Gandhi Jayanti

Last Updated: October 5, 2026

Context

Recently, the honourable President of India, paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in her message on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti (2 October), marking his 157th birth anniversary.
She highlighted the relevance of Gandhi’s message of peace and non-violence amid global conflict, and linked the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 to his ideal of Sarvodaya.

Key Points of the President’s Message

Global relevance: Gandhiji’s life and ideals are widely respected by the global community, and his message of peace and non-violence is even more relevant amid war and conflict in many parts of the world.
Sarvodaya: Priority to empathy and inclusion, so that no citizen is deprived of the benefits of development, reflects Gandhi’s ideal of Sarvodaya — the welfare and upliftment of all.
National goal: India is advancing towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Call to action: Commitment to an empowered, developed and Atmanirbhar Bharat through ethical conduct and active participation.

About Mahatma Gandhi

Born: 2 October 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat; full name Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Titles: ‘Father of the Nation’ was first used by Subhas Chandra Bose in a 1944 radio address; ‘Mahatma’ is popularly credited to Rabindranath Tagore; also called Bapu.
South Africa phase (1893–1915): Founded the Natal Indian Congress (1894) and Phoenix Settlement (1904); started the journal Indian Opinion (1903); first Satyagraha in 1906 against the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance; founded Tolstoy Farm (1910).
Return to India: 9 January 1915 (observed as Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas); political guru was Gopal Krishna Gokhale; founded Sabarmati Ashram in 1917.
Writings and journals: Hind Swaraj (1909); autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth; journals Young India, Navajivan (1919) and Harijan (1933).
Congress presidency: Presided over the Belgaum session (1924), the only INC session he presided over.
Death: Assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse at Birla House, Delhi.

Concept of Sarvodaya

Meaning: ‘Welfare/upliftment of all’; the term comes from Gandhi’s Gujarati adaptation of John Ruskin’s Unto This Last (1908).
Principle: Rejects the utilitarian idea of ‘the greatest good of the greatest number’ and aims at the good of every individual, with no one left behind.

Core Gandhian Principles

Satya and Ahimsa: Truth and non-violence as the basis of personal and political conduct.
Satyagraha: Insistence on truth through non-violent resistance.
Swadeshi: Use of locally made goods, symbolised by Khadi; links to the modern idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Trusteeship: Wealthy persons to act as trustees of wealth for the benefit of society.
Constructive Programme: Khadi and village industries, communal harmony and removal of untouchability.

Major Gandhian Movements in India

Champaran Satyagraha (1917): First Satyagraha in India, against the oppressive Tinkathia system of indigo cultivation.
Ahmedabad Mill Strike and Kheda Satyagraha (1918): Wage dispute of mill workers (Gandhi’s first hunger strike) and demand for revenue remission by Kheda peasants after crop failure.
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22): Withdrawn after the Chauri Chaura incident (February 1922).
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930): Began with the Dandi March (12 March 1930) against the salt law.
Quit India Movement (1942): Launched on 8 August 1942 with the call ‘Do or Die’.

Observances associated with 2^nd October

International Day of Non-Violence: Declared by the UN General Assembly in 2007 on Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
National holiday: Gandhi Jayanti is one of the three national holidays in India, along with Republic Day and Independence Day.
Swachh Bharat Diwas: Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on 2 October 2014.
Shared anniversary: 2 October is also the birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Conclusion

Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of non-violence, truth and Sarvodaya continue to guide India’s vision of inclusive development, and his message of peace gains added relevance amid present global conflicts.

Important CTC from this article for UPSC Prelims –

Ideal of ‘Sarvodaya’