President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary at Raj Ghat. They led a string of leaders in paying respects, including BJP veteran L K Advani, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who is in India, also paid tribute to Gandhi this morning.
The government has announced a two-year celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of Gandhi.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or Bapu as he is fondly remembered, is known as the Father of the Nation. He led the independence movement against the British. The United Nations also celebrates October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence to honour Gandhi’s belief in peace and non-violence.
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October 2 marks the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti across the country. Bapu, as he is fondly addressed, was a freedom fighter who led India’s independence movement against the colonial rule of Britishers. Gandhi was instrumental in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the Dandi Salt March in 1930 and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He also organised people for the non-cooperation movement. The United Nations also celebrates October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence to honour Gandhi’s belief in peace and non-violence.
In India, the government has announced a two-year celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of Gandhi. The day also marks the anniversary of Modi government’s flagship cleanliness drive – Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speaking at the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention
Pledging support to the government’s Swachh Bharat scheme, HDFC Bank has announced several initiatives including a drive to inaugurate sanitation units in 200 Holistic Rural Development Programme (HRDP) villages, tree plantation drives, distribution of cleaning materials and other awareness campaigns.
In China, school students recite Mahatma Gandhi’s popular quotes in Chaoyang Park in central Beijing, to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary. In the background, you can see a statue of Gandhi, which was carved by sculptor and artist Yuan Xikun and installed in the park in 2005.
10:32 (IST)02 OCT 2018
Prime Minister Narendra Modi describes Gandhi as a stalwart who lived for others and to make our world a better place. “The noble thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi have given strength to millions across the world. He was a stalwart who lived for others and to make our world a better place,” he tweets. Here are some pictures of him paying tribute to Gandhi at Raj Ghat this morning. Read more![]()
(Twitter/@narendramodi)
Marking the fourth anniversary of the government’s flagship scheme Swachh Bharat, Railways employees in Mumbai staged a flash mob at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Here’s a video of it, shared by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.
As we remember Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, we reflect upon five notable world leaders who actively drew from the Gandhian model of ‘ahimsa’ and ‘satyagraha’. Five world leaders who drew inspiration from the Mahatma
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in India, his first visit to the country as head of the body. This morning, he paid tribute to Gandhi at Raj Ghat. Speaking to news agency PTI on Monday, Guterres said, “In today’s turbulent world, Gandhi’s message of communal harmony and tolerance remains as relevant as ever. I believe it is crucial that Gandhi’s legacy is preserved, and that nations around the world continue to cherish and celebrate their ethnic and religious diversity.”
(Express Photo/Tashi Tobgyal)
Today marks the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma. And four years of Swachh Bharat, the national cleanliness campaign that was launched in Gujarat by the state’s then chief minister Anandiben Patel at Porbandar. The Indian Express reporters fan out across the country to city, town and village that marked milestones in the Mahatma’s journey. To bring you stories of the footsoldiers of Swachh Bharat, women and men, whose job it is to wipe, mop and dust where Mahatma Gandhi once walked.
If you use the following hashtags on Twitter, you will see the Gandhi emoji – #GandhiJayanti, #MahatmaGandhi, #MKGandhi, #BapuAt150, #MyGandhigiri, #NexusOfGood, #MahatmaAt150, #गाँधीजयंती, #ગાંધીજયંતિ. The emoticon shows a caricature of Mahatma Gandhi with the blue and white colours in the backdrop (symbolic representation of colours of the Twitter logo).
Side note: There’s also a Swachh Bharat emoji. You can see this, if you tweet #SwachhBharatDiwas
Obama, who scripted history by becoming the first black President of the US in 2009, has often talked about the influence Mahatma Gandhi had on his life. The former US president also had a photo of the Indian freedom leader on the wall of his Senate office. “I am greatly influenced by a man from your nation whose message of love and justice shows us the way ahead,” he said.
On the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, celebrations are underway at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (Express Photos/Javed Raja)
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In pictures | At Raj Ghat this morning (Express Photos/Tashi Tobgyal)
President Ram Nath Kovind
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
BJP veteran L K Advani
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with his deputy Manish Sisodia