MAHATMA GANDHI  

02 October 2019 marks the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as “Mahatma” Gandhi. To commemorate this 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi, students are to lit solar lamps and take a pledge of non-violence towards the environment. It is expected that more than one million students in 60 countries will join this global event. Gandhi was born on 02 October, 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat, India. Over 11.5 million students from more than 50,000 schools in Gujarat state have planted 15 million saplings since June 15 as a tribute to Gandhi. 

Considering the present scenario in India as well as around the world, Gandhi’s views on non-violence will be most relevant to talk about now. The United Nations General Assembly on 15 June 2007 had declared the 2nd October as International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence remains sage advice in a world where differences are more easily amplified and people take offence more readily. During India's struggle for freedom, he showed the world that freedom can be achieved peacefully through the path of non-violence. Gandhi won rights for nearly 75,000 Indians living in South Africa. He achieved this without violence. Gandhi firmly believed that people could never win their rights through violence. He used new form of protest "Satyagraha" - derived from the Sanskrit words meaning "truth" and "force."