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About the Day
Gandhi Jayanti — The Father of the Nation
Gandhi Jayanti is observed on 2 October every year to commemorate the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948). It is a national holiday in India and, since 2007, the United Nations International Day of Non-Violence — recognizing Gandhi's philosophy as a universal legacy for all humanity.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Albert Einstein wrote of Gandhi: "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood." Martin Luther King Jr. modeled the American civil rights movement on Gandhi's Satyagraha. Nelson Mandela cited Gandhi as a foundational inspiration. Gandhi's influence extends to every non-violent liberation movement of the 20th century.
2 Oct
1869 — Gandhi's birthday
1948
Gandhi assassinated at 78
2007
UN declares Int'l Day of Non-Violence
240 km
Length of the Dandi Salt March
His Journey
The Life of Mahatma Gandhi
- 2 Oct 1869Born in Porbandar, Gujarat (then part of the Kathiawar Agency under British India). Father Karamchand Gandhi was a local administrator. Mother Putlibai was deeply religious — her influence shaped Gandhi's lifelong commitment to fasting, prayer, and ahimsa.
- 1893–1915Travels to South Africa as a young lawyer. Is thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg for sitting in a whites-only compartment. This incident ignites his life's mission. Spends 21 years fighting racial discrimination in South Africa, developing Satyagraha as a political tool.
- 1915Returns to India. Gopal Krishna Gokhale becomes his political mentor. Gandhi spends his first year travelling India by third class to understand the real lives of the people.
- 1919Launches Non-Cooperation Movement in response to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Calls for boycott of British goods, institutions, and services.
- 12 Mar 1930The Dandi Salt March — 240 km walk to the Arabian Sea to make salt in defiance of the British salt tax. The march transforms the independence movement into a global story and sparks mass civil disobedience across India.
- 1942Quit India Movement: "Karenge ya Marenge" (Do or Die). Gandhi and thousands of Congress leaders are arrested. The movement causes the largest mass uprising since 1857.
- 30 Jan 1948Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse at Birla House, New Delhi, while walking to an evening prayer meeting. His last words: "Hey Ram!" (Oh God!).
His Philosophy
Gandhi's Core Principles
- 1Ahimsa (Non-Violence)The absolute refusal to use violence — physical, verbal, or mental — against any living being. Gandhi believed ahimsa is not passive but the most active form of courage: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
- 2Satyagraha (Truth-Force)Truth (Satya) combined with firmness (Agraha) — insisting on truth even under oppression. Satyagraha is not passive resistance but an active, courageous confrontation of injustice through non-violent means. "Satyagraha is a relentless search for truth."
- 3Swaraj (Self-Rule — Personal & Political)Swaraj for Gandhi meant both political independence for India AND personal self-mastery. "The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may have grown at a given moment."
- 4Sarvodaya (Welfare of All)A society's progress should be measured by the welfare of its weakest member. Gandhi championed the upliftment of Dalits (whom he called Harijans), women, and the rural poor as the central task of India's transformation.
- 5Simple Living — The Spinning Wheel (Charkha)Gandhi's daily spinning of cotton on a charkha (spinning wheel) was a political act — promoting self-reliance, boycotting British cloth, and connecting the educated elite with the rural poor. "Live simply so that others may simply live."
How to Observe
Meaningful Ways to Honor Gandhi Jayanti
Visit Raj Ghat
Raj Ghat in New Delhi is Gandhi's samadhi (cremation memorial). On Gandhi Jayanti, the President and PM lay wreaths here at a silent prayer ceremony. If in Delhi, visit for the atmosphere of quiet contemplation.
Read His Autobiography
"The Story of My Experiments with Truth" — Gandhi's autobiography — is one of the most honest and readable books ever written by a political leader. Download it free from Wikisource and read one chapter today.
Swachh Bharat Seva
Gandhi Jayanti is also Swachh Bharat Day — participate in a community cleanliness drive. Gandhi's commitment to sanitation was fundamental to his vision of a dignified India. Even cleaning your own street is an act of Gandhian service.
Observe Silence & Reflection
Gandhi's ashram practice included a day of silence (Mauna) every week — he believed silence was essential for inner clarity. Observe 10–30 minutes of complete silence today. Notice what you hear when you stop speaking.
Practice One Act of Ahimsa
Commit to one conscious act of non-violence today — speak kindly to someone you've been harsh with, forgive a grudge you've been holding, refuse to gossip, or stand up for someone being treated unfairly.
Sing Vaishnava Jana To
"Vaishnava Jana To" — Gandhi's favorite bhajan by the 15th-century poet-saint Narsinh Mehta. It describes the qualities of a truly good person. Sing it today — it is a complete moral education in one song.
His Words
Gandhi's Most Timeless Words
"वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिए जे पीड पराई जाणे रे।
पर दुःखे उपकार करे तोये मन अभिमान न आणे रे॥"
पर दुःखे उपकार करे तोये मन अभिमान न आणे रे॥"
Vaishnava Jana To Tene Kahiye Je Peed Parayi Jane Re | Par Dukhe Upkar Kare Toye Man Abhiman Na Ane Re — "Call them a true Vaishnava (devotee) who feels the pain of others, helps those who are suffering, yet never lets pride enter their heart." — Gandhi's favorite bhajan by Narsinh Mehta. He requested it be sung at the prayer meeting the day he was assassinated.
Gandhi's Seven Deadly Social Sins:
1. Wealth without work · 2. Pleasure without conscience · 3. Knowledge without character · 4. Commerce without morality · 5. Science without humanity · 6. Worship without sacrifice · 7. Politics without principles
His Final Legacy:
"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."
1. Wealth without work · 2. Pleasure without conscience · 3. Knowledge without character · 4. Commerce without morality · 5. Science without humanity · 6. Worship without sacrifice · 7. Politics without principles
His Final Legacy:
"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."