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India is called as the land of festivals. Some part or other of the nation has some festival or other, either small or big, those of various religions, beliefs, races and cultures. But few of these are celebrated on a national scale. One of these is Gandhi Jayanti, which is celebrated on the second of October every year in India. Gandhi Jayanti, India marks the birth of the father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. 2nd October is one of the 3 officially declared national holidays of India and is observed in all states and Union territories of India. About the Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was given the title of Mahatma (great soul), which he indeed was. He was and is called fondly as gandhiji. His ideologies and philosophies are like none other on earth. He was the pioneer of satyagraha- the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, and also firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence-, which lead to India's independence. Gandhiji said that, u can hit me, u can kill me, u can insult me, but u can never forget me. It is almost impossible that gandhiji's name will be wiped out from the pages of history. The Indian currency notes have a picture of his, every city in India has a street named after him and statues of the Great Mahatma are made at many places. He believed in simplicity, truth, non violence and spiritual and practical purity. His highly effective ideologies still inspire people from all over the world. On Gandhi Jayanti, India a national holiday is declared. Celebrations 2nd of October every year is marked by prayer services and tributes all over India, especially Raj ghat, which is Gandhi's memorial in New Delhi where he was cremated. Celebrations include prayers, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions. In schools, painting and essay competitions are held and best awards are awarded for projects in schools. Themes are generally of glorifying peace, non-violence and Gandhi's effort in the Indian freedom struggle. Gandhiji's favorite song named Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram is sung in memory of his on this day. No wonder that the government of India saw a need to declare a national holiday for just the birthday of such a person. He was none other than Mahatma Gandhi, the man of the previous century.
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