacco consumption in public and private buildings starting Oct 2. Anti – tobacco drive (with a budget of 6 billion) is effective in NGOs, hotels and schools too, with fines imposed if rules are broken.
Online pledges for peace and nonviolence are accessible to people through a special website (ahimsa.nagpur) that has been created. SMS messages paying an ode to Gandhi will be sent to over one lakh mobile phone subscribers in the city of Nagpur. A plea to attend the peace march is also sent. Several cultural programs like "India Mission," performances by singer Sonu Nigam at Yashwant Stadium, school students taking sanitation oaths, exhibitions of Mahatma Gandhi photographs are some highlights of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in Nagpur.
Gandhiji is remembered worldwide for leading India's freedom struggle. The University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban is launching the Gandhi Luthuli Chair of Peace Studies. Doing the honors would be Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma and African National Congress president Jacob Zuma. The Chair's aim would be to teach Gandhi's principles of Ahimsa – tolerance, compassion and equity to the students, said the Vice Chancellor of the university in an interview.
Everything from his style and imagination are still followed in many fields. Gandhiji used to dress in a simple dhoti and shawl to express the simplicity of his life. Designer Anamika Khanna portrayed a vivid collection of cowl drape dresses inspired by Dhoti, thereby paying a tribute to traditional clothing at HDIL India's first couture week in Mumbai earlier this month.
However, his ideals of peace and freedom are being forgotten. With a series of terror blasts in May, July and September in India, Gandhi Jayanti should be a reminder to enforce the concept of non-violence that the Father of the Nation had preached. Killings, sufferings and blasts have made this year one would like to forget. The freedom that was won is being destroyed.
Will and intent especially of youth should be channeled in a positive and constructive direction, instead of anger and disgust for other nation. Power of the weapon must never be more than the power of words, of dialogue. Religion should be a tool for growth and not a barrier. "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will," said Mahatma Gandhi
By Nikki Rattan
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