Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's 142nd birthday

October 2 marks what would have been the 142nd birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the revered patriarch of India who taught the world the language of non-violence. It is also the UN international day of Non-Violence.[caption id="attachment_97447" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Wikipedia"][/caption]'Gandhiji' was an iconic figure in India and around the globe for his unique practices of non-violence or ahimsa. He believed in the philosophy of truth known as "Satyagraha" and adopted these beliefs in his leadership that helped in achieving India's Independence.  It was this belief that got him noticed and appreciated by historians as one of the greatest freedom fighters that the world had ever seen.Besides his contribution towards India's freedom struggle, Gandhi will always be remembered around the globe for his distinctive ideologies that inspired many great leaders, such as Martin Luther King, James Lawson, and Nelson Mandela, all of whom drew inspiration from Gandhi's non-violence theory.When Gandhi was in South Africa during the 1890's, he was subjected to the injustice of colonial imperialism.When he left for India, Gandhi witnessed similar treatment in the country and carried out his work to help protest the dominance of the British Raj. In the years to come his non-violence principle was witnessed, first in 1920 when the Non-Cooperation Movement took place and later seen in the Dandi March in 1930 as well as in the The Quit India Movement. Gandhi may have not been a martyr in the true sense but he dedicated his entire life to attaining freedom by resisting violence.We celebrate Gandhi Jayanti in fond memories of 'Bapu'.[fpgallery id=140]