Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended a special interfaith prayer meeting at Gandhi Smriti in the national capital on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
The Prime Minister paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and remembered his enduring ideals of truth, peace and non-violence. School students and artists also rendered devotional bhajans during the prayer meeting.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and attended the Sarva-Dharma Prarthana at his samadhi to mark his birth anniversary.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Smriti. He recalled Gandhi’s pivotal role in India’s freedom movement and his message of harmony and social upliftment.
Mahatma Gandhi, also known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. Gandhi Jayanti is observed every year on his birth anniversary.
October 2 is also observed as the International Day of Non-Violence. The United Nations designated the day to spread awareness about the message of non-violence associated with Gandhi’s philosophy.
Gandhi played a central role in India’s freedom struggle and led several major movements, including the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement.
Prime Minister Modi also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Vijay Ghat on his birth anniversary.
Born on October 2, 1904, in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh, Shastri served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1966. He is remembered for the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, his leadership during the 1965 India-Pakistan war and his emphasis on self-reliance and support for the agricultural sector.
-ANI
