A Life Lived For Others

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

 

2020 marks the 151st birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Having born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat Mahatma Gandhi has changed the path India took towards the independence during the British Raj.

We, as a nation, celebrate Gandhi Jayanti on the 2nd of October every year to commemorate the birth of this great leader India has rendered to the world. Its significance can be seen by observing the fact that it is one of the officially declared national holidays and is observed all across the states and territories of India.

The day is enjoyed by everyone in India to recognise and honour the contributions made by Mahatma Gandhi towards the Indian Independence movement. We also focus on the non-violent ways or life of “ahimsa” led by him and his disciples.

Through his sheer will and determination, he led the Dandi March in 1930 and peacefully broke the British Salt Laws to protest against the draconian laws of the Colonial Rule.

Furthermore, during the aftermath of the Second World War, he was responsible for launching and coordinating the Quit India Movement in 1942 that forced the British government to consider the demands of free India.

Apart from his efforts in the independence movement, he was also too focused on removing the orthodox cultural practices which were responsible for the split of the Indian society. Along with his wife, he tried to improve the hygiene conditions, health practices and the education levels in the Indian countryside.

An example of such an effort would be the work done at Champaran in Bihar.

To celebrate the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 15 June 2007 to declare October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence.

This recognition by the UN aims to affirm the universal principle of non-violence espoused by Mahatma Gandhi.

It also wants to continue with the aims and ambitions of Mahatma Gandhi to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.

By,

Mohammad Hamza Israil – IX A