Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday – October 2: History, Facts and Significance

Learn about Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday on October 2, his life, principles, freedom struggle, achievements, important facts, and significance for TNPSC exams.

Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

• Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday / Gandhi Jayanti is observed every year on 2 October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat.

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Mahatma Gandhi – Basic Facts

• Full Name = Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
• Popular Names = Mahatma Gandhi, Bapu
• Date of Birth = 2 October 1869
• Place of Birth = Porbandar, Gujarat
• Father = Karamchand Gandhi
• Mother = Putlibai
• Wife = Kasturba Gandhi
• Education = Studied law in London
• Profession = Lawyer
• South Africa = Went there in 1893
• Returned to India = 1915
• Major Principles = Truth (Satya), Non-violence (Ahimsa), Satyagraha
• Death = 30 January 1948
• Place of Death = New Delhi
• Gandhi Jayanti = 2 October
• International observance = International Day of Non-Violence
• The Government of India’s Gandhi chronology records his birth at Porbandar on 2 October 1869 and his major life events.
• Title “Mahatma”: Bestowed by Rabindranath Tagore in 1915 (Great Soul).
• Title “Father of the Nation”: First used by Subhas Chandra Bose in an address on Azad Hind Radio from Singapore in July 1944.
• Only INC Session Presided Over = Belgaum Session (1924).
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Why is 2 October Important?

• 2 October is celebrated in India as Gandhi Jayanti.
• It commemorates the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The United Nations observes 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence.
• The UN General Assembly established the International Day of Non-Violence through Resolution A/RES/61/271, adopted in 2007.
• The purpose is to disseminate the message of non-violence through education and public awareness.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

National and Global Significance

• National Holiday = Gandhi Jayanti is one of India’s three official national holidays (alongside Republic Day on January 26 and Independence Day on August 15).
• International Day of Non-Violence = On June 15, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA Resolution A/RES/61/271) designated October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence to promote education and public awareness of non-violence (Ahimsa).
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan = Launched by the Government of India on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2, 2014) to fulfill Gandhi’s vision of clean, sanitized villages and cities.
• Coinciding Birth Anniversary = October 2 is also the birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri (born October 2, 1904), the 2nd Prime Minister of India.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Satyagraha

• Gandhi developed and used Satyagraha, a method of resistance based on truth and non-violence.
• He first developed his methods through political and social campaigns in South Africa.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Champaran Satyagraha – 1917

• Associated with the grievances of indigo cultivators in Bihar.
• Considered one of Gandhi’s important early movements in India.

Kheda Satyagraha – 1918

• Related to peasants in Kheda, Gujarat.
• Gandhi supported their demand for relief from land revenue under difficult conditions.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Ahmedabad Mill Strike – 1918

• Gandhi intervened in a dispute between textile mill workers and mill owners.

Non-Cooperation Movement – 1920–22

• Launched under Gandhi’s leadership against British colonial rule.
• Emphasised non-cooperation with colonial institutions.

Civil Disobedience Movement

• Gandhi led major campaigns of civil disobedience.
• The Salt March of 1930 became a major symbol of the movement. Gandhi and his followers marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, challenging the British salt monopoly.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Quit India Movement – 1942

• Gandhi and the Indian National Congress launched the Quit India Movement demanding an end to British rule.

Major Literary Works

• Hind Swaraj (written in 1909 in Gujarati aboard the ship SS Kildonan Castle).
• The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography, originally published in installments in Navjivan).
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Key Journals/Periodicals

• Indian Opinion (South Africa), Young India, Navjivan, and Harijan.

Ashrams Established

• Phoenix Settlement (1904) & Tolstoy Farm (1910) in South Africa.
• Kochrab Ashram (1915) & Sabarmati Ashram (1917) in Gujarat, India.
• Sevagram Ashram (1936) in Wardha, Maharashtra.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Key Mass Movements

• Champaran Satyagraha (1917 — First Civil Disobedience).
• Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918 — First Hunger Strike).
• Kheda Satyagraha (1918 — First Non-Cooperation).
• Non-Cooperation & Khilafat Movement (1920–1922).
• Civil Disobedience Movement / Dandi March (1930).
• Quit India Movement (1942 — “Do or Die” call).
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Gandhian Movements in India

• Gandhi’s first Satyagraha in India was the Champaran Satyagraha (1917).
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was related to indigo cultivation.
• The Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) was Gandhi’s first major labour movement in India.
• The Kheda Satyagraha (1918) was related to the demand for revenue relief for peasants.
• Gandhi launched the Rowlatt Satyagraha in 1919.
• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on 13 April 1919.
• Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920.
• Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident.
• The Chauri Chaura incident occurred on 5 February 1922.
• Gandhi began the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.
• The Dandi March began on 12 March 1930.
• Gandhi started the Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram.
• Gandhi reached Dandi on 6 April 1930 and broke the salt law.
• The Salt Satyagraha was an important part of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Gandhi signed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact on 5 March 1931.
• Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931.
• Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement in 1942.
• The Quit India resolution was passed at Bombay on 8 August 1942.
• Gandhi gave the famous slogan “Do or Die” during the Quit India Movement.
• The Quit India Movement is also known as the August Movement.
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Important Agreements & Events

• The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in 1931.
• Gandhi participated in the Second Round Table Conference (1931) as the representative of the Congress.
• Gandhi opposed the Communal Award of 1932.
• Gandhi undertook a fast unto death in Yerwada Jail in 1932 against separate electorates for the Depressed Classes.
• The Poona Pact was signed in 1932 between B.R. Ambedkar and Hindu leaders.
• Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 in New Delhi.
• Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse.
• Gandhi’s last words are traditionally reported as “Hey Ram.”
• 30 January is observed in India as Martyrs’ Day (Shaheed Diwas).
• Mahatma Gandhi Birthday October 2

Gandhi – Important Years

• 1869 – Gandhi born at Porbandar
• 1893 – Gandhi went to South Africa
• 1894 – Natal Indian Congress
• 1906 – Satyagraha movement in South Africa
• 1909 – Hind Swaraj
• 1915 – Gandhi returned to India
• 1917 – Champaran Satyagraha
• 1918 – Ahmedabad Mill Strike & Kheda Satyagraha
• 1919 – Rowlatt Satyagraha
• 1920 – Non-Cooperation Movement
• 1922 – Chauri Chaura; Non-Cooperation withdrawn
• 1930 – Dandi March & Civil Disobedience Movement
• 1931 – Gandhi-Irwin Pact; Second Round Table Conference
• 1932 – Poona Pact
• 1942 – Quit India Movement
• 1948 – Gandhi assassinated