Today is January 30, 2019. 61 years back on this same day, Mother India lost one of the greatest leader and activist born in her lap, Shri Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Commended and accepted as Mahatma due to his unmatched contribution in the Indian Freedom Movement from British Rule, Gandhi Ji is Father of our Nation and very adorably, we summon him as “Bapu”. He is having great contributions in the greatest chapters of the World History such as the South Africa Civil Wars, World War I and World War II. In all his achievements, he always gave truth and peace the major priority. He always persisted to follow a path of generosity, tenderness and justice. Let us pay tribute to this great personality of all times by remembering some of his pinnacle achievements and works –
- The Times Magazine gave Mahatma Gandhi the title of “Man of the Year” in 1930.
- Mahatma Gandhi stood second in the listing of “Person of Century” conferred by the Times Magazine in 1999. Albert Einstein took the lead position.
- In 2011, Time Magazine marked Mahatma Gandhi as one of the top 25 political icons of all times.
- Mahatma Gandhi was addressed, as “The Father of the Nation” is 1944 by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on Singapore Radio. Again, on April 28, 1947, Sarojini Naidu addressed him as “The Father of the Nation”.
- Leaders of Civil Rights Movement in America like Martin Luther King Junior, James Lawson and James Bevel took help of the Gandhian Theories of Non-violence in developing their own theories. Martin Luther King Junior referred Bapu as “the little brown saint’ and further stated , “Christ gave us goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics.”
- Mentions of Mahatma Gandhi were first sighted in the works of Romain Rolland and in the works of pacifism of Brazilian anarchist and feminist Maria Lacerda de Moura in the year 1924. Henceforth numerous books, novels and scripts are written on the life of GandhiJi based on which many movies and documentaries are also created.
- The United Nations General Assembly announced 2nd October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, as “The International Day of Non-Violence” in 2007.
- 30th January is observed as School Day of Non-Violence and Peace in schools all over the world.
Along with Bapu, we should also pay tribute to those freedom fighters who laid down their lives in the quest and strive of making our motherland free from British Rule. We can never forget their invaluable contribution in the making of our Nation to the form we have it now. For that reason, 30 January is also celebrated as Shaheed Diwas or Martyr’s Day all over the country. It is their strong will and determination, which gave our country freedom from foreign rule and our greatest tribute to these great personalities, shall ever be the growth and development of our Nation by paving the path of honesty, truth, non-violence and righteousness throughout all regimes of our activities. Jai Hind! He Ram!
