Gandhi Jayanthi , International Day of Non-Violence

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. In 1893, he travelled to South Africa to practise law and subsequently spent 21 years in the country.

Upon returning to India in 1915, he enrolled as a member of the Indian National Congress and went on to become the president of the Congress party in the coming years. In South Africa, he faced discrimination on the basis of his heritage and skin colour. Subsequently, he protested against racial segregation in the country.

In addition to fighting for India's Independence, Mahatma Gandhi also worked towards abolishing untouchability. His contribution towards the revival of handloom in the country was also immense.

It was in January 2004 when the Iranian Noble Laureate Shirin Ebadi had proposed the idea of the International Day of Non-Violence. The idea attracted the attention of many Congress leaders and they called upon the UN in 2007 to adopt it.

The then India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Anand Sharma introduced the resolution in the General Assembly on behalf of 140 co-sponsors. Thereby, International Day of Non-Violence (October 2) was first observed in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to give the message of non-violence .

 The International Day of Non-Violence aims to spread awareness about the philosophy and strategy of non-violence through education and public awareness.