In the Indian and World history October 2nd is a very significant day. On this day 142 years back in Porbandar, a small coastal town in Gujarat, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born. He was no different from any other, but he created a different world when he was shot down on January 30, 1948. He established the power of truth, love, peace and non-violence to earn freedom of our country from the mighty British.
The principle of non-violence has caught the imaginations of people across the world. Time to time men of integrity like Martin Luther King jr in USA, Nelson Mandela and Desmund Tutu in Africa and Lech Walesa, the labour leader in Poland had shaken the establishment by their peaceful movement.
In recent times young people in Egypt and other middle-east countries, and Swami Ramdev ji and Anna Hazare in India have blunted the aggressive mindset of the men in power. It may be recalled that on Gandhi's 100th birthday, late Frank Moraes, the editor of Indian Express said on All India Radio's Spotlight, 'After Jesus Christ in the world history, Gautam Buddha in Indian history, comes Mahatma Gandhi ....' This statement is very significant for Jesus and Buddha are epitome of spirituality. Gandhi was interested both in means and the end. This was exactly what Swami Vivekanand said in his famous 1900 Los Angeles address.
Many feel that Gandhi is past, but he truly belongs to time. Time has in fact no end. On this auspicious day when the world is celebrating his birthday, we in India take great pride to pay our tribute to this legendary leader who, unlike myriad others, added spirituality to politics.
