Today, the 2nd Octobar, India is celebrating Gandhi Jayanti, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi( Octobar 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), who
is also called as the ‘Father of
the Nation’.
Each year, Gandhi Jayanti is observed
as National Holiday. This Holiday is celebrated by prayer services and tributes
all over India, especially at Raj
Ghat, Gandhi's memorial in New Delhi where he was cremated.
Popular celebration includes prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in
different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political
institutions. Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram, is sung everywhere in memory of
him.
Today, is also the day of International Day of Non-Violence. On
15 June 2007 the United Nations
General Assembly voted to establish 2 October as the International Day
of Non-Violence. The resolution by the General Assembly asks all members
of the UN system to commemorate 2 October in "an appropriate manner and
disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and
public awareness."
“Once, I got an opportunity to make a stay in Ganghi Niketan Ashram, T. Kallupatti of Madurai district of Tamil Nadu
in 2009-2010 for one training purpose. This Ashram was founded by G. Venkatachalapathy(1909-1969), who
is regarded as “The Architect of
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Movement in Tamil Nadu”. G.
Venkatachalapathy was s freedom fighter and became follower and associate of
Mahatma Gandhi when he met him in
1931 for the first time. In 1940 he founded the Gandhi Niketan Ashram .with the
aim of working towards rural reconstruction and imparting basic education to
rural children advised by Gandhiji.
In Gandhi Jayanti, I got a special privilege to sing “Baishnab Jana To ……”(this Bhajan was written by poet Narsinh Mehta in the 15th century and Gandhiji loved it so much) before lots of guests gathered from the Ashram and around. Apart from other regular prayer programs, prayers are arranged regularly in two times, like morning 5am and evening 4pm, daily (I was let sing regularly in that prayers where I used to sing Bargeets
and Bhajans). It was a lifetime
experience for me spending some 6 months times in that awesome culture and peaceful
ambience!”
Mahatma Gandhi believed in complete non- violence ways of showing protest or demanding somebody’s own rights. By this supreme force, he was able to drive away the then great world power, the British Colonizers (some other factors were also against to the British though!) from India! For that reason, we got freedom and we respect, recognize and faith in the strength of his ‘Ahimsa’(i.e. non-violence). This great leader is also a great
example of how to live life in simple yet dignified manners along with morals and sacrifices for all materialistic thinkings. For these reasons, he is respected and remembered by the world community till today and in the future.
However, showing respect to
somebody and following the morals and ideologies of him is a totally different
matter. The world(especially some countries including India) is full of corruption,
hatred and violence now-a-days and people knows this. It is very unfortunate
that the morals of Gandhiji have not
been followed even in India where he was born and where he became ‘Father of
Nation’ from Mahatma Gandhi! We have forgotten him! Our political leaders, who
run the country(who becomes the ‘King’
from ‘public servant’), wear “Gandhi Topies”, says, our heart is like “Kamal(lotus)”, but involving in such
kind of activities by their dirty “hands”,
which have destroyed this great country!
Gandhiji gave his life for the
people. Therefore, if people (our common citizen) don’t do anything, this
country could never be a so called “superpower
country”(this slogan has been forgotten by the creators, huh! Amusing words!), but will be ended up in a devastated piece of a land mass with overcrowded population!
“Gandhiji Amar Hoi Thakok”
"Long live Gandhiji"
